Birchway Niagara

10/13/2026

Last week, Birchway Niagara was excited to welcome members of the Chippawa Volunteer Fire Fighters' Association, who shared a generous donation from their bingo proceeds. Charitable gaming and the volunteers who make donations like these possible make such an incredible impact in our communities. Thank you!

10/10/2026

Today is World Mental Health Day.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, gaming or addictions these resources might help:

• Mental Health & Addictions Hotline: To connect to confidential support in Niagara, call 1-866-550-5205. You can also visit the Canadian Mental Health Association Niagara for more information about this and other services
niagara.cmha.ca

• ConnexOntario: For free, confidential help finding mental health and addiction services across ONtario, call 1-866-531-2600, available 24/7.
connexontario.ca

• Pathstone Mental Health: Resources and support for children and youth. pathstonementalhealth.ca

• 9-8-8: Su***de Crisis Helpline: If you are thinking about su***de or worried about someone else, call or text 9-8-8, available 24/7.
988.ca

Everyone deserves care, connection and support. Today and every day, your mental health matters.

10/07/2026

If you have been finding the news coming out of Cornell University difficult, you are not alone. For survivors of sexual violence, news coverage can bring up difficult feelings and memories.

Whether you have experienced sexual violence within an intimate partner relationship or in another context, you deserve support. Birchway Niagara is here any time, day or night. Call or text our support line at 905-356-5800. A compassionate, trained counsellor is here to listen and to help you find the help you need.

You can also call the Niagara Sexual Assault Centre’s 24/7 Crisis & Support Line at 905-682-4584.

We all have a role in building communities free from abuse. Recognizing harmful behaviour, challenging gender stereotypes, and speaking up when someone is at risk are everyday actions that create safer spaces for everyone. If you would like support in starting these conversations in your workplace, classroom or organization, Birchway Niagara’s Prevention and Public Education program can help.

Contact Samantha at 905-356-3933 ext. 224 or [email protected] to explore booking programming about healthy relationships, gender stereotypes, how to be an active bystander and other topics. Every conversation can help build understanding, encourage action and bring us closer to a community without gender-based violence.

10/06/2026

🌟 Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Gloria!

For about 13 years, Gloria has shared her time and talents with Birchway Niagara, making a difference in so many ways behind the scenes.

As a long-time member of our “Dream Team” of volunteer book sorters, Gloria monitors donations, organizes extra sorting sessions when needed and connects with staff to ensure that volunteers have everything they need. She and her fellow volunteers dedicate time almost every week of the year to preparing our community’s donations for Canada’s best used book sale, the Birchway Book Riot. She also served for many years as a critical member of our Book Riot committee, helping to plan the logistics of the sale and sharing ideas and concerns on behalf of the book sorters.

Her generosity extends well beyond books. Gloria also volunteers at community fundraising events, stuffs envelopes for mail campaigns, and knits hats, scarves and stuffed animals for shelter residents and their children.

Among her favourite memories is a Book Riot customer’s joy at finding a children’s book she had searched for over many years. She also enjoys the community that she has become a part of as a volunteer.

“I am proud about being a part of a team of 23 volunteer book sorters who come in every week for about 46 weeks a year. They empty the boxes, pack and stack the books, puzzles that the community the brings to us. I have met so many volunteers over the years, from youngsters to over ninety years of age. Each event is an opportunity to meet up again with people I know and to meet new volunteers.”

Thank you, Gloria, for the incredible commitment and leadership that you have brought to Birchway Niagara for so many years, and for being such an important part of an event helps to keep women and children safer in our community.

10/04/2026

On October 4, we recognize Sisters in Spirit Day and the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people. We honour those who are missing or have been murdered, and the families and communities whose lives are forever changed.

This day calls us to remember and to act. Racism, discrimination and the ongoing effects of colonialism contribute to the disproportionate violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people.

Ending this violence means listening to Indigenous voices, recognizing barriers to safety and supporting the right of every person to live free from abuse.

Take time today to learn about the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice, amplify Indigenous voices and consider how you can help create safer communities.

Read the executive summary of Reclaiming Power and Place, including the Calls for Justice:
https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2019/bcp-pco/CP32-163-2-3-2019-eng.pdf

For more resources and information about local events, visit Niagara College's website: https://www.niagaracollege.ca/insidenc/2026/09/28/honouring-sisters-in-spirit-raising-awareness-of-mmiwg2slgbtqqia/



Image source: niagaracollege.ca

10/03/2026

Every ticket creates possibilities.

A $10 Allied Against Abuse Daily Raffle ticket could mean a win for you and something much more important for a woman or child in our community.

Your ticket gives you 34 chances to win throughout November, while proceeds help keep safe shelter beds open for women and children fleeing abuse in South Niagara.

Get yours early! Purchase by October 19 and you will have one more chance to win in our Early Bird Draw!

See the prizes and find your nearest ticket sales location: birchway.ca/events/detail/raffle

10/02/2026

Our community supports Birchway Niagara in so many ways.

Thank you to our long-time allies from Faith Rebekah Lodge, whose members made a generous $500 donation this week to support survivors.

Also, thank you to the Seniors Information and Active Living Fair for inviting us to attend their event, giving our Elder Abuse Prevention Coordinator and our volunteer, Bernadette, the opportunity to connect with residents 55+ in Pelham. If your organization would like to learn more about programming related to elder abuse, please contact Anne at [email protected].

10/02/2026

We are so grateful to the Port Colborne Public Library for regularly giving Birchway Niagara the opportunity to connect with community members. Make sure to say hello when you visit the library on Monday!

🫶 Community Connect with Birchway Niagara
Mon, October 5, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Stop by our ambassador table and chat with a member of Birchway Niagara. Learn about communication, boundaries, safety planning, and healthy relationships. Learn how to help someone who may be experiencing abuse. Confidential meeting spaces are available.

10/01/2026

October is Women’s History Month in Canada, a time to honour the women and girls whose courage, leadership and determination have opened doors for others and helped shape our communities.

Celebrating their achievements also reminds us of the work still ahead to create a world where every woman and girl has the safety and freedom to pursue her goals, share her talents and shape her own future.

Learn more and meet some of the women who have helped to shape Canada at: https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/commemorations-celebrations/womens-history-month.html



Images source: https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/commemorations-celebrations/women-impact/human-rights.html

09/30/2026

Today, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we honour residential school survivors, their families and communities, and remember the children who never returned home.

The harms caused by the residential school system continue to be felt across generations. Colonization, the forced separation of families and ongoing systemic discrimination have contributed to conditions that place Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people at greater risk of gender-based violence.

At Birchway Niagara, we recognize that advancing safety requires us to understand these connections. Reconciliation calls on each of us to listen to Indigenous voices, learn the truth about Canada’s history and consider how we can contribute to meaningful change.

Today and throughout the year, we remain committed to learning, reflection and the ongoing work of reconciliation.

Learn more:
https://nctr.ca/
https://orangeshirtday.org/