The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Southport holds its annual ‘Violence against Women Vigil’ in Port Elgin (Saugeen Shores) each year on December 6th.
The event is also held in memory of the 14 young women who were massacred at Ecole Polytechnique du Montreal. The name and a brief history of each young woman in the Engineering program who was killed by 25-year-old Marc Lepine, is read aloud each year so that the names and young women become a living memory.
This year, the 30th annual Vigil was held virtually due to COVID-19.
“Due to COVID, the stress on women and families has greatly increased”, says Cheryl George, Director of Kabaeshiwim Respite Women’s Shelter at Saugeen First Nation.
Donations for the area’s three women’s shelters were collected online with the support of Southampton Rotary and, this year, donations exceeded expectations.
The Women’s House Serving Bruce and Grey in Kincardine, Kabaeshiwim Respite Women’s Shelter at Saugeen First Nation and the Women’s Centre Grey Bruce in Owen Sound each received $1,453.