The YWCA of Thompson reflected on their past year and looked to the future at their 38th annual general meeting, held Sept. 7 in the YWCA dining room.
"It has been an exciting and productive year," remarked Angel Anderson, president of the YWCA board of directors. "We are an organization that continually and genuinely impacts the lives of so many women and their families."
Notable YWCA public events over the past year included a multicultural potluck on March 8 for International Women's Day, a float in the Nickel Days parade, and the annual Women of Distinction awards, where this year's honourees were Stella Locker, Jan Hall, Colleen Smook, and Freda Lepine.
"Each year, through the Women of Distinction dinner, we have the opportunity to raise our profile and reach out to more people, giving them a better understanding of the programs and opportunities that exist at our YWCA," said Anderson.
Judy Kolada, YWCA executive director and chief executive officer, told those in attendance that when she first took her current position, she set three goals for herself - to improve the YWCA's financial stability, to put in place the best possible staff, and to improve the YWCA's image. "Over the years, as a past board member and volunteer of the YWCA, I was proud to be a part of one of the most respected organizations in our community," Kolada said.
Over the past year, the YWCA has entered into a partnership with Vale, which now uses YWCA facilities for aptitude testing of its new employees. Rather than charging a strict fee, the YWCA asked for support of ongoing projects, and it was in that vein that Vale contributed $17,725 to the purchase and installation of a new lift system in the YWCA building, which facilitates access to the basement for women who wish to take classes offered in the YWCA basement but may have trouble with the staircase. Funding for the lift was also provided by grants from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, as well as the Thompson Community Foundation.
The YWCA also hosted Jennifer Howard, currently the provincial minister of labour and immigration, and also responsible for the status of women file, last November. Women from the community met with Howard to discuss challenges facing women in the North, including child care and the University College of the North's midwifery program. That same month, the YWCA supported a "Month without Violence" event, offering pamphlets at a table set up in City Centre Mall and making a presentation to city council.
Kolada noted that through advertising YWCA residences, daily rentals are up 15 per cent, while bookings for long-term rentals have also risen by 16 per cent.
"We are working to establish annual fundraisers that can be counted on to provide a yearly contribution to our budget," Kolada said, noting the Women of Distinction awards and the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes campaign as two such fundraisers.
"A goal of ours is to become the go-to organization for issues affecting women in Northern Manitoba," explained Anderson.
Kolada and Anderson, along with board member Abbey Muirhead, travelled to Niagara Falls in June for the 118th annual membership meeting of YWCA chapters from across Canada. "It gave me a better insight into what our national organization does and what other YWCAs across Canada do," said Anderson of the experience.
The first Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraising event in Thompson will be held Sept. 18 in front of the YWCA building on Nickel Road. Dozens of Thompson men, including Mayor Tim Johnston, will be walking in red high-heeled shoes to raise funds for the YWCA and draw attention to women's issues. "The event will raise awareness on domestic violence and provide funds to support our residence and programs," said Anderson.
Johnston was also on hand at the meeting, where he remarked that "the City of Thompson is very please to support and work with the YWCA it's a tremendous accomplishment in this community." Also present was Churchill MP Niki Ashton, who said "it's really important to pay particular thanks to your hard work, but also to the partnerships you play in our community"
Another new event planned for this year is the return of coffee houses, which Kolada said were previously done at the YMCA in the 1970s. Music and refreshments will be on the menu in the YWCA cafeteria on the second and third Friday nights of every month between September and December.
"Thanks to the dedication and hard work of all staff, our Y remains a valuable organization to our community," said Kolada.
"I grow to love this organization more every day," said Anderson.
