December 10, 2021 | Blog, Events
Elizabeth Fry’s annual Christmas online auction will provide ongoing support of our Volunteer and Court Programs in 2022.
The EFry Volunteer program has supported our core programs for the past 55 years. Volunteers learn valuable skills for their own professional development as well as give back to the community through their support of marginalized peoples engaged in the legal and justice system.
Volunteers provide assistance on the court floors and court house to support navigation, assist with court matters through securing and referring to legal and community resources, assisting with understanding the court processes as well as assist with filling out of legal documents and legal filing.
Additionally, volunteer youth mentors provide ongoing and meaningful relationships to community youth who have limited resources and absent or removed caregivers in their lives. They assist them with both engagement in prosocial activities as well as with resources and supports to address their legal matters.
Volunteers also are pinnacle in providing support at the main office by providing assistance with programs, direct client support and administrative support.
We currently provide support to Calgary Indigenous Court, Domestic Violence Court, Case Management Office -Criminal Court, Traffic and Bylaw as well as Youth Criminal Court. In addition to Calgary, we serve the rural areas of Okotoks, Cochrane, Canmore and Airdrie. Legal advocacy support is provided to both Calgary and the community of Morley (Stoney Nakoda First Nations).
Our goal is 25,000 for 2021. Please join us between December 3-15th, 2021 to support these valuable and meaningful services.
Come and experience EFRY like you never have before! In celebration of EFry Week, we are opening our doors and giving you the chance to experience our programs and learn more about our work in the Calgary community. Get finger printed and have your mug shot taken, before appearing in a mock court. Listen to our panel of women who will share their personal experiences about success after incarceration. Enjoy refreshments, music and Indigenous performing artists.
We hope to see you this Friday and invite you to “experience” EFry!
November 24, 2017 | Events
This holiday season, we need your help to remove barriers and build bridges to more hopeful futures for Calgary’s vulnerable women and their families.
People living in poverty face many barriers to securing housing, employment and community acceptance. Imagine trying to rebuild your life if you have a criminal record or are so deeply entrenched in the cycle of poverty that you are forced to make difficult choices between food for your family, or paying for public transit to get to your minimum wage job. What if the “criminal record check” box on an employment application restricted your ability to get a job? What if you did not have a “fixed address” that allowed you to secure government documents
that are essential for health care, employment and other benefits?
For many women and families in Calgary, these barriers are a daily reality that prevent them from moving forward. It is often these barriers that drive crimes of poverty, such as stealing food, shoplifting a winter coat or riding the C-train without purchasing a ticket.
Tuesday, November 28 is Giving Tuesday. We challenge you to make a difference in the lives of women and their families who need another chance.
One of the biggest barriers for marginalized women is finding and securing housing. Stable housing is essential for women rebuilding their lives. It can bring about pivotal change by breaking the cycle of poverty.
Food, hygiene items and those basic necessities many of us take for granted are often unattainable for women on limited or no income. Having access to basic needs can make all the difference between having a house or a home.
Our goal is to raise $1000 on Giving Tuesday! Your donation will help us set up women in their new households. Here’s how your money can make a difference:
- $25 provides clients with either a set of dishes, towels or other kitchen items
- $50 provides basic necessities such as hygiene items, pantry staples and kitchen essentials
- $100 will help a mom provide Christmas presents and food for her family
- $250 provides clients with a move-in kit of kitchen items, towels, bedding and bathroom
supplies
We challenge you to make a difference in the lives of women and their families who need a
second chance. Please donate now!
Your support is appreciated and will help us to build bridges to more hopeful futures.
In celebration of Aboriginal Awareness Week, the Elizabeth Fry Society of Calgary and Calgary Alpha House are joining together to support reconciliation and awareness through an event that will teach the tradition of moccasin making. Come walk a mile in our moccasins, and learn the tradition of moccasin making through community connection and cultural teachings.
Indigenous moccasins were a nearly universal element from tribe to tribe, with distinctive features and subtle patterns among the various tribes. Indigenous people could often tell each other’s tribal affiliation simply from the design of their shoes. Authentic Indigenous moccasins are made with all natural materials that signify a historical connection to the land. Creating authentic Indigenous crafts builds a genuine cultural connection that’s crucial in rebuilding relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
- Who: EFry Calgary and Calgary Alpha House
- What: “Walk a Mile in Our Moccasins”
$55 includes all material and instruction to make one pair of infant moccasins
- When: Monday, June 19 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Where: Sunalta Community Centre, 1627 10 Avenue SW
- Why: In celebration of Aboriginal Awareness Week
Registration is limited; call 403-294- 0737 to secure your spot. Participation supports both Alpha House and EFry Calgary’s Indigenous Programming.
Join us this weekend!
Books, art and coffee… is there a better way to spend the weekend? Stop by our first annual book sale this Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm at the HUB at West Canadian in Inglewood (1601 9 Avenue SE) and stock up on your summer reading. Books are being sold for $1 to $4 each and all proceeds go towards our SAGE program.
More than just books.
Pre-loved books, client artwork and crafts that celebrate Indigenous culture will be available for sale with all proceeds supporting our SAGE program, helping vulnerable women start again. Join us for more than just books!
Client artwork and handcrafted goods for sale- Author readings throughout the day including Susan Smith, Ghada Al Atrash, and many more
- Specialty coffee beverages handcrafted by Monogram coffee
- A chance to learn more about our work in the community
Our programs help give women a second chance.
Your support will help us! Visit our Facebook event for more details and to share with friends. See you this weekend!
On April 29 and 30, 2017, EFry Calgary is holding its first ever book and art sale at the HUB in the West Canadian building (1601 – 9 Ave SE). Pre-loved books, client artwork and crafts that celebrate Indigenous culture will be available for sale with all funds raised going towards our SAGE program, which helps women transition from incarceration to community by creating better futures through education and employment. We will also have local author readings throughout the day and a coffee bar serving delicious refreshments.
For vulnerable women those released from incarceration, there are many barriers that exist that prevent them from securing employment. Through the SAGE program, women are provided with consistent programming supports to assist them throughout their journey to personal success. It also supports vulnerable women who have had challenges in employment and education, empowering them with the skills they need to move forward.
Do you have any books that you’d like to donate for the sale? We are looking for fiction, non-fiction cookbooks, children’s books and more (but no textbooks please). Get in touch for drop-off and pick-up details. Contact reception@elizabethfrycalgary.ca or call the office at 403-294- 0737.
Pick up your summer reading and help us help women in our community!
