Family Transtion Place Spring News 2012

Family Transition Place News Spring 2012 IN THIS ISSUE: FTP has a New Website Message from the Executive Director IWD Celebration Fundraiser Update Transitions Training Family Transition Place Golf Classic Imagine Canada Necklace of HOPE Transitions Training May is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Check Out the New Website launching mid May!

FTP is thrilled to announce the release of our newly redesigned website. Our site has been restructured with a fresh and innovative look and has been updated with information about our latest news, programs and services.

It was very important that the website was created to meet the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and we are pleased that the website now meets the act’s standards.

The ultimate goal for the new website was to make it easy for clients, donors and supporters to find what they need immediately and to create a space for them to stay connected with Family Transition Place, creating a virtual community of sorts.

Please make sure to join our electronic mailing list to stay up-to-date on the latest information!

FTP has a new look for the website!

Please send us your email address and you’ll receive important news OR join us on Facebook!

Be assured that this information will not be shared with any other organization and only used for the purpose of keeping you informed.

To sign up, email kelly@familytransitionplace. ca and don’t forget to let us know if your email address changes.

Family Transition Place 905.584.4357 519.942.4122 familytransitionplace.ca 24 Hour Info/Crisis Line 519.941.4357 905.584.4357 1.800.265.9178 TTY: 519.942.1651

May is Sexual Assault Awareness Month Few want to talk about it, but now that the province has once again proclaimed May as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, there will be discussion about this violent crime.

Most victims of sexual assault are under the age of 25. Most know the person who attacked them and do not report the crime to the police.

Victims of sexual assault are some of the most vulnerable and silent people in society and it is now the time to ask questions to learn about the services for victims.

Here at FTP, we offer counselling support to men and women over the age of 16 for recent or historical sexual abuse. If you need information or want to find out how you can help someone, please contact us. 1.800.265.9178.

Safety. Support. Hope. Let’s build healthier communities, one relationship at a time.

You can help! Donate to Family Transition Place online at www.canadahelps.org

International Women’s Day Luncheon Fundraiser a Success!

FTP with the support of our title sponsor Royal LePage RCR Realty, hosted the 2nd annual International Women’s Day luncheon fundraiser on March 8, 2012 with over 350 people in attendance!

The event featured a vendor marketplace with delightful storefronts and products for guests to shop before the luncheon, followed by the highlight – motivation-sensation, guest speaker Rosita Hall. Ms. Hall had the guests buzzing weeks after the event with her enthusiasm and the message she infused into everyone that attended.

In addition to the event, FTP published the inaugural issue of Celebrating Women, a magazine that was a collaborative effort with the community and was also used as a fundraiser for FTP. A thousand copies were distributed throughout Dufferin and Caledon, but if you missed out on your copy, it can be viewed digitally online. Visit www.familytransitionplace for the link.

Special thanks to the volunteer IWD committee: Stacey Coupland, Paulene Deifel, Tammy Elliott, Manda Jones, Mary Maw, Adriana Roche, Shelly Sargent, Gillian Vanderburgh and Debbie VanWyck. The entire event raised over $40,000!

100% of the proceeds support Family Transition Place Youth Education programs! Now that is something to celebrate!

FTP publishes the inaugural issue of Celebrating Women. Read it online today!

Family Transition Place is proud to become a participating member of the Imagine Canada Ethical Code Program. Participation in this program requires compliance to high standards of ethical fundraising, financial accountability and shows that FTP demonstrates the public trust. FTP is committed to the responsible management of funds donors entrust to us, and to reporting financial affairs accurately and completely. We thank you for your trust and support!

Purchase a Necklace of HOPE and support Family Transition Place Family Transition Place has been providing safety, support and hope to the community since 1984. Please support us through a purchase of this symbolic necklace and charm for $20. Hurry, limited quantities available! Order yours today by calling 519.942.4122 x 243 or fill out the attached slip and let us know if you want us to send it to a loved one as a gift!

A message from Norah Kennedy,

Executive Director of Family Transition Place In April, I attended the Greater Dufferin Chamber of Commerce Awards of Excellence Nominee reception, accepting Family Transition Place’s nomination for Excellence in the Not-for-Profit sector. As I looked around at the other nominees and all the other community members present, it struck me, and not for the first time, just how fortunate we are to be living and working in this community. That a category of award for Excellence in Not-for-Profit even exists within an organization that is dedicated to supporting the Business Community, I think is highly commendable. And I want to thank the GDACC for having the insight to include organizations like ours in this event.

There are no formal networks, in our community, for those who work in the not-for-profit sector, which is a shame because the ability to connect with others who share similar challenges in funding, staffing, fundraising and awareness is important.

Recently, Trish Keachie from DCAFS, Sheryl Chandler from DCL and I met with Pete Renshaw and Steve Elliott, Chamber President and Past President respectively, to explore the idea of enhancing the relationship between the Chamber and the not for profit agency members.

Where this conversation will lead is yet unknown, but regardless, it is really positive to have these conversations and for the business leaders of our community to acknowledge the important role NFP’s play in our society. The work we do in supporting the most vulnerable of our community is well known. Less well known, perhaps, is that as a sector we are one of the largest employers in the region. So, as well as being the creators and keepers of the area’s social safety net, we are also contributors to the general community economy as our staffs work, get paid, bank, eat, shop and pay taxes in our community. Membership in associations like the Chamber of Commerce is an important way for us to extend our contribution, remind the community of our economic importance and help keep us connected to the community we work so hard to serve.

Creating a better community for all is the work of not-for-profit social service agencies. We are working for a future where our community is not only economically vital, but is also a healthy, safe and peaceful place where people are connected to and cared for by one another. Each agency has a different mission and vision defined by the issue we each are mandated to address, but the broader vision of the kind of world we want to live in is much the same. I don’t believe that it differs hugely from the vision that our business counterparts have of the community in which they want to live and raise their children.

As community members, we are inextricably linked. FTP’s vision of Building a Healthy Community – One Relationship at a Time summarizes the perspective that our agency takes in trying to accomplish the goal of a better world. Because of our focus on ending Violence Against Women, we approach the vision by advocating for healthy relationships. We believe that when relationships are healthy – when there is no violence or abuse of power in a relationship both parties are better equipped to be productive contributing members of our society. With self-

esteem intact and support from a loving partner at home, both parties have the confidence to pursue careers, raise a family, volunteer and financially give back to the community in which they live.

With a new grant from Status of Women Canada, FTP is embarking on a project to unite Dufferin and Caledon in the effort to create a safer, healthier community.

By engaging men, talking to women and girls, continuing our work with youth and bringing community partners together to guide the process, our goal is to create a model of what the “ideal” community should look like. We are excited by the opportunity this grant provides us to look at our community from a different perspective and to tackle the issue of safety for women and girls on a community-wide basis!

I am proud of this community, of the work we’ve already done together and I know there is much that is very good here. However, there are still gaps that need to be filled. I am grateful that no one is expected to meet all of the needs. I am grateful that there are so many excellent organizations doing such remarkable work, each from the perspective of their own particular mandate, to ensure that the most vulnerable of us are housed, fed, protected, supported and cared for.

I am very pleased that FTP has been nominated for an Award of Excellence. I think we deserve it. We work very hard to achieve the results we do. But, so do all the other agencies struggling to serve their community, sometimes against difficult odds in a difficult economy. I’d like to think that the nomination of any agency for the Award of Excellence in the Not-For-Profit sector is an acknowledgement of all the agencies in our community who are doing such good work, day in and day out. Congratulations to them all.

And finally, a tip of the hat also goes to the Greater Dufferin Chamber of Commerce for recognizing, not only the critical work we do, but that a community is defined by the relationships and connections we have with one another. By connecting Business to the Not-for-Profit sector we become partners in the work to accomplish the broader vision.

Safety. Support. Hope. Let’s Build Healthier Communities – one Relationship at a Time. And let’s do it together!

Our Mission: To promote equality, safety and mutual respect in our community by providing: Safe shelter for abused women and their children • Support and counselling so that abused individuals may build lives free from violence and abuse • Information and education toward the prevention of violence against women.

Call FORE

Our Partnership with RBC Dominion Securities Continues

golfers! golfers!

We are so excited that RBC Domnion Securties have pledged their support for the third year in a row to the title sponsorship of this year’s golf tournament.

There are many new highlights to this year’s tournament including – for the first time ever – EARLY BIRD PRICING! In addition to the tournament, we have an exciting raffle with amazing prizes including a trip for two anywhere West Jet Airlines fly! Imagine yourself having a round of golf in Hawaii. Yes, you can have a round trip flight there with this prize!

Family Transition Place Golf Classic - Sept 13th presented by:

WIN A TRIP TO HAWAII OR ANYWHERE WESTJET FLIES !

Caledon Country Club

Grand prize max value: $2,200

Shotgun start at 11:00am

Ladies and gentlemen!

Take advantage of these early bird offers ending June 30, 2012!

Individual registration is only $199!* Corporate foursomes are $900 and include BONUS early bird registration of business name on event website and program, and one sleeve of HOPE golf balls for each golfer!

Register and buy your raffle ticket today!

Golf registration is available online at www.familytransitionplace.ca or by phone at 519.942.4122. Raffle tickets are $20 each or 6 for $100. Draw to be held on September 13th at the golf tournament.

We hope to see you on the greens!

Transitions Training Domestic Violence & the Impact on the Workplace • Harrassment in the Workplace • Positive Relationships in the Workplace

As an employer, what would you do if.. .

We design and deliver customized training that actively engages participants in the learning process.

...Sue came to work with bruising on her face, and her boyfriend was unexpectedly waiting in the parking lot to take her home. .... Bryan was being harrassed by a colleague who picked on a different person every week. No one speaks up for fear of being the next target.

Safety. Support. Hope. Let’s build healthier communities, one workplace at a time.

www.familytransitionplace.ca

2011-2012 Board of Directors Pete Renshaw, President • Stacey Coupland, Vice-President • Blair Russell, Secretary/Treasurer • Donna Arsenault • Deborah Brook • Lynda Ferneyhough • Kemi Palmer • Dave Quinton • Peter Sardelis