In 2018, 44 per cent of women reported experiencing intimate partner violence in their lifetime, and women are six times more likely than men to have been sexually assaulted by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to Statistics Canada.
Since September, the Burlington Performing Arts Centre has hosted monthly 5 to 7 Pay It Forward business networking sessions where a local charitable organization is featured. Each session is sponsored by one of BPAC’s business partners, which then chooses a charitable organization.
When deciding which local charity to feature at the BPAC Pay It Forward event late last month, Mini Giants CEO Steve Cussons had several to choose from.
“I have a lot of passion for other charities in our community; there are some really wonderful ones. I chose Halton Women’s Place because the demands on them are so high right now,” he said.
Giving Halton Women’s Place the opportunity to be embraced by the local business community and to bring awareness to the organization’s work was Cussons’ goal.
When he met local musician Andrew Irving and heard his song Scars about his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, Cussons decided to help get it produced and recorded so it could be the theme song for Halton Women’s Place.
“I saw (Irving’s) passion and I thought this would be another way for us to remind everybody about who Halton Women’s Place is,” Cussons said.
Halton Women’s Place runs two emergency short-term shelters in Burlington and Milton, and both are full. Between 120 to 140 women and children are supported every year through the organization's shelters.
“We don’t do our work alone. We are two shelters,” said executive director Laurie Hepburn. “We really rely on our community to recognize abuse, support somebody who might experiencing abuse and create safe spaces for people to talk about abuse because it is very much an isolating experience for women.”
Halton Women’s Place provides shelter and crisis services for abused women and their dependent children.
“When we work with our business community, they certainly help us in fundraising for the critical programs that we have. We couldn’t do that without our business community,” Hepburn said. “But exposure and awareness are critical. Everybody is part of the solution to make sure we are creating a space where we can talk about it.”
BPAC is a not-for-profit organization, but is often approached by groups and other organizations for help.
“We get asked for support a lot but there’s only so much we can do because we’re constantly trying to find sponsors and donors ourselves,” said its executive director Tammy Fox.
The 5 to 7 Pay It Forward events are a way for BPAC to give back and support non-profits as well as its sponsors.
The next 5 to 7 Pay It Forward business networking session is Tuesday, Feb. 20, and will be hosted by Mending the Chasm featuring Halton Black Voices.
More information can be found at BPAC.
