Supporting


Soroptimist White Rock Grants to Organizations

Kelsey Hatch –  Recipient of the Live Your Dreams and Re-start Program grants with White Rock Soroptimist President Jas Sahl.

2023

Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver
Alexander House  Youth Space
Sources Community Resources
Avalon Recovery Society

2022

Alexandra House Youth Space: The Youth Space is a sober, safe, inclusive space serving youth ages 13-24 in South Surrey/White Rock as a youth-inspired, youth-led initiative. Over the past few months at the youth space, there has been a variety of youth-led activities including paint nights, family dinners, pumpkin carving as well as a Halloween bash. And on top of all of this, youth have been able to receive support and assistance from a worker with resume building, income assistance, housing support, and connecting to community resources.

To find out more and stay up to date on news and events, check out our Facebook: fb.me/ss-wryouthspace, Instagram: @sswryouthspace or check out the website: www.theyouthspace.com

Feel welcome to shoot us an email at: youthspace@alexhouse.net Look forward to seeing you all soon!

Avalon Recovery Society: Avalon is a nurturing community that offers hope, compassionate support, resources, and profound connections for women and their families caught in the despair of addiction. Our programs and services are accessible to anyone who identifies and lives full-time as a woman and is seeking recovery.Avalon is a nurturing community that offers hope, compassionate support, resources and profound connections for women and their families caught in the despair of addiction. Our programs and services are accessible to anyone who identifies and lives full time as a woman and is seeking recovery.

Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver:

EFry is a non-profit organization uniquely focused on delivering gender-specific support. The reasons for this are simple:

  • Women are primarily convicted of non-violent transgressions. There are not enough women in Canada’s prisons to financially merit equal access to the counseling, educational opportunities, or transitional housing options available to men.
  • Gender plays a key role in women’s personal circumstances. Two-thirds of female inmates are parents and the vast majority are sole caregivers. Many struggles with addiction and mental illness. Virtually all live below the poverty line and some are homeless.

Our goal is to support criminalized and marginalized women, girls, and children in achieving their potential. With the right support, we know females from difficult circumstances can transform their lives – and those of their families – for the better. Dignity, opportunity, and equality are the gateway to a world of potential.

Sources Community Resources: Sources  is an internationally-accredited, community-based non-profit organization. We have been providing help, encouragement and hope for individuals and families in White Rock, Surrey, Delta, Langley, Prince George, Parksville and beyond since 1978.

We welcome people of all genders, races, cultures, ethnicities and abilities. We strive to create more vibrant and resilient communities by offering support to children, youth, families, persons with disabilities, seniors, LGBTQ2S+ individuals, and others who are coping with isolation, addiction, mental illness, poverty, disability and conflict. We also support our communities through leadership, education and volunteerism.

We are very proud that SOURCES was the first social service agency in British Columbia and the 13th in Canada to be accredited by the internationally-recognized Council on Accreditation—a significant recognition of the high quality of our service to our clients and our community. We were re-accredited in 2020 are incredibly proud of this achievement.

 

 

2021

Alexandra House: Parent education sessions such as Circle of Security and Positively Parenting have seen increased need over the past year as a result of the pandemic and increased isolation of families. By providing additional Parent Education sessions, that focus on parent-child attachment, positive behavioral management and peer support, families will have increased tools and abilities to navigate the joys and challenges of parenting.

Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver:

EFry is a non-profit organization uniquely focused on delivering gender-specific support. The reasons for this are simple:

  • Women are primarily convicted of non-violent transgressions. There are not enough women in Canada’s prisons to financially merit equal access to the counseling, educational opportunities, or transitional housing options available to men.
  • Gender plays a key role in women’s personal circumstances. Two-thirds of female inmates are parents and the vast majority are sole caregivers. Many struggles with addiction and mental illness. Virtually all live below the poverty line and some are homeless.

Our goal is to support criminalized and marginalized women, girls, and children in achieving their potential. With the right support, we know females from difficult circumstances can transform their lives – and those of their families – for the better. Dignity, opportunity, and equality are the gateway to a world of potential.

Avalon Recovery Society is a nurturing community that offers hope, compassionate support, resources, and profound connections for women and their families caught in the despair of addiction. Our programs and services are accessible to anyone who identifies and lives full-time as a woman and is seeking recovery.

Unfortunately this past year the Reading Program was greatly affected by the pandemic- due to the Covid19 protocols at the institution, volunteer programs were suspended for the year from March 17th, 2020 to the present. This year the Soroptimist funding was used to fund education packs and tablets for children in the Hotel shelter programs that were set up at hotels in Surrey and New West to house approximately 201 women and 111 children fleeing domestic violence at home in these challenging times.

Semiahmoo Family Place: Due to the pandemic that has challenged us all the past year, Semiahmoo Family Place (SFP), an independent, nonprofit family resource program has shifted its services to online platforms. We continue to deliver programs geared towards families in our immediate community bringing them together with songs, stories, crafts and physical activities (albeit done in their own homes). We run our programs twice to thrice a week and have kept our community in touch despite the restrictions. We are also running parenting seminars and providing additional knowledge and resources to parents of young children in both South Surrey and White Rock. Skills shares include strategies for positive child guidance, early literacy, and developing healthy connections with family.

Sources Counselling Program: We wish to develop a community art project for women healing from trauma. Workshops of painting, stitching, storytelling, poetry writing, and idea building session. We will offer 4, 1.5-hour workshops for two groups of 9 people to complete a storytelling quilt. The quilt will be placed in a public location at Sources Women’s Place.

These group art-making sessions will be installed in, and transform the private space at Sources, and reflect the lives of the community members who live in Surrey and WhiteRock. Many of our clients in the trauma counseling program are identifying they feel socially isolated. The participants will consist of our clients across Sources services. The groups will involve ritual, play, creativity, inclusivity, and a contribution to community work that supports self-representation for both individuals and the collective. These foundations of social connection will be manifest in the art piece (quilt) and will help redress the social isolation community members have been feeling.

 

2020

Alexandra Neighbourhood House
Elizabeth Fry Society
Semiahmoo Family Place
Sources Legal Aid

2019

Alexandra Neighbourhood House
Elizabeth Fry Society
Semiahmoo Family Place
Sources

What We Do


ReSTART

A program of Soroptimist International of White Rock
ReSTART is an initiative of Soroptimist international of White Rock whereby the club provides kits of household items for women and children that are leaving Transition Houses to live independently free from violence and abuse.
We continue to work through advocacy, action and outreach as an active voice in the struggle to end violence against women and children.
ReSTART, which stands for Surviving Today and ReSTARTing Tomorrow, was a project that was developed and started in 2004. Our research showed that women and children arrive at transition houses, often through police intervention or from the hospital emergency ward, with few or no personal belongings. We determined that basic household necessities are crucial for women and children trying to start independent living.
Our ReSTART Kits contain kitchen, bedroom and bathroom items needed to set up a household and are designed to suit a single woman, and are increased for a family.
We received a grant from Soroptimist International of the Americas to fund the initial kits. Since then we have undertaken various Fundraising initiatives such as our very successful Purse Auction, plus we receive some funding from the Province of British Columbia, through its Gaming program. Since we started the program in August 2004 we have provided kits to 468 women and 954 children, also to 172 senior women over 50.
We believe the ability to live independently, combined with professional counseling and education will enable the women to break out of the cycle of abuse and enhance their future.
This year has been less busy than others due to COVID and in part to the absence of suitable accommodation for women to move into.
To date from Fall 2004:
176 Senior Women
501 Adult Women
955 children

Women and girls have the resources and opportunities to reach their
full potential and live their dreams.

Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment.

Our Core Values

Gender Equality

Women and girls live free from discrimination

Empowerment

Women and girls are free to act in their own best interest

Education

Women and girls deserve to lead full and productive lives through access to education

Diversity & Fellowship

Women from varied backgrounds and perspectives work together to improve the lives of women and girls.

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