Buy an ice cream, support the Kelowna Women's Shelter!

In the middle of summer it doesn't get better than this: for the entire month of August, when you buy a scoop of freshly-made ice cream at JOEY Kelowna, $1 goes to the Kelowna Women's Shelter.

That's right- buy an ice cream and give back to the Shelter at the same time! It's win win!

It's a new initiative called Scoop of Care, part of the JOEY Restaurants Cup of Care philanthropy program. This month, $1 from each scoop of spun daily ice cream will be donated to a local charity or cause in each community, as chosen by JOEY employees.

We're so thankful that that wonderful employees at JOEY Kelowna named us as their charity of choice!

"Scoop of Care was created from our employees' feedback and desire to find more ways to give back to their respective communities," said Jeff Fuller, owner and CEO of JOEY Restaurants.

"At JOEY Restaurants, we are passionate about empowering our communities and making sure they are provided with the necessary resources to be set-up for success."

There is still lots of time left to enjoy some delicious ice cream and give back in the process-- visit JOEY Kelowna at 2475 Hwy 97N, near Hwy 33. Or get more information here.

The Kelowna Women's Shelter uses funds from community initiatives to support various services for women in need including housing, food, clothing and counselling. We couldn't do what we do without your support-- thanks again JOEY Kelowna!

If you want to donate $10 now-- text SHELTER to 20222.

Tickets on sale for charity golf tournament

Calling all golfers! Tickets are now on sale for the 2nd annual Flaman Fitness and Kelowna Women's Shelter Golf Tournament on Friday, September 9. 

Last year's inaugural tournament was a huge success and we hope to do it again, raising over $40,000 for local women in need.

Join us for nine holes of golf, a gourmet dinner, entertainment and lots of great prizes at the beautiful Two Eagles Golf Course in West Kelowna. 

Tickets are $85 for golf and dinner. Space is limited, so reserve a spot while you can! 

For more information or to register, please contact Richard or Susan Templin at 250-462-0099 or r.s.templin@shaw.ca. You can also contact Crystal Flaman at 250-215-2903.

We can't wait to see you there. Thanks so much for your support!

Not a golfer, but interested in supporting the Kelowna Women's Shelter? Text SHELTER to 20222 to donate $10 now. 

Coming up-- Downtown Kelowna Block Party

It's that time of year again, time to visit us downtown and celebrate summer at the Downtown Kelowna Block Party!

On Saturday, July 23, join the Kelowna Women's Shelter for some fun, food, friends and shopping.

Bernard Avenue will be blocked off from Richter St. to Abbott St. and lined with over 100 vendors, including the Shelter.

We'll be there with important information along with some great activities for kids.

We love being part of the awesome Kelowna community, hope to see you there!

For more information visit www.downtownkelowna.com.

There are so many ways to give back to the Kelowna Women's Shelter and local women in need. Text SHELTER to 20222 to donate $10 now.

Coming up: The True Fitness Challenge

Calling all Okanagan fitness buffs! Coming up on July 2-3, take part in The True Fitness Challenge in support of the Kelowna Women's Shelter.

The competition will feature fitness skills, a modelling competition and an obstacle course. It's all part of the Kelowna Fitness Expo happening at the Rotary Centre for the Arts and Prospera Place.

Compete as an individual, as a team, or both. Enter one event or all three!

The True Fitness Challenge is open to men and women of all fitness levels. Win up to $500 cash. 

Proceeds from the competition will go to the Kelowna Women's Shelter.

For tickets and more information, visit www.kelownafitnessexpo.com. 

Football players offer support

On Saturday, June 18 members of the Okanagan Sun Football Club and representatives of the Kiwanis Club of Kelowna Summit offered their time and energy doing yard work for the Kelowna Women's Shelter.

Team members and coach Mike Botterill spent the morning doing some serious weeding and now our yard looks better than ever!

Sadly, every year a number of professional athletes make headlines for domestic violence. It's wonderful to know the young men in our community are instead dedicating their time to being positive role models and supporting women in need. 

Thank you for setting such a great example!

As always, we are very grateful for your hard work and support. Thanks, Kiwanis and Okanagan Sun.

Thanks BMO for your Day of Caring!

On Tuesday, an enthusiastic team of volunteers from BMO came to the Kelowna Women's Shelter for an afternoon of yard work.

The group did gardening, staining, sweeping, cleaning and various repairs around the shelter. It was all part of the Day of Caring campaign, sponsored by the United Way.

United Way Day of Caring is an agency-focused event that connects volunteers to local non-profit organizations and promotes volunteerism through community service.

For more information on how you can take part, click here.

Thank you again United Way and BMO! We really appreciate your support!

Shelter takes part in Fat Cat Children's Festival

Come be a cat with the Kelowna Women's Shelter at the upcoming Fat Cat Children's Festival on June 10 and 11 at Waterfront Park.

This year marks the 26th edition of the fun-filled family event. The theme this year is "Fat Cat is... the Okanagan Explorer." We dress up as cats each year, so put on your favourite cat costume and come take part!

The festival is packed with activities, education booths and crafts for kids. There will also be a full day of stage performances and street performers!

The Kelowna Women's Shelter will have a craft table set up from 8:30 a.m.- 2 p.m. on Friday, June 10. On Saturday, check out the parade on Cawston Avenue from 10-11:30 a.m. 

Weekend admission is $5 per person or $15 for a family of four. For more information visit fatcatfestival.ca. 

Royal LePage donates $8700 to the Kelowna Women's Shelter

Royal LePage Kelowna has made a generous donation to the Kelowna Women's Shelter in the form of a cheque for nearly $9000.

In 2015, local realtors donated part of their commissions to the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation and held fundraising events throughout the year. On Friday, broker/ owner, Wade Webb, broker/ manager, Dave Favell and Michael Loewen of Royal LePage Kelowna presented a cheque to Karen Mason, executive director of the Kelowna Women's Shelter.

Violence against women is a significant problem in communities all across Canada. It is estimated that 360,000 children witness family violence in any given year. The funds donated by Royal LePage will help greatly in ensuring women and children have a safe haven at the Kelowna Women's Shelter along with access to various support and assistance programs.

The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is Canada’s largest public foundation dedicated exclusively to supporting women’s shelters and ending violence against women and children. Every dollar raised goes directly to helping the more than 30,000 women and children who are served each year by shelters and support programs in Canada.

Since 1998, the Shelter Foundation has raised more than $20 million and currently supports 200 local women’s shelters.

Thank you so much, Royal LePage! We couldn't do what we do without community partners like you!

Perogies postponed!

An annual perogy eating contest in support of the Kelowna Women's Shelter has been postponed until September.

Kelowna restaurant Barb's Delights was scheduled to hold its sixth annual perogy eating contest on May 28th, but the contest has been rescheduled.

In past contests, winners have scarfed down up to 35 perogies in just 20 minutes.

An exact date for the new perogy eating contest is still to be determined. We will keep you posted!

Thanks to those who were planning to take part--- we'll see you in September!

Everyone can play a role in helping end violence

This week the Kelowna Women's Shelter is marking Prevention of Violence Against Women Week. As part of its efforts to focus attention on the ongoing issue of intimate partner violence, and galvanize the community to take action to help prevent it, the Kelowna Women’s Shelter submitted this article to local media.

It’s not news that intimate partner violence is an ongoing problem in our society.

Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual assault since the age of 16, and approximately every six days, a woman in this country is killed by her intimate partner.  In Kelowna, which has a range of resources available to victims, including a dedicated RCMP Integrated Domestic Violence Unit, we hold the dubious distinction of being the domestic violence capital of BC, with the highest number of reported incidents.

For the past 36 years, Kelowna Women’s Shelter has offered emergency and transitional housing, counselling, support, education and a fresh start to women and their children who have experienced domestic violence and abuse. Each year we house about 200 women and children, and provide more than a thousand individual and group counselling sessions. 

Our services are free, and well used. And while just over half our budget is funded through the provincial government, we count on generous individual and organizational support to fund the rest.

People in the community often ask how they can help. Here are some suggestions:

Volunteer – Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Kelowna Women’s Shelter, and we couldn’t do what we do without them. Whether you want to sort and price donations at our Thrift Store, provide administrative support or do child care at the Shelter, serve on our board of directors, or staff events in the community, we’d love to hear from you. 

Donate Now – Your donations of money, and goods and services, support a range of valuable programs and services which help women and their children find safe haven and move into a life free of abuse. Tax receipts are available for donations of $20 or more, and you can donate online through our website at kelownawomensshelter.ca.

Leave a Legacy – Planned giving allows you to support Kelowna Women’s Shelter in the form of a direct bequest in your will, or through a gift to our Central Okanagan Foundation endowment fund. This is a great option for those who want to make a difference for years to come without depleting their current assets. Through planned giving you can also benefit from reduced income or estate taxes when you die, and support the Shelter in addition to your heirs. For a copy of our planned giving package, call 778-478-7774.