The COuntdown is on…
What is Giving Tuesday?
Opening day of the giving season
Most people know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday … now we have GivingTuesday, November 30th, 2021. It is a global movement for giving and volunteering, taking place each year after Black Friday. The “Opening day of the giving season”, it’s a time where charities, companies and individuals join together and rally for favourite causes. In the same way that retailers take part in Black Friday, the giving community has come together for GivingTuesday. GivingTuesday Canada explains, “We have two days that are good for the economy. Now we have a day that is good for the community too.” By shifting the focus from commercial spending to philanthropic spending, the day aims to help Canadians do good each holiday season.
Giving is a lifelong commitment
GivingTuesday is “the opening day of the giving season”. Giving is a lifelong commitment, and a giving day is a special celebration, a reminder to all of us to think of others and our communities as well as ourselves. Of course, we also encourage giving back throughout the year, whether through donations, volunteering or acts of kindness. GivingTuesday is more than a moment, it’s a movement.
Why Donate to The Today Centre?
We are a first stop for people experiencing family violence
The Today Centre offers free, short-term support services and programs for victims of family violence including:
Comprehensive safety planning for those in relationships, thinking about leaving, or those who have recently left abusive relationships
Assessing risk factors for domestic homicide
Assessing immediate needs
Connecting to resources
Education on family violence dynamics and impacts.
We don’t have a wait list, so our Family Violence Specialists can help people in need quickly.
The pandemic severly impacted those experiencing violence at home
Domestic violence-related calls to Edmonton police rose by 16% in 2020, which experts attribute in part to the pandemic (Edmonton Journal).
Reduced accommodation options make it even harder to leave an abusive partner. Physical distancing makes it harder to stay with friends, and many landlords have temporarily stopped taking new applicants (ACWS).
Forced isolation may be harder to recognize during physical distancing. An abusive partner may limit social interaction with colleagues, friends, and family during working from home arrangements (ACWS).
It may be more difficult for someone in an abusive relationship to communicate during social isolation because their partner may be more closely monitoring or limiting their technology use (ACWS).
Travel restrictions and fewer travel options may impact a survivor’s escape or safety plan – it may not be safe for them to use public transportation or access flights or buses (ACWS).
Abuse tactics can increase or worsen in emergencies like this. This may show up in signs not apparent before - like bruises or burns, or in sharing about instances of sexual or emotional abuse (ACWS).
We added to our services to help those isolated by the pandemic
Live Chat
For people who are unable to call for help, we launched our Live Chat. Anyone can access the Live Chat through our website to quickly start talking to our Intake Specialist for help.
Virtual & Phone Sessions
For clients who cannot make the trip to our office for an appointment, we now offer virtual and phone appointments with our Family Violence Specialists.