Ahead of Thursday’s kickoff of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, 20 brave souls slept outside Wednesday night in a way that made them aware of the importance of the Moose Jaw Transition House.
Moose Jaw’s Transition House provides a safe haven for women and children fleeing violence.
Transition House board member Jared Matheson was among those who attended the awareness event.
“It was a great night and I think it raised awareness for the Moose Jaw Transition House,” says Matheson. “We also raised a lot of money for it. Men said they would never commit violence against women.”
November 25 marks the start of 16 days of action against gender-based violence. It begins with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and ends with Human Rights Day on December 10th.
The event started around 10:00 on Thursday night and ended around 6:00 on Friday morning. Mathieson adds that their gathering caught the attention of some locals early on.
“Often, in the first few hours, maybe 20 people stopped by to deliver food, donations, and coffee. It was amazing, we are 20 people, but the whole community came together to raise funds and awareness.”
Luckily for the 20 men in attendance, the weather was on their side as the forecast low for Thursday night was 0 degrees.
Another positive from the event was that $45,000 was raised for Transition House through in-person and online donations from locals and people from afar.
Each attendee at Thursday night’s event worked to meet the $500 fundraising goal.
Moose Jaw Transition House director Geoff Anderson said the funds raised could be used to expand a number of programs and other instruments.
“Outreach programs that allow us to expand our footprint,” explains Anderson. “I know there is a program called First Steps, which is where families add another home and another space for families to transition into so they can get back on their feet, especially gender-neutral. It’s something that allows us to provide a space where they can stay safe when they’re fleeing the base of violence.It’s really helping the many women and children in the Moose Jaw community.”
Anderson explains that being able to attend this kind of awareness event meant a lot to him.
“Growing up as a child in the 80s, I never really had this kind of service for women and children. I’ve seen them try to end gender-based things.”
Anderson concluded by saying that the twenty brave souls who slept outside all night is a testament to the support Moose Jaw gives to causes like this.
Since 1991, men have worn a white ribbon on November 25th to pledge never to commit, tolerate or remain silent about all forms of gender-based violence and discrimination.
To support the cause, contact one of the men listed below or visit mj-transitionhouse.com
Transition House Men’s Night Out
1. Adam Dowling – RBC
2. Joel Pinel – Vize Labs
3. Brett Williams – Cypress Paving
4. Mark Gilliland/ Sebasten Halvorsen – Metis Local and ACT Club
5. Paul Busse – Elk Jaw Firefighter
6. Kyle Sereda – Moose Jaw & District EMS
7. Ira Dales – Ifrix Solutions
8. John Iatodis – Mad Greek
9. Alex Carlton – Crushed cans
10. Shay Jameson – JGL
11. Matt Gillies – K+S
12. Eric Campbell – Lindale School
13. Gordon Edgar – Moose Joe Express
14. Andy Hamilton – Henderson Insurance
15. Arden Ausland – Mosaic
16. Tim McLeod – MLA
special guest – Dr. Evan Neuls – Surgeon
Transition House Board Member
Jeff Anderson – Moose Jaw Cooperative
Jared Mathieson – Saskatchewan Institute of Technology
Kevin Pilsworth – Moosejaw Police (on patrol that night)
