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| Can you imagine being hit by a man, much bigger than you are, being afraid of your partner, afraid that he would harm your children? Can you imagine living in fear, in your own home, from someone you love and who says he loves you? And feeling, on top of all of that, that you have no choice. You have no job to bring in money for you and your kids to live on. Can you imagine this? And what would you do if this began happening to you, to your daughter or your friend?
Having never experienced anything like this, attending the Annual General Meeting of the Atikokan Crisis Centre on June 11 was a real eye-opener. There is a place in Atikokan where women can turn when they are in crisis. The Atikokan Crisis Centre gives shelter, support, information, referrals, safety and security for abused women and their children. After a presentation of a cheque for $1000.00 from the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario – Rainy River District Teachers' Local, Donna Kroocmo, Executive Director of the Centre gave her report. In it she highlighted the new staff who have come on board in the past year. She also gave some sobering statistics – a record number of calls to the crisis line were handled by staff over the past year. The Emergency Shelter's renovations are nearing completion, with occupancy rate down slightly this year to 39.25%, down from 48% last year. The Young Women's Forum, and the Young Women's Conference were described, as were the outreach activities of the Centre. Donna made emphatic mention of the gratitude she has for the staff, volunteers, clients, the Board of Directors who collaborate so well together to make the Centre and its services work so well for those who need them. Two presentations were made by Angie Roehrig and Suzan Asselin who described the a day in their lives as a front-line worker. Angie described the procedures for accessing the Centre's services, the kinds of services offered, the policies and rules and the education and counseling provided to clients. Both she and Suzan emphasized the importance of the on-going training for the staff. Suzan began and ended her talk with poems, read with great depth of feeling. She too emphasized the importance of making the clients feel safe and secure, treating everyone with respect and dignity. Another important aspect of the Centre is the provision of information that lets a woman know what help is available, allowing her the space to figure out what has to happen next in her life. Providing options, alternatives and choices to the clients allows them to chart a course out of an abusive situation. If required, referrals are made to professionals who can provide legal information (Landlord / Tenant Act, custody matters, etc.). In addition, education is provided about the issues surrounding violence against women. Decisiveness and assertiveness are encouraged among the clients, and confidentiality is stressed. Using non-judgmental listening techniques and compassionate empathy, the front-line workers face many sad situations but on the good days, they see that their being there has helped someone take a step away from an abusive situation. Attendees from Fort Frances, Emo and Atikokan listened to the presentations with intense interest and asked a number of questions of the presenters when they finished speaking. The make-up of the board remained the same with the executive positions being determined at a regular board meeting after the AGM. While it is a tragedy that violence against women and children necessitates the need for shelters, it is good to know that there is a strong organization with well-trained, compassionate staff offering assistance and support to those who find themselves requiring their services. The toll free / TDD number is 1-800-465-3348. In Atikokan, you can call 597-6908. (The Atikokan Crisis Centre does not subscribe the Caller ID service.) You do not have to live in fear. |
 Caption for the picture: Rhonda Jesse, Vice-President of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario – Rainy River District Teachers' Local, presented Donna Kroocmo of the Atikokan Crisis Centre with a cheque for $1000.00. The presentation was made on behalf of ETFO Provincial as well as the EFTO Locals for the Teachers, the Occasional Teachers and the Education Support Staff of the Rainy River District School Board. |