Annual Report

~ 2013 / 2014 ~

Wawa & Area

Page #2

Message from the Chairperson

Organizational Vision

Wawa & Area Victim

Services is a unique hy-

brid program delivering

innovative & responsive

services to victims of

crime & tragedy &

survivors of sexual

assault, within a strong

network of volunteers

& partnerships.

Mission Statement

By offering coordinated services & volunteer support,

WAVS assists and empowers victims* of crime &

tragedy,

& survivors of sexual assault & abuse—resulting in

stronger & safer communities.

*WAVS clients are 16 years & older & live within

1/2 hour radius from Wawa.

The history of Wawa & Area Victim Services dates back at least ten years. At the time, as an

employee of the CAS, I was part of the community group that collaborated to establish such a

fine organization. I have been a Board member since its inception and have been Board Chair

for the past three years. I recently retired from the work world though and have decided to bid

farewell to my various community commitments for a year or so until I adapt to life as a retiree.

It has been a pleasure being part of Wawa & Area Victim Services and its ongoing developments.

I wish to thank the Board members and present staff for their unwavering commitment to the

organization and those it seeks to serve.

In bidding farewell, please allow me to make few departing comments. My 31 years of working

as a rural social worker has taught me that there is indeed a difference between helping people

in rural areas verses those in living urban centres. Rural social work research is very clear

about two points: service delivery in rural communities must be generic in nature and is best

suited to a decentralized form of management. In addition to helping all people who are

victimized as a result of crime or have suffered due to a tragic circumstance, Wawa & Area

Victim Services must though not ignore the concepts of prevention, social change and community

development. Such an approach cannot be accomplished from afar. It requires on-site, educated,

culturally sensitive and well trained personnel who can think systemically and understand

dynamics associated with living in small, remote communities.

Demographics have changed significantly in Wawa over the past 10 years. And as communities

change, so must organizations. The Ministry’s modernization approach is an opportunity for the

organization, as is the possibility of expanding its services farther west and north of Wawa. The

success of such changes and improvements will require much community collaboration and

ministry support and leadership. Some type of services integration initiative will more than likely

be necessary, be it collocation or amalgamation. Sparks may fly, but in the end more people will

be helped and service delivery will become more efficient and effective.

I wish the organization the best of luck with its future endeavors. Wawa & Area Victim Services

has built a reputation as a valuable, dependable and helpful community resource. It would be a

shame if it failed to exist in the coming years.

Don Humphries ~ Chairperson

Page #3

Message from the Program Coordinator

I am pleased to present the 2013/2014 Annual General Report for Wawa & Area Victim Services. This is our 7th year in operation as a non-profit, charitable organization. Wawa & Area Victim Services continues to ensure that all victims of crime and tragic circumstance receive confidential and timely support services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year. As a Northern Alternative Victim Services Program, we also deliver services to those whom are affected by more serious crimes offering support through the Victim Quick Response Program (VQRP) and Sexual Assault services. In 2013/2014 fiscal year - 57 calls for service were received from our local emergency personnel. We have maintained our strong partnerships with the Ontario Provincial Police – Superior East Detachment, the Lady Dunn Health Centre, and Wawa Volunteer Fire Department. With the slight increase in calls for service from our previous year, we assisted 116 victims within the fiscal year. Our volunteers contributed 25 272 hours of dedicated service to the organization, the community, and most importantly the time spent with each victim that received the emotional support and practical assistance they deserved. Our membership with the Ontario Network of Victim Service Providers has been of value to our organization. As we continue to work collectively we still recognize that there will be changes to Victim Services across the province. The work of the ONVSP board and the Program Advisory Committee has been recognized as stepping stones towards modernization. As we are faced with changes, we will continue to offer valued, quality service to all victims. It’s their right. Our fundraising initiatives this past year are consistent of what has been delivered in the past. The 7th Annual William Rose tournament and the Annual Fall Fair were great events in which funds were raised to support our program. We are very fortunate to receive these opportunities which allow us to get our message out. We relocated to other office space within our community which brought somewhat of a change to our organization in that we are in compliance with being accessible to persons with disabilities and most notably with the active offer of French Language Services. The success of our program is due to the dedication and commitment of our trained crisis responders. We are extremely fortunate that each of our volunteers contribute an excessive amount of time daily to reach out to all victims. The outstanding work that the staff - Allison and Yvonne deliver for the organization is exceptional. Thank you to each board member of our Board of Directors who continue to share in the goals and vision of the organization. Your strong leadership and knowledge is profound. As a team, we continue to remain committed to the delivery of excellence in service to our community and to all victims. Danette Mathias—Program Coordinator

Page #4

Sexual Assault Program

The 2013-2014 fiscal year proved to be a very busy one for the Sexual Assault Program. As hoped for last year, I was able to spend more time in the schools, organize valuable community training opportunities and continue with committees within Wawa and Sault Ste. Marie.

I continued going into École St. Joseph to provide groups for all the students with topics around self-esteem, drugs, alcohol, healthy relationships, and other topics asked for by the students. This year I teamed up with Lindy Mills from Centre Victoria pour femmes. This will be continued next fiscal as it continues to be well received by the staff and students.

I had the opportunity to get into Michipicoten High School this year and it was a huge success. This was a team effort between myself and Pam Carruthers from CHADWIC Home Inc. We provided a hot lunch to those who wanted to join in on conversations around sexting, STI’s, and healthy relationships. The group name was “Food for Thought” and although we had only planned to provide 6 weeks worth of workshops, due to the huge success and continued growing group of attendees, we provided an additional 6 weeks after the Christmas break. Pam and I are excited to be able to offer this again next year and extra funding has been requested for this group.

I was honoured to be able to meet Melissa McCormick, and have her share her story with the social service community in Wawa. After Melissa presentation, the audience was treated to lunch then a short film entitled “Determined”. This movie is based on Melissa’s book “The Queen’s Daughter” and she was able to have input into its making.

I continue to sit on several local committees such as the North Algoma Committee on Woman Abuse, The Glad Grad Committee, Take Back the Night and International Woman’s Day Committees. These enable me to have a visible presence in our community through the events that are held and also allows me to be a voice for those who do not have a voice of their own.

The Sexual Assault Care Centre Advisory Committee gives me the opportunity to see what is going in Sault Ste. Marie when it comes to social services offered in Sault Ste. Marie and the Algoma District. This committee is a great opportunity for networking with other professionals and sharing what’s happening in North Algoma.

As always, I look forward to another year full of challenges and opportunities to make a difference in our community.

Allison Rousseau, CYC cert.

Sexual Assault Counsellor

Sexual

Assault

is not your fault!

Page #5

Sexual Assault Program Stats

Page #6

financial snapshot

year ended March 31, 2014

revenue

Ministry of the Attorney General $173 000

Victim Quick Response Program $ 6 667

Justice Grant $ 6 948

Donations & Other $ 10 930

total $197 545

allocation of expenses

salaries & benefits $116 303

staff expenses $ 2 516

volunteer expenses $ 5 296

board expenses $ 1 944

office & administrative expenses $ 17 585

telephone & communications $ 10 698

insurance $ 4 125

professional fees $ 3 500

office program equipment $ 13 849

client expenses $ 1 206

building occupancy $ 11 025

public education $ 2 293

association fees $ 1 700

other expenses $ 1 225

total $193 265

excess of revenue over expenses $ 4 280

payable to the Ministry of the Attorney General $ 0

net revenue (expenditure) $ 4 280

Page #7

program stats for 2013/2014

Incident/Occurrence

Referral Source

Police ~ 35 Health Organizations ~ 11

Shelter ~ 1 Self-Referral ~ 7

V/WAP ~ 1 Other ~ 2

Information/Referrals

Sexual Assault Centre ~ 10

Shelters ~ 5

Public-Funded Counselling ~ 5

Counselling ~ 6

Other ~ 98

Public Education Events ~

30

Accompaniment ~ 77

Meeting with Community

Organizations ~ 118

Volunteers Hours ~ 25,272

Aboriginal Clients ~ 9

Francophone Clients ~ 10

Page #8

Community Presentations

This year, Wawa & Area Victim Services was successful with a grant application to the Department of Justice Canada for National Victims of Crime Awareness Week. This allowed us to bring to Wawa, Melissa McCormick who shared her traumatic ordeal and the strength and determination she needed to heal. Melissa overcame the odds to become a successful mother, entrepreneur and friend. What a truly inspirational woman!

Victim Services also partnered with the Ontario Provincial Police, Royal Bank of Canada and Dawson & Keenan Insurance to provide two information sessions to the community. The first session provided valuable information to a group of seniors from our community and how they could protect themselves against fraud and scam artists. The second session was on property related crimes and how individuals can keep their homes and properties safe.

Working together with community partners to bring valuable information to the people of our community!

Page #9

Volunteer Appreciation Week

Volunteer Appreciation Week was celebrated from April 21st—25th, 2013. This year, Wawa & Area Victim Services was able to coordinate our volunteer appreciation evening with guest speaker Melissa McCormick.

An invitation was extended to our community partners to share in the recognition of our volunteers. We were joined by John Spekking of the Volunteer Fire Department, Patricia Boucher and Lucie Haman of the Lady Dunn Health Centre. After a wonderful meal prepared by Judy Moore, the volunteers were treated to an amazing address from our guest speaker Melissa McCormick. The evening concluded with tokens of appreciation being given out to the Volunteers for their dedication and contributions to Wawa & Area Victim Services.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers and community partners for their continued support. You all make a difference in our community!

Page #10

7th Annual William Rose Golf Tournament

On Friday July 26th, 2013, Wawa & Area Victim Services hosted the 7th Annual William G. Rose Golf Tournament.

The rainy day still saw 80 golfers brave the course. After 9 holes of golf, the participants were treated to wonderful meal prepared by the staff of the Clubhouse. Once again, Mission Motors of Wawa graciously sponsored the chance to win a car on Hold #7 if the lucky person could get a hole-in-one. Wawa & Area Victim Services would like to take this opportunity to thank the Michipicoten Golf Club, all participants, volunteers, and especially our local businesses who continue to support this annual event. Thank you!

Proceeds from the tournament support a bursary to a graduating student who is entering the field of law enforcement and our Victim Services program!

Page #11

Volunteer Appreciation Evening

On November 27th, 2013, Wawa & Area Victim Services held their annual Volunteer Appreciation Evening. Invitations were also extended to our community partners. This year the Volunteers enjoyed a wonderful dinner prepared by Judy Moore. It was fabulous!

Certificates and tokens of appreciation were given to all our volunteers recognizing their continued commitment and dedication to the organization.

We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank each and every one of our volunteers. Please know how truly appreciated you are!

Thank You!

Page #12

Support Is Provided To

Victims Of:

Assault

Domestic Violence

Missing Persons

Sexual Assault

Fire

Accidents

Suicide

Drowning

Disaster

Other Personal Crisis

Wawa & Area Victim Services is a non-profit registered charitable organization funded by the Government of Ontario.

Board of Directors

Don Humphries ~ Chair

Colleen Glanville ~ Treasurer

Irene Grusys ~ Secretary

Paula Valois

Carole Robert

Jody Tait

Amanda Huff—OPP Advisor

Staff

Danette Mathias ~ Program Coordinator

Allison Rousseau ~ Sexual Assault Worker

Yvonne Derasp ~ Program Support Worker

A Sincere “Thank You” To Our Partners!

Superior East Ontario Provincial Police

Lady Dunn Health Centre

Wawa Volunteer Fire Department

“Every Victim Matters”