If you would like to support Women’s Resources, please Donate THANK YOU!

Well-Earned Retirement

It’s official: Executive Director Lori Watson will step down next year.

We can’t quite believe it’s real, but after 30 years guiding Women’s Resources, Lori Watson is retiring in June 2025 as our Executive Director.

Lori’s first involvement was as a member of our Board of Directors in the late 1980s. In 1995, she became Executive Director, starting a period of tremendous growth in our ability to serve women in our community who are experiencing abuse, along with their children.

It would be nice if there were no need for Women’s Resources to grow in size and expand the services it offers, but the sad reality is that far too many women in Kawartha Lakes are still coping with intimate partner violence while just trying to live their lives and keep their children safe.

Thanks to Lori’s dedicated leadership, we are now able to do even more for the women we serve. From a staff of nine, we have grown to more than 44 paid folks and more than 100 amazing volunteers. That means more care, more support, more safety and more fundraising to help it all happen.

Lori has been instrumental in securing an astounding amount of funding during her tenure—at last count, more than $3 million that is over and above annual program funding and fundraising initiatives! That money has ensured a stable, successful future for existing programs and allowed us to expand and serve more women in need. The crowning success of her time at Women’s Resources was the recent opening of a residence to provide second stage housing for women as they leave our emergency shelter. This wonderful new facility will carry her legacy forward in its name, Lori’s Place.

Less tangible but just as important is Lori’s gift for collaboration with all kinds of community partners. A pragmatic outlook combined with compassion and a welcome sense of humour have fostered strong relationships with social agencies, police and larger organizations and associations.

The Board of Directors will soon begin the process of finding a new Executive Director—not someone to fill Lori’s shoes, but rather, someone to bring her own skills and personal qualities to build on the solid foundation Lori has created for Women’s Resources.

“Lori has been a tireless advocate for women, children and families facing violence and hardship. Her leadership, compassion, and dedication have left an indelible mark on our organization and our community,” said Jane Chapman, Chair of the Board of Directors. “We are deeply grateful for her decades of service.”

If you’re one of those people who’ve been touched by Lori’s work, or if you want to honour her legacy, she has asked that you consider making a donation to Lori’s Place in her name.

By Nancy Payne


Posted

in

by

Tags: