NEWS RELEASE
GREEN HAVEN SHELTER FOR WOMEN
*************************
Earlier this fall, the community joined together with our local Shoppers Drug Marts and their store teams for a highly successful fundraiser here in Orillia. Donations to the 2020 LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart fundraising program to grow women’s health raised $9,087 in support of Green Haven Shelter for Women.
For 2020 the program chose to support women’s shelters that are helping to protect women from domestic violence, due to the increases in violence against women as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some regions have reported a 20 to 30 per cent increase in rates of gender-based violence and domestic violence since the start of the pandemic.
The 19th annual campaign is national in scope, yet locally based, with patients, customers and employees donating directly to women’s shelters in their community to ensure that resources and programming are available to meet the needs of women across the country.
“We’re thrilled with the success of the LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart fall fundraising program to grow women’s health and would like to thank everyone who participated. Each year, our customers and staff demonstrate their generosity and their commitment to supporting women in our community, and we couldn’t be more proud of everyone’s contributions,” said Christina Chung and Becky He, pharmacists at the two Orillia locations of Shoppers Drug Mart.
“Green Haven plays a critical role in our area, and the proceeds from this year’s campaign will go a long way to helping them support women who are fleeing abuse," they said.
“A donation like this is truly transformative,” says Green Haven Shelter for Women (GHSW) Interim Executive Director, Ligaya Byrch. “This funding directly supports the women and their children at GHSW, enabling them to remain virtually connected with their schools, peers, and loved ones through the purchase of communication technology.
"We know that isolation is one of the most detrimental aspects to one’s wellbeing, and this has been something we have been focused on mitigating, particularly in the face of COVID-19,” explains Byrch.
“Being the recipient of this wellness donation from Orillia Shoppers Drug Mart means the women at GHSW can move beyond the shelter with greater feelings of wellness, community, and support through virtual connection," Byrch said.
"With this funding, we now have the capacity to mitigate feelings of isolation further and support our residents’ wellness through meaningful connection. Facilitating connection and relationship building is fundamental in supporting the women’s’ and their children’s’ wellbeing. We want to extend our most sincere thanks to our local Shoppers Drug Marts and their store teams for their fundraising work and this generous donation," she added.
The LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart fall fundraising program to grow women’s health is an annual four-week campaign and is one of the leading partnership programs of the LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart platform – the company’s commitment to improving the health of all Canadian women in body, mind, and spirit. Since 2002, the fall fundraising program has raised more than $40 million for Canadian health charities through the purchase of paper icons in-store.
*************************
