The service will be held on Monday, March 8, 2010, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall of the York Region Administrative offices located at 17250 Yonge St, Newmarket.

Following a native drum ceremony, the Healey family will be joined by York Regional Police Chief Armand LaBarge, Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen, Karen Simmonds Coordinator of Bereavement Service at Hospice King / Aurora, Joe Wamback of the Canadian Crime Victims Foundation, Lorris Herenda, Executive Director of Yellow Brick House along with family and friends of Brenda Ann Healey.

International Women’s Day is a day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future, held annually on March 8th.

On this day, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, and government activities and networking events through to local women’s craft markets, theatrical performances, fashion parades and more.

The global theme for 2010 International Women’s Day is equal rights, equal opportunities; progress for all. Men and women are encouraged to unite to eliminate all violence against women. This is especially poignant for the Healey family, who lost their daughter to violence.

On Saturday, March 8, 2008, officers were investigating the disappearance of Brenda Ann Healey, 27, of Newmarket, when they were advised of a suicide investigation involving a male party in Durham Region. As a result of investigation, officers attended a High Street home in the Town of Georgina and discovered the body of Ms. Healey.

Donations will be accepted by the family at the service and will be donated to assist victims of violence.

For more information, please contact Constable Carol Hamilton, Victims Assistance Officer, at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 6649.

On Saturday, March 6, Yellow Brick House will participate in a special collaborative event Reflect Acknowledge and Take Action: Celebrate the Strength of Women on International Women’s Day at the Upper Canada Mall (17600 Yonge Street, Newmarket, ON L3Y 4Z1, Centre Court) between 11a.m. – 5p.m.

Daniele Zanotti, CEO, United Way York Region will moderate a panel discussion with leaders in services for women in York Region. Lorris Herenda, Executive Director will participate as a panelist addressing the critical need for services and support in York Region for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. “Though International Women’s Day is a celebration, it is also a reminder of the need to fill the gap in services needed for women and children who face violent situations in their own homes in our Region” said Herenda.

About Yellow Brick House
Yellow Brick House is a nonprofit organization providing emergency shelter, counselling and supportive services to abused women and their children in York Region. Yellow Brick House is committed to challenging and eradicating the beliefs, values, systems and structures which support and perpetuate sexism and violence against women and children. To learn more about Yellow Brick House and the organization’s Capital Campaign, please visit the web site www.yellowbrickhouse.org.

If you need help, please call our twenty-four hour hotline 1.800.263.3247

PRESS RELEASE

Abbeylawn Manor is hosting an International Women’s Day Event on March 8, 2010 at 8pm. Enjoy wine & cheese while listening to featured keynote speaker Dr. Abida Usman.

534 Rodd Ave, Pickering ON (905) 509-2582

As I looked around the room, I could remember their stories and the difficult journeys they have traveled. To see how far they’ve come created an overwhelming sense of joy.

After introductions, the women started sharing about what Yellow Brick House has done for them and how grateful they are for the help they’ve received and the difference the organization has made in their lives.

We didn’t get a chance to share what we prepared, but that was okay; the women needed to talk openly and freely. They encouraged each other to believe in themselves and shared their experiences, each story filling the room with hope, healing and a promise to themselves and their children for a brighter future.

It was really inspiring to see all the women talking, connecting with each other, exchanging phone numbers and then seeing their children in the background doing the same. Everyone was busy making new friends, playing games, visiting the booths, winning prizes. The room was filled with laughter.

This is Chinese New Year. It is indeed a new year with new hope and a new beginning.

- Yellow Brick House Counsellor

Saturday March 6, 2010, between 11am – 5pm
Upper Canada Mall (17600 Yonge Street, Newmarket, ON L3Y 4Z1)

Introductions and welcome begin at 11am. The panel discussion takes place at 11:30am. The afternoon will be filled with entertainment and activities for kids. There will be free massages and some other services available plus food & giveaways!

York Region, ON: March 8 is International Women’s Day and is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. We invite you to celebrate the day with us. We will be featuring guest speakers, musicians, cosmetic services, food and engaging activities for children and giveaways!

While we celebrate, let us also remember that there are still many women who face violence and abuse in their own homes on a daily basis. Women abuse is a serious health issue and is made worse by the recession. The size and nature of the problem demands that addressing and preventing woman abuse be a high priority in York Region.

Come listen to a panel of speakers who will be highlighting the various gaps in service, such as:

• The scope of the problem and the need for Violence against women services;
• The lack of adequately funded programs to ensure the availability of appropriate services for women who experience abuse, their abusers and their children;
• The need for programs and services for abusers within York Region;
• The need to develop educational programs, information and programs for others who abuse family members, such as those who abuse disabled or elderly women for whom they are a caregiver, and those who engage in honour-based violence;
• The need to ensure the response to abused women is culturally and linguistically appropriate;
• The need for more shelters in York Region for women and children who are fleeing abuse;
• The need for services for children who live in a violent environment;
• And the need for adequate services for women with complex needs who experience abuse, including those with mental health and substance abuse issues.

For more information, please visit: www.yrvawcc.ca.

Hamilton will lead the country in studying domestic violence and child abuse with $2 million from the federal government to create a research centre.

It was one of three centres given a total of $6 million yesterday to study violence and find ways to prevent it.

The University of Ottawa will head research into the role parenting and cultural origins play in preventing violence.

Simon Fraser University in British Columbia will lead studies of why social disparities exist and how they contribute to violence and addiction.

And McMaster University is responsible for developing strategies to prevent child maltreatment and intimate partner violence.

“It is acknowledging violence as a public health problem,” said Dr. Harriet MacMillan, a renowned child psychiatrist who will head the Hamilton centre.

Until recently, it’s been tough to get funding to study violence. MacMillan said the Canadian Institutes of Health Research only gave out about $700,000 nationwide for this type of research 10 years ago.

“Now they’re up into the millions, so I think we’ve really moved forward,” she said. “It’s significant because it exemplifies a major thrust by CIHR on the issue of violence.”

The Hamilton centre will aim over the next five years to increase understanding about the links between mental health problems and domestic violence and child abuse. It will find ways to prevent the violence and subsequent mental health problems. And it will get the information out to government and other stakeholders.

“This is exciting,” said Lenore Lukasik-Foss, director of the Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton and Area. “Attention and research is essential. Anything that raises public awareness and that raises professional awareness that will assist professionals in identifying and intervening appropriately is critical.”

Lukasik-Foss said research is thin. More reliable information is badly needed considering family violence affects at least 30 per cent of Canadians.

Julie Craven is one of the victims. She hopes this research centre will finally give her and others like her a voice.

The Brantford woman says no one took her pleas for help seriously before her former husband stabbed their son Jared, 8, to death in March 2006 during a court- ordered visit. Andrew Osidacz also repeatedly stabbed his estranged girlfriend and her eight-year-old daughter before going to Craven’s house and holding her at knifepoint. Osidacz was shot to death by Brantford police.

“Victims need to start being listened to,” she said. “I’m tired of hearing about these stories that could be prevented.”

jfrketich@thespec.com

905-526-3349

Wednesday February 24, 2010
The Terrace Banquet Centre, Vaughan
$35 per person

Doors open at 6:30pm, show starts at 8:00pm
Cocktail hour and amazing craft tables from 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Special guest Miss Pakistan 2010, raffle prizes of Leafs/Raptors tix, camera, spa certificates and more!

For more information and tickets, please call (647) 880-5190 or email:
Michelle: michelle.vdayvaughan@gmail.com
Dianne: sponsor.vdayvaughan@gmail.com

Read an article featuring the upcoming event!

York Region.
February 2, 2010.

Domestic abuse is an issue that affects members of every community. York Region is no exception to that fact. The murder that took place last week on Tuesday, January 25 in Richmond Hill is a sobering reminder that domestic abuse is a serious issue. One to two women are murdered by a current or former partner each week in Canada (Dauvergne, Homicide in Canada, 2001).

Yellow Brick House is reaching out to reinforce the need to respond to victims of violence. The need for additional emergency shelter beds, particularly in the southern end of York Region where the issue is prevalent, is critical. “The numbers speak for themselves. Last year alone 172 women and 375 children could not be accommodated in our shelter due to lack of space.” Yellow Brick House Executive Director, Lorris Herenda.

Domestic violence that escalates to murder is not new to York Region. Exponential growth across the Region has proven to place increased demands on Yellow Brick House. “We cannot afford to wait. We must provide shelter now, before additional lives are lost” urges Herenda.

About Yellow Brick House
Yellow Brick House is a nonprofit organization providing emergency shelter, counselling and supportive services to abused women and their children in York Region. Yellow Brick House is committed to challenging and eradicating the beliefs, values, systems and structures which support and perpetuate sexism and violence against women and children. To learn more about Yellow Brick House and the organization’s Capital Campaign, please visit the web site yellowbrickhouse.org.

If you need help, please call our twenty-four hour hotline 1.800.263.3247

PRESS RELEASE

More information to come, please visit our website regularly for updates or contact:
Marnie at (905) 709-0900 Ext. 2233 or email marnies@yellowbrickhouse.org.