She started out as a board member and stayed for 30 years, and we are so grateful she did! Lori Watson became Executive Director of Women’s Resources in 1995, five years into our existence. At the time, we had nine staff, a budget of about $400,000, and a plan to provide safety and support for women living with intimate partner violence in our community. Today, we have 40 staff, more than 100 volunteers and a $2.1-million budget.
The growth since she took over at Women’s Resources is bittersweet, Lori says. “Back then, we believed we’d get a shelter going, end abuse against women and close our doors.” Instead, the organization has evolved to meet the needs of women in many meaningful ways.
For instance, only a tiny proportion of women in our community who are being abused can leave home for our shelter Victoria’s, and their children also need help. Those realizations led to the creation of counselling and other support programs to meet people where they were.
Another huge change under Lori’s leadership was the nurturing of close relationships with other community organizations, especially local police services. In the early days of Women’s Resources, although there was support in the community, there was also tremendous skepticism and even outright hostility.
Many people simply didn’t want to believe that violence against women was a problem here. Opponents of plans for the shelter fought it all the way to the province’s highest planning authority. “Some in the community were very scared about who we would be attracting,” Lori says, adding that the backlash was frequently bitterly misogynist. “We were often referred to as ‘militant feminists.” She says it with a chuckle now, though, because she, and Women’s Resources, prevailed to become a deeply respected and widely supported organization.
Lori also points to huge growth in the number of volunteers giving their time to Women’s Resources. “I couldn’t be prouder of Vicky’s Values, but I can’t take much credit for it,” she says. She applauds the store’s ability to serve those on low incomes and to raise considerable money to fill gaps with provincial funding, but also in the way it fosters friendships among women who contribute so many hours to keeping it running.
We’ve also kept pace with the changing needs of those we serve. Amy’s second stage housing in Fenelon Falls was a safe place for women to move to after being in our shelter, but it was too far from courts, doctors, schools and other services for anyone who didn’t have a car. Enter Lori’s Place, the beautiful new six-unit building in Lindsay to serve them better.
Another huge change has been the rise of human trafficking, which was initially seen as, once again, something that happened to people from overseas and took place in big cities. “A lot of the work is educating people that it’s people in our community being trafficked. We’re part of the corridor from Windsor to Ottawa, but there’s also human trafficking within the Kawarthas. In addition to dealing with intimate partner violence, we’re now dealing with criminal sexual violence.”
Lori anticipates that the impact of the terrible combination of mental health concerns, a lack of affordable housing and addictions will continue to harm women in our community disproportionately. Women’s Resources will be there to help, as it has been for so long, thanks to local support, she says. “I want to express my very sincere gratitude to the community for standing behind us all these years, and I have no doubt they’ll continue to do so. Penny Chatson is going to do a wonderful job leading Women’s Resources into the future.”
Leaving the organization she has led for so long will be a huge change. Lori plans to take the summer off to relax a little. When she’s ready, she’s considering drawing on her enviable expertise in strategic planning, governance, human resources and more, perhaps as a consultant, mentoring and guiding executive directors.
We know that whatever she chooses to do, she will excel at it with her usual insight, intelligence, grace and humour. We are so grateful to Lori for her visionary leadership, and we wish her every possible good thing in her well-deserved retirement.
If you are interested in recognizing Lori’s contributions to WR, please donate to Lori’s Place through our website or etransfer to give@womensresources.ca and specify where the funds should be directed.
By Nancy Payne
