The Gravenhurst Women’s Centre is set to reopen after being closed for over a year.
The organization temporarily closed its doors in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our centre is a place for women in the community to come and get involved in workshops and other initiatives,” the centre’s chair Carol Aberdeen.
A reopening party is being held on Tuesday from 12:30 until 3 PM at the Trinity United Church, which is where the centre is based. Aberdeen says lunch will be provided as well as tours through the centre’s space in the basement of the church.
“We’re happy with people just dropping in,” she tells the MyMuskokaNow.com newsroom but notes COVID-19 protocols will be in place.
At the event, attendees will be able to sign up for the workshops being held in November.
Aberdeen says they are in “desperate” need of volunteers. Currently, they’re only able to open two days a week plus a handful of Sundays. She says they have eight volunteers after losing 10 since closing last year. In a perfect world, Aberdeen says they would like to add 15 volunteers, which would allow them to expand their hours. The hope is for the centre to soon be opening for evenings as well.
Aberdeen says they know of many women who are interested in joining them for one of their programs but can’t because they’re working.
“It’s pretty much just helping us manage our space at the centre,” she explains about what it means to volunteer with them.
Aberdeen says any prospective volunteers would be educated on the services provided to women in the area so they’re able to quickly direct someone to where they need to go when they come in.
Aberdeen says if they get a lot of volunteers signing up, she will find ways for them to help.
The centre is also in need of women who have “interesting skills or capabilities” that could be used to create workshops. Aberdeen points at the upcoming “Find Your Inner Artist” and creative writing workshops as examples of that.
If you’re interested in either volunteering or signing up to offer a workshop, reach out through the centre’s website or email them at [email protected].