This Mother’s Day, make a generous donation to YW Calgary in honour of a woman in your life who is a symbol of courage and resilience.

Share a photo on social media and tag @YWCalgary and #MothersDayforAll.

Your message of hope and healing will be felt by women whose lives will be forever changed because of your gift today, and could be featured on our website, ywcalgary.ca, or social networks.

“She just needed to be given the opportunity to grow.”

Springtime. A joyful season when the air is full of the promise of new beginnings. Flowers are blooming. Baby birds are hatching. And mothers everywhere are being honoured for the special role they fulfill in nurturing the next generation.

It’s especially poignant this year as we witness the horrifying images of women and children fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. When faced with the unimaginable occurring in plain sight, though a world away, one might also imagine the danger women right next to us may be experiencing. A friend, a sister, a neighbour – who may also be searching for safety and a place to recover and heal.

You see, these past two years have been especially traumatic for vulnerable women in our community. During the upheaval of the prolonged pandemic, extreme anxiety took hold of already fragile families. Many women were forced to make difficult choices to keep themselves and their children safe. Women like Aileen.

Aileen, a woman who had experienced domestic abuse, made the brave decision to flee with her three young children. With nowhere else to go and lacking a stable job to support her children, she sought refuge and support at YW Calgary.

In addition to providing safe shelter and emotional support, it’s important to ensure women have the resources they need within the community to find employment and reduce their economic vulnerability. That’s the vital work of our donor-supported Women’s Economic Prosperity team.

Our team connected Aileen with training and mentoring opportunities that enabled her to transition into a new career in technology. With new-found confidence, Aileen is improving both the financial strength and quality of life for herself and her family. In fact, she is now a trainer with one of our Women’s Economic Prosperity Tech Bootcamp courses, empowering other women like herself to believe in a better future. This is how she put it:

“It’s difficult to rebuild lives after leaving an abusive relationship with no family or support. Many of my trainees share that the tech bootcamp gives them hope—for better employment, to better support their children… to keep going. I am honored that I can inspire and teach women alongside YW Calgary.”

Thanks to your generous support, Aileen, like more than 3,000 adult women who accessed our supportive and empowering programs and services last year, was able to find the help she needed through YW Calgary. Support that will have an incredible ripple effect on not just the women you have helped, but on countless lives they will impact because of your generosity.

During times of despair, everyone needs to believe there is light at the end of the tunnel. You can be that shining light with your thoughtful donation. And when you give to this campaign,
your gift will be matched up to 50% by Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink.