Wheatland Crisis Society Sets Out To Paint Strathmore Purple

It is a big month for a community organization in the area. The Wheatland Crisis Society is preparing for its upcoming Purple Ribbon Campaign.  

“November is Family Violence Prevention Month, so we will be having a variety of activities all throughout the month. The first one that is coming up is the Purple Ribbon Campaign which starts November 19,” explained Carly Cole, team lead at the Crisis Society.  

The Wheatland Crisis Society is an emergency shelter that offers a safe place for families and individuals affected by family abuse and domestic violence. They have an emergency shelter, as well as an outreach and public education program.  

“We do have certainly some similarities with other shelters across the province and country, but our shelter is a bit different in that we are one of few shelters that welcome all individuals experiencing abuse, and that's going to be regardless of gender identity or gender expression. It includes, but it's not limited to, folks who identify as male, gender fluid, non-binary or female.” 

The pandemic has had a surprising effect on the shelter as they saw a drastic drop in people at the shelter during the pandemic. Cole believes that this may be because people had to make a choice between staying in an unsafe home or going into a shelter with strangers. 

“I think the ability that our team has, as well as our shelter as a whole, we were able to persevere. We really adapted our programming to suit the needs of the people through the pandemic.” 

More outreach programs were created through virtual means such as a crisis line for parents struggling with having their children home from school. They also continued to offer counselling services through phone and virtual means.  

“Our overall goal is for a safe and secure community without abuse. That is, that is the vision. The goals day-to-day are to make sure that people who are impacted by abuse are supported through the shelter, and have access to supportive counselling resources and prevention services.” 

Businesses who are interested in having a box of ribbons at their establishment as part of the Purple Ribbon Campaign can visit strathmoreshelter.com for more information.