Banish Your February Blues and Support the Work of the YWCA

No woman should have to fear for their life or for the safety of their children. The sad truth, however, is that more than 50 per cent of Canadian women will experience abuse at some point in their lifetime – and that’s just one of the many grim statistics revealed in a 2009 YWCA national report. But amidst the darkness and tragic circumstances many of these women face, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, says Laura Redman, event developer for the YWCA of Peterborough, Victoria and Haliburton. And that light – although hard for many women to notice – emanates from the YWCA. “Here in Haliburton, we call our services, ‘A Turning Point for Women’, and for the last 24 years, our staff has been offering support services, crisis intervention and advocacy to women in this county,” said Redman.
Since the YWCA is a not-for-profit organization, it is in constant need of donations and other forms of funding. Over the past couple of months, Redman has been busy preparing for “Banish the Blues” – an upcoming fundraiser that will feature the groovy tunes of Canadian blues artist Rick Fines and Suzie Vinnick under the roof of the Pinestone Resort. Funds that are generated from the Feb. 13
evening event will go to support YWCA’s local women’s centre and the Haliburton Emergency Rural Safespace (HERS). But that’s not all. In the time leading up to the event, Redman has rounded up some of the county’s creative folk to participate in an artsy project in hopes of raising even more funds.
“I’m really happy with the success we’ve had in the little we’ve had to work with,” said Redman of the project she thought of titled “Alter an Image and Help to Alter a Woman’s Life.” When Redman started the project she needed to find an image that would reflect the themes she had in mind. After getting in touch with local photographer Barbara Koch and seeing her work, a photo that had all the right elements was quickly chosen. “It was everything she was looking for,” said Koch of the photo she snapped on Hwy 118, on the sharp bend that leads to West Guilford. Taken just minutes after a storm rolled through the county, the image shows the transition that is made from darkness to light: the sun peaks its way through the clouds, the blue sky begins to get brighter, yet the ground and barn depicted still remain in the shadows. “The darkness symbolizes the current situation of a woman facing violence while the light is for hope, hope that the YWCA can give them,” Redman explained. With a photo to use a call was put out to artists to participate. “It was up to them to interpret or ‘respond’ to the photo in whatever way they wanted to,” Redman said of the challenge, which is conducive to the work of virtually any artist, regardless of their medium. Thus far, the six artists who have stepped up to alter the image and give away their work include: Shelley Beach, Kim McBrien, Marc Shroetter, Sandy Slote, Fay Wilkinson and Robert Van Nood. Each altered piece will be up on display at the Minden Hills Cultural Centre for viewing from Feb. 4 – 11. Those looking to take the art home will be able to place their bids during the live auction segment of the night at the Banish the Blues fundraiser. Tickets – which include a buffet dinner – can be purchased for $50 per person by calling 705-286-1942 or at the following locations: YWCA in Minden, Organic Times, and Henwood’s Variety & Sweet Shoppe. To learn more about the work of the YWCA visit www.ywcapeterborough.org.