Canadian piCkers Comes to town
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Courts should proteCt the kids
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Cupe deal sparks CritiCs’ ConCern
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Friday
SEPTEMBER 7 2012 www.newwestnewsleader.com
Blaine blitzes Hyacks squad. See Page a17
Dishing out legal advice in the square Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
GRanT GRanGER/nEWSLEaDER
Holly Forrester, left, has benefited from The Goddess Within You program begun earlier this year at the Elizabeth Fry Society by Christine Stover. The duo are looking to expand the program, which helps women “unleash their inner strength,” with a campaign at Sapperton Park, kitty corner to EFry, on Sunday, 3 to 6 p.m.
Strength, beauty and the goddess within
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
At the age of 18, Holly Forrester found herself in an abusive relationship and caring for an infant son. The fear, however, made her feel leaving was not an option. Three years later, the terror took a terrible turn when her partner started choking her to the point of not being able to breathe. She was
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three years ago and now resides was scared to leave him. Finally, I at Elizabeth Fry’s facility in New overcame the fear and I left both of Westminster. them,” says Forrester. This past February, Christine At Sapperton Park on Sunday, Stover posted a notice at EFry for from 3 to 6 p.m., Stover and Sunday evening seminars called The Forrester will be looking to expand Goddess Within You, and Forrester their reach in the community with showed up for the first one. It’s an event where the eventual goal is helped change her so much, that to help women “unleash” their inner she now wants to share her story to strength and beauty. help others. She feels as someone Stover knows what Forrester has who has been through it before she been through. She married at age can have more of an impact when 20 expecting a dream marriage. supporting others victims of abuse. Instead, she got a nightmare of an “I was tired of hearing people abusive husband. 1:20 PM 4x1.25_bottle_depot_ad_final.pdf 1 12-03-05 telling me I’ve got to leave him. I please see STovER, a3
BOTTLE DEPOT
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Grant Granger
saved by her three-year-old running for help. A year after that, Forrester attempted suicide, but after waking up in hospital she finally left him. Two years later, though, her selfesteem had once again plummeted and she got involved in another abusive relationship. “I was stuck in the trap again,” recalls Forrester, now 35. Eventually, though, she worked up the courage to leave him as well. After seven years of counseling and support in her home town of Edmonton, she headed west almost
POP
Sapperton campaign seeks to help women unleash their inner goddess
There’s always people willing to give free legal advice, although not many of them are actually lawyers. However, New Westminster residents will get to be on the receiving end of free legal advice from lawyers on Tuesday when the Pro Bono Going Public 2012 shows up at Hyack Square. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., more than 100 lawyers will be available to give free legal advice to low-income individuals thanks to the Canadian Bar Association and the Access Pro Bono Society of BC. A similar event was to be held in Vancouver’s Victory Square on Friday (Sept. 7), and others will be held in Kelowna and Victoria, to highlight the degree to which access to the justice system is in a crisis. With government drastically cutting back on legal aid services, it’s been left up to the charitable shoulders of lawyers to provide pro bono work, says society executive director Jamie Maclaren. see SMaLL caSES, a7