14th annual Centennial Chargers Charity Classic begins Thursday
1h ago
The tournament has raised over $30,000 for various charities and other causes throughout Saskatoon.
The Turning Points program at Saskatoon’s YWCA got some help from the family of a former educator and social worker Monday.
Bonnie Gitzel and her family donated $100,000 to the program, which annually helps 14 women receive safe, affordable housing in a supportive environment. The women in the program look to change their lives and create a stable foundation to build upon in order to live independently.
Carla Delgado, director of development and engagement at the YWCA, said the demand is increasing.
“We are definitely seeing more and more. Every month, we turn away 175 to 250 women, just in our crisis centre,” she told the Brent Loucks Show.
“We do see about 5,000 women on a yearly basis, and out of those we’re turning away 3,000 people that cannot get into our shelters (or) our programs.”
Gitzel also joined the program to talk about why she felt the need to make the large donation, coinciding with International Women’s Day on Monday.
“It’s a story of abuse, a story that so many women and their families have faced and so few women who are prepared to talk about it, or have gotten the help that they needed. My mom suffered a decade of abuse. We removed three kids in the middle of the night,” she explained.
“There were a lot of long-term consequences as a result of her not having support and the systems that she needed, especially in regard to my sister. So this program is dedicated to both my mom and my sister and all the other women out there that are struggling to make a better home (and) make a better life.”
Gitzel said sharing her family’s story is something new for her. She said her family is behind her, but she felt it would be an inspiration for others to come forward and share their own stories.
“Divorce was frowned upon back then. My biological father was basically able to erase us. (My mom) was left on her own for a number of years. She later married, but scars were always there, particularly for my sister who had to be mom’s right arm based on all the challenges she had,” Gitzel said.
“My sister was only nine years old, and trying to support her mom, so she grew up very quickly. And as a result, again, she didn’t have a childhood. She didn’t have the support that she needed.”