This Friday, March 8th is International Women’s Day across the world and two organizations in Timmins are hosting events to celebrate women in the community.

Centre Passerelle pour Femmes is celebrating Women’s Day by hosting a Francophone comedian and handing out chocolate roses to women in the city.

“For Timmins, it means to celebrate being a woman, celebrate where we’ve come as women,” said Chantal Mailloux, Community Development Coordinator at Centre Passerelle pour Femmes,”and also looking forward to what needs to be done for women as well, in the community.”

Chantal says the Centre tries to give every woman in the community a chocolate rose. The gesture represents a solidarity between women that needs to be celebrated.

Centre Passerelle is also hosting a comedy show on Thursday, March 7th. It’s a free event and all (including men) are welcome. It starts at 7 PM at Theriault High School.

Chantal says it’s important to celebrate women and focus on the positive changes that have been made for women in the past few years.

“A lot of times, especially in the work that we do, it gets kind of heavy,” said Chantal, “And I think it’s important to also recognize that even though we have these challenges as women, that we also have evolved and, I mean, we’re going places, right? So I think it’s important to celebrate all these women that are fighting for women’s rights and all these things.”

Timmins and Area Women in Crisis is also hosting an event lifting women up in the community.

TAWC is hosting a private dinner at the Porcupine Dante Club on March 7th.

“We, historically, have always done a dinner at the Dante Club,” said Caroline, Manager of Programs and Services at the Crisis Centre in Timmins. “where we honor ten women in our community who’ve overcome some form of adversity.”

The event has a presentation to honor the women and a big dinner for the honorees and their family members to enjoy. There will also be other awards, gifts, and prizes throughout the evening.

“It’s a nice evening where we get the staff team and the women who’ve been selected to get together and celebrate women,” said Caroline.

The TAWC has been hosting this evening for years and they always choose women who haven’t already received awards in the past, honoring new women each year.

“We always have a diverse group of women who’ve overcome, you know, all kinds of […] adversity. So it could be violence in her life or addictions. So it’s really nice to hear all these empowering stories.”

Caroline says it’s important that there is a day dedicated to celebrating women.

“It’s always good to have a day to get together and recognize women,” she said, “so it’s nice to have that Women’s Day. And then we all get together and celebrate sisterhood and solidarity and women empowerment. So it’s always good to have those kinds of days where we can get together and do those things.”

You can find out more about Timmins and Area Women in Crisis at their website. 

You can also visit Centre Passerelles pour Femmes at their website. 

Filed under: Local News