Why are we doing this?
The Wreck the Dress Event will raise money for a new program called the Moving Forward Scholarship Fund through the Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region (which has a recognized charitable status). This is a new pilot fund that will enable women and their children coming out of the shelters an opportunity to get free grants to put towards schooling. It’s our mission to help expand this fund to assist these women with starting a business, obtaining scholarships, and providing mentorship throughout our region; eventually expanding this opportunity across the women’s shelter system in Ontario.
About WCSWR
EMPOWER WOMEN TO MOVE BEYOND VIOLENCE
Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region (WCSWR) empowers and supports women* and children to move beyond violence by providing safe shelter, education and outreach services. WCSWR operates two emergency shelters for women and children experiencing domestic violence: Anselma House in Kitchener and Haven House in Cambridge. In addition to providing safe shelter, WCSWR offers a free, confidential, outreach program for women who are experiencing domestic violence but do not require emergency shelter. The program is flexible, accessible and has no wait list. Shelter and outreach services can both be accessed by calling WCSWR’s 24/7 crisis support lines via phone or online chat.
*WCSWR supports women, transgender and gender-diverse individuals.
She is your neighbour
For too long, domestic violence has been viewed as a personal and private issue, rather than a societal problem. There is often shame and stigma associated with domestic violence which can make it difficult to talk about. For many of us, it’s not something that we want to talk about, think about, or imagine happening – especially not in our own neighbourhoods.
Unfortunately, avoiding it won’t make it go away. The reality is, domestic violence IS happening. It impacts many different people, in many different neighbourhoods.
That is why Women’s Crisis Services created this public education series – to emphasize that she is your neighbour and we all have a role to play in ending domestic violence.
She Is Your Neighbour was launched in 2019 in the form of a blog series and social media campaign. Since then, the project has evolved. We’ve held information nights, given presentations, and sold books, merchandise, and more. The project was named Best Marketing Campaign at the Cambridge and North Dumfries Community Awards in 2019. In 2020, we launched the She Is Your Neighbour podcast where we take a deep dive into domestic violence, exploring the realities and complexities of it. In 2021, the She Is Your Neighbour project was a finalist at the Leadership Waterloo Fresh Innovator Awards.
Udderly Ridiculous Farm Life's CEO and Wreck the Dress founder, Cheryl Haskett has also participated in the podcast. In the episode, Cheryl talks about her previous abusive marriage and how this led her to stay in a women’s shelter in Barrie, Ontario with her two young children. They also talk about the services that she was able to access while in the shelter and how she uses her business, Udderly Ridiculous, to give back to organizations that support women.
Learn More
She Is Your Neighbour is storytelling series created by Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region. Through the project, we explore the realities and complexities of domestic violence by sharing stories from people of all walks of life.