The Kinsmen Club and Kingston Interval House are issuing a challenge to the Community to Help Stop Violence Against Women.
To help celebrate International Women’s Day this year, the Kinsmen Club of Kingston has provided Kingston Interval House (KIH) with a challenge grant to help raise awareness and funds for women, children, and youth impacted by domestic violence and gender-based violence in Kingston and area.
Kingston Interval House (KIH) is a local agency in Kingston that provides emergency shelter, second stage housing, and community outreach for women, children and youth experiencing violence. The Kinsmen Club of Kingston runs the annual Kinsmen Dream Home Lottery and has been giving back to the community for over
100 years. These two organizations are excited to partner together to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021 by challenging Kingston and surrounding area to step up and help stop violence against women.
The $20,000 challenge grant, provided by the Kinsmen Club of Kingston, will be used to match every donation, dollar for dollar, made to Kingston Interval House between March 1-31st. This means that every dollar donated to will be doubled and have twice the impact.
“The Kinsmen Club of Kingston is happy to provide this grant to Kingston Interval House in order to help raise awareness and much needed funds to help stop violence against women in our community.”
~ Tammy Duphney (Kinsmen Club of Kingston)
Marked annually on March 8th, International Women’s Day is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about women’s equality, lobby for accelerated gender parity, and fundraise for female–focused charities.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is “Choose to Challenge” and is based on the belief that a challenged world is an alert world, and that from challenge comes change. The #ChooseToChallenge and #IWD2021 tags will be used to raise awareness, engagement, and funds to support women across the globe.
The COVID-19 pandemic shined a spotlight on violence against women and the need for women’s shelters and services across the country. Experts say more needs to be done for women who are escaping violence. According to the Women’s Foundation of Canada, a woman in Canada is killed approximately every 6 days by her intimate partner, and 67% of all Canadians say they know someone personally who has experienced physical of sexual abuse.
Kingston Interval House, which continues to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, is excited for the #ChooseToChallenge International Women’s Day theme this year, as it is a chance to help raise awareness about the services and programs it provides, and the need for community support.
“When we receive financial donations, our agency can use that money to support the women, children and youth who have been impacted by domestic violence through our various programs. Quite simply, financial donations allow us to continue to help some of the most vulnerable in our community. By donating to KIH, you should feel good knowing you are helping women, children, and youth to break that cycle of violence.”
~ Leigh Martins (Training, Education, and Volunteer Coordinator, KIH)
Funds raised from this initiative will go directly towards supporting the women, children, and youth in Kingston and area who are accessing Kingston Interval House programs and services.
“We are so grateful to the Kinsmen Club of Kingston for providing us with these funds, and we are excited to partner with them on this initiative.”
~ Pam Havery (Executive Director, KIH)
To donate please visit: www.kingstonintervalhouse.com
For more information, please contact Nikki Beaulieu at:
funddevelopment@kingstonintervalhouse.com or 613-546-1833 ext. 35
About KIH:
Kingston Interval House (KIH) is the only violence against women shelter in Kingston and has been in operation since 1975. KIH provides essential, responsive, and empowering services to women, children and youth who have experienced the impact of violence against women. KIH seeks to interrupt the cycle of domestic abuse and gender-based violence through the delivery of its core services, which include: emergency shelter services, transitional programs, community-based outreach and support services, second-stage housing, public education, awareness, and prevention services, as well as community engagement and capacity building. For more information, please visit www.kingstonintervalhouse.com. If you are in crisis, please call our 24-Hour Crisis Line: 613-546-1777