REGINA, Sask. — Hundreds of people filled Regina’s City Square on Sept. 17, walking together to raise awareness of domestic violence and more than $144,000 for programs supporting survivors.
Taking place at Regina's City Square, the event focused on spreading awareness about domestic violence and invited residents to participate in a mile-long walk in honour of domestic abuse survivors.
Of the hundreds of participants, Mayor Chad Bachynski attended and sent a message to victims of domestic violence.
"We're here to make sure that you are seen, you are heard, and we're here to support you, and it's OK to ask for help, and there is help available," says Bachynski.
Senior director of development at the YWCA Chelsey Lemke said that over the last month, $144,450 has been raised in the name of this event and will be directed toward the Isabel Johnson Shelter. But the battle against domestic violence never stops.
"Saskatchewan has double the national average of gender-based intimate partner violence. We are the top of all the Canadian provinces — that's not a title we want to hold. Our shelter is at capacity every day of the week. Our turn-aways are around eight to nine hundred a year — that's women and children we aren't able to provide services to," says Lemke.
However, the YWCA has made progress by steadily decreasing its number of turn-aways each year over the course of the last several years. Lemke said what success looks like from the perspective of the YWCA and the Isabel Johnson Shelter.
"If we can get in contact and we can provide support services to folks before they're homeless, before they've left that situation, and be able to provide them with a safe place to go and the resources that they need — bypassing the shelter system — that's best-case scenario," says Lemke.
The presenting sponsor of the fundraiser, AVANA, had a number of employees attend the event. One employee, Sarah Jaworski, found the event to be "empowering."
"We should be supporting everybody — especially people who are going through difficult times in any type of intimate partner violence, or violence against anybody, whether it's race, religion or sexual preference," says Jaworski.
Bonnie Shing, a participant in the walk and a survivor of domestic violence, noted, "It's important to bring awareness to violence that women suffer through."
Check our SaskToday article for video from the event.
