Thumbs up for the SFCSC's Rural Women's Group

Sep 30, 2010

Photo: Participants and staff at the SFCSC's Rural Women's Group in Harrowsmith

One of the new services offered at the Southern Frontenac Community Services Corporation’s (SFCSC) new Harrowsmith Centre and fast gaining in popularity is the Rural Women's Group, an informal two-hour gathering where women of all ages from South, Central and North Frontenac meet together to talk, laugh and share.

Monica McWhirter is the family services coordinator with SFCSC at the Harrowsmith Centre, which heads up an umbrella of family services, and she explained how the group came about: “In the initial stages of working with women, I began to realize that many were often feeling isolated and were unaware of the services available to them in the community.”

The group meets monthly on the third Wednesday of the month from 1-3PM, and one of its goals is to connect women with a number of different services offered in the community. The meetings are geared to the specific needs of the women who attend and they have direct input in deciding which workshops and/or presentations they feel would best suit their needs. Transportation is provided to those who need it in South Frontenac.

This past Wednesday Barbara Matscheg, a CSW (Community Service Worker) student from Trillium College in Kingston, presented a talk on “Unveiling Conscious Competency” which covered various topics including setting goals, recognizing barriers, various types of motivations, and how to define “success”.

Other presentations to date have included a workshop on budgeting and finances put on by Kingston Credit Counseling, a presentation on coping by Mary Gaynor-Briese, who works as the caregiver and bereavement support coordinator at the centre, and a presentation on empowerment by Deb Kinder of the HIV/AIDS Regional Services of Kingston.

McWhirter said that the group often provides an opportunity for women to take a much-needed break. “For some, it's just a nice opportunity to get out of the house, talk, sip a coffee or tea, listen to a guest speaker and just relax.”

In the four short months that the program has been running, McWhirter says that she is already noticing the benefits. “Many women really start looking forward to the meetings and many are developing new and positive relationships. For those who tend to be somewhat isolated, they are coming out and finding and requesting specific resources and topics that they want to see addressed. It's very empowering.”

The group aims to serve all women who might be in need and McWhirter says that one important aspect of the group is that it can be preventative in nature. “Knowledge is power and it is here that women can access the resources that they might need in order to prevent a crisis situation from developing or occurring at all. We all have crises during our lifetimes. It just a matter of having the necessary tools and supports to deal with them.”

Everything is confidential at the centre and women can choose to verbalize their ideas or not. Participants are invited to fill out an evaluation at the end of each meeting and requests for particular topics or presentations can be made at that time.

The Harrowsmith Centre also offers a number of other services, including several types of financial services through the City of Kingston. These include the rent bank and utility bank, the homelessness prevention program, access to affordable housing, and access to the energy equipment upgrade program. There is also the Child and Youth Fund, which provides access to summer camp for kids, and the Caring Community Fund offered through the Hartington Community Care and Access Centre. The centre also does referrals for woman requiring other services not provided specifically through the centre but that may be available elsewhere.

David Townsend, Executive Director of SFCSC, is hoping to see the program continue on. He says, “We are very thankful to the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation, who gave us a grant to start up this program, which is the first ever opportunity to bring rural women together for education and support and which is far exceeding our expectations. The grant will allow us to run the program until December 2010, after which we are hoping that the Township of South Frontenac and the County of Frontenac together will find a way to keep this program up and running - for the sole reason that it is opening up many doors for rural women in the community.”

As the group gains popularity, demonstrating the increasing need for services for women in the area, McWhirter states that there is an ongoing need for volunteer drivers. “Many women who wanted to come today required transportation and there were no volunteer drivers to take them.”

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the SFCSC at 613-372-2755 or toll free at 1-800-763-9610.