Moncton Run Will Raise Money for Trauma-Informed Daycare
MONCTON — A long-time fundraiser in the greater Moncton area is helping to raise money for a trauma-informed daycare in Shediac, the only one east of British Columbia.
The Shoppers Drug Mart Run for Women in Moncton, taking place on May 7, is an annual fundraiser for the Courage Centre in Shediac, operated by the Beauséjour Family Crisis Resource Centre.
It aims to raise money for the centre, which helps women facing domestic violence.
Kristal LeBlanc, the CEO of the Beausejour Family Crisis Resource Centre, said Wednesday the idea of a “trauma daycare” came after she realized the age demographic of the centre’s clientele was getting younger — a dramatic change compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
“Prior to Covid-19, the vast majority of the women that were coming to the center were older … but I started [seeing] all these young moms with kids,” she said in an interview with Huddle.
LeBlanc believes the main reason for the change was because women were often confined with their abusive partners and spouses, causing rates of domestic violence to increase. According to Statistics Canada, 49 per cent of shelters reported an increase in crisis calls compared with before the pandemic.
“When I started realizing that I have a lot of the moms with all these young kids … we hired someone to come and do a focus group with our survivors, and one of the moms made a great point,” said LeBlanc.
“She said, ‘Crystal, my kid cannot go to a regular daycare; he does not feel comfortable saying to another child that he still sleeps with his mattress up against the door in the apartment because he’s scared of dad.’”
So LeBlanc decided to research it and learned there was only one trauma daycare in Canada — in Victoria, B.C. She said the centre is going to model its daycare after that development, providing extra trauma therapy and art therapy.
The Run For Women, sponsored by Shoppers Drug Mart, takes place on May 7 at Centennial Park. LeBlanc said there’s still time for people to register for the 5K or the 10K, which can be done as a walk or run.
Gilles Cormier, owner of Gilles Cormier Estimating Services and former councillor-at-large for Beaubassin-est, is participating in the event for the fourth year in a row. He said he’s a strong believer that men need to stand in solidarity with women facing domestic violence.
Cormier said the event is empowering and reminds him that solutions are on the horizon.
“It just pains me to know that there … are so many people out there — women and children — suffering in silence,” he said.
LeBlanc said if people feel on the fence about participating, residents should not underestimate the difference one person can make in helping a child have a better future.
“And then registering and being there also sends a message to survivors that we’ll be walking with them,” she said. “It’s really a message to say that they’re part of the solution and that they understand that this is happening.”
Aaron Sousa is a Huddle contributor covering Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected]