For those escaping domestic violence, the first Christmas alone can be daunting and stressful.
So Caroline Woods, herself a domestic abuse survivor, has taken it upon herself to collect items for five ‘baskets of hope’ for the Hope Resource Centre, which will be passed on to its clients.
“I wanted to do something to give back to the HRC, because they have helped me in the past,” she said. “There is already agencies taking care of food hampers and Santa’s Anonymous for the kids and that sort of thing, but there was really nothing that just took care of the women.
“These are women who are experiencing their first Christmas on their own and in some cases and may not even have their home set up yet, they may still be in transition from a shelter to a home.
“Having been in that situation myself, I know these women are recovering from some horrific trauma, so sometimes it’s nice for them to receive something just for themselves to bring some Christmas joy and hope to the women themselves and remind them there are people in the community that care about them.”
Woods said covering bills, food and presents can be daunting enough and many women do not take the time to provide for themselves.
She hoping to change that by assembling a number of creature comforts, such as gift certificates to visit a salon, exercise classes, clothing, jewellery and other little things to bring some much-needed joy.
Woods is only handling the collection end of the effort as for safety reasons, Hope Resource Centre executive director Sylvia Yoder will present the baskets and the recipients will remain anonymous.
Woods said the baskets would be assembled and delivered over the Dec. 22-23 weekend. She noted if anyone wants to donate they could contact her on Facebook through the Westlock Community Group.
And Woods has even bigger plans for 2019.
“My dream for next Christmas is to present a woman with a car, so in January I’m going to start working on fundraising,” she said.
“It’s especially important for people in rural communities. I work in the city myself and there’s no way I could have recovered from my situation and taken care of my household expenses without my career and there’s no way I could have gotten to my career without a car.”
Yoder said Woods’ help is appreciated, noting that with a limited budget and a growing clientele she needs all the support she can get.
“Caroline has turned her pain into power, her struggles into strength and her tragedy into triumphs,” said Yoder.
“She represents a growing number of women in our community who are survivors in every sense of the word and now generously sharing their power by providing a growing link of compassion and practical reminders to never give up.”
