Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto
Providing Programs And Services To Women In Conflict With The Law Since 1952
Annual Report
1999
(April 1, 1998 - March 31, 1999)
Officers
| President | Avril Phillip |
| Past President | Kelly Hannah Moffat |
| Vice President | Elizabeth Boyd |
| Vice President | Sue Nador |
| Secretary | Cori Kalinowski |
| Treasurer | Stephanie Bird |
Directors
| Margaret Beare | Denise Jeffers |
| Avil Beckford | Shoshana Pollack |
| Myrna Dawson* | Ruth Roberts* |
| Carolyn Fineberg |
Staff 2001/2002
| Executive Director | Leslie Kelman |
| Financial Administrator | Elizabeth Davis |
| Office Manager | Paulette Athill |
| Receptionist | Camella Jones-Phillip |
| Social Workers | Julia Bloomenfeld* | Gillian Crawford |
| Cheryl Ward | |
| Parenting Programme Counsellors | Linda Brotman |
| Nzinga Walker | |
| Drug and Alcohol Groupworkers | Mary Lemke* |
| Laurie Charlton | |
| Volunteer Programs Coordinator | Judy Walters*/Cheryl Champagne |
| Diversion Courtworker | Eugenia Messner |
| Residential Supervisor | Paulette Letang* |
| Residential Counsellors | Elizabeth Amerongen |
| Elizabeth Guete | |
| Eli Nsiah* | |
| Susanna Riquelme | |
| Maryam Salad | |
| Andrea Slack | |
| Meskerem Yohannes | |
| Coordinator of Community Relations and Fundraising | Nancy Webb |
| Director of Development | Jonathan Rudin/Barbara Yip |
* resigned during the year
History and Mission
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto is a woman-centred, non-profit organization
that represents and fosters the community's interest in and responsibility to
women who are, have been, or may come into conflict with the law. Founded in
the early 1950s, the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto was named after the
nineteenth century English reformer of the penal system whose work among the
women and children of Newgate prison began a long tradition of addressing the
special needs of incarcerated women.
The agency offers transitional accommodation, counselling services, a court program at College Park Court, and facilities for research and education. Our volunteers and staff regularly visit the Metro West Detention Centre, Vanier Centre for Women and Grand Valley Institution.
Our mission is to facilitate the empowerment of women and to address the reasons why women come into conflict with the law by:
- facilitating choices and opportunities for individual women;
- affecting systemic change of social conditions, laws and structures;
- promoting a system of justice that leads to the healing of society and responds to the needs of all women involved in and affected by crime;
- ensuring that in all its operations, the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto embraces the diverse racial and cultural backgrounds of the people it represents and serves.
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto is a member of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) and of the Council of Elizabeth Fry Societies of Ontario. There are currently 24 Elizabeth Fry Societies across Canada including nine in Ontario.
President and Executive Director's Report
Each year seems to bring its own unique challenges and 1998/99 was no exception.
Internally, our greatest challenge was a severe staff/management shortage.
Throughout the year we operated with a reduced staff and no department
supervisors. This created an environment of much "doing", but little time for
reflection. The end of the year provides us with that opportunity.
A tremendous effort by both our staff and volunteers allowed the agency to continue to provide uninterrupted services and programs despite a lack of human and financial resources. Although the staff was already carrying full workloads they assumed a variety of responsibilities far beyond their job descriptions. This was done with a spirit of co-operation and commitment to the work of the agency, which is truly admirable. Deepest thanks to the staff who worked so hard, for so long, to enable us to maintain the daily operations of the agency.
The Elizabeth Fry volunteers deserve our acknowledgement and thanks for the additional work they assumed. It would not have been possible to continue all of our services had it not been for the efforts of the volunteers. In addition to the obvious benefits to the agency, it is important to remember that the volunteers represent the community. This representation is especially important during difficult times, as it reminds both the staff and the clients that they are recognized and supported. To be able to work together as an agency and as a community speaks to the real issues of community reintegration. To all our volunteers, thank you.
Two new programmes were implemented this year, the Diversion at College Park Court, and a mother/child satellite apartment for federally sentenced women. Sincere thanks to our funders who continued to demonstrate their support by allowing us to continue to grow during a challenging year.
Next year we anticipate even more change and development. As the agency
strengthens we look forward to the next millennium as an era of real reform. We
will continue to work together to create a community that we can all live in
with acceptance and respect.
Direct Services Report
Our residence continues to be a transitional home for federally and provincially
sentenced women. When the residence is filled to capacity we can house 15 women
who are completing their day parole. This year, the agency provided beds for 57
women in our residence and two satellite apartments. Our satellite apartments
consist of a bachelor and a two bedroom apartment. A woman who has given birth
while incarcerated in a federal institution is eligible to live in the two
bedroom apartment with her baby. The satellite apartments are designed for
women who are able to live a more independent life.
Within the first month of arriving at our residence, women spend their time re- connecting with family, particularly with their children. They also begin an employment search. And with the support of our staff, most women find employment within the first two months. The majority of women make the transition into a regular routine and continue to work with a social worker at the agency to achieve long term goals.
In addition to our Residential Programme, our residential staff also provide service to women at the Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener. The institution was built to house federally sentenced women and was one of five new facilities built to replace the antiquated Prison for Women in Kingston. This year our staff provided counselling and other services to 39 federally sentenced women at Grand Valley.
The social work staff continues to provide counselling, pre-release planning,
referrals and support to incarcerated women. This year the team provided
service to approximately 220 women at the Vanier Centre for Women and the
Toronto West Detention Centre. Counselling was also provided to 86 women who
were on probation or parole and 46 community clients.
Group Programmes
The group programmes of the Elizabeth Fry Society have become an integral part of the agency's work during the 1990s. In this year's report a more detailed description of each programme will be presented and a synopsis of each programme's progress over the past year.
Childhood Sexual Abuse Programme
The Childhood Sexual Abuse Programme is offered as a 12 week group with additional on-going support provided to participants throughout the year. The group offers women an opportunity to be supported in speaking about their experiences, in exploring the impact of the abuse, and in gaining insight which promotes the growth of their self-esteem. This process assists in clearing obstacles presented by the abuse, and supports women in reaching goals in their present lives.
Over the past year there were 30+ referrals from a variety of sources and of these, 23 women were assessed for the programme. Seven or eight women are accepted into each cycle offered three times per year. Individual counselling sessions are offered on an as needed basis to women either by telephone or in person to support their experiences in the group. As well each group cycle offers a training opportunity for staff or volunteers to further develop group facilitation and counselling skills in this topic area.
Given the increase in referrals, the programme will be expanded to include a
second group. The second group will allow for a larger number of women to
receive the service as well as provide greater opportunity for addressing
specific types of abuse such as that experienced by cult survivors. This will
also provide an additional opportunity for training of facilitators.
Drug and Alcohol Group
The Alcohol and Drug Programme has experienced a busy and productive year. The number of women attending the programme has increased. We have been able to provide additional support and service before, during and after the group time. Intake services have increased and been more effective in recruiting women for the programme. Approximately 120 street-life dependant women are referred to our programme each year. About 50 women attend the Thelma and Louize Harm Reduction Group and about 20 women attend the Relationships Alcohol/Drug Group. The remaining 50 women attend for assessment and/or individual counselling.
This year we were very pleased to receive additional funds through the United Way Winter Relief Grant. The grant provides funds to existing programmes in order that they may offer additional support and resources to persons who are homeless, underhoused or at risk of losing housing. This allowed us to expand our efforts to include community outreach to women working on the streets.
Partnerships were created with two community agencies. Our part-time worker
teamed with street workers to provide outreach primarily to women 16-25 years of
age. We offered food, winter clothing and other essentials to women while
telling them about the Thelma and Louize Harm Reduction Group. It is hoped our
initial contacts will lead to women coming into the group where they are invited
to share their struggles with others who have similar experiences. They can
also discuss their substance use in a safe, non-judgmental environment. We
intend to compliment our existing outreach work to include community agency
drop-in programmes, prisons and local high schools.
Parenting Programme
This year, the Elizabeth Fry Parenting Programme has struggled to meet an increasing demand for service in its programmes at the Vanier Centre for Women, the Toronto West Detention Centre, and our Toronto office.
At the Toronto West Detention Centre, we shifted from offering a bi-weekly support group, to a weekly group with additional individual support. During the past year 129 women participated in our programme. At the Vanier Centre for Women, where 75 women participated in our programme, we have tried using several group-work models (for example, open-ended ongoing, 4-6 week closed group) in order to best accommodate the number of women seeking to enter the group, while maintaining the quality of the group experience.
The agency has also tried to meet the needs of the mothers in the community- based group who struggle with many difficult life situations such as woman abuse, poverty, isolation and fighting the stigma of being an incarcerated mother.
To help meet some of these needs two outings were planned this year to Centre Island, and Chudleigh's Farm for apple picking (and eating). These outings provided the mothers and children with the opportunity to participate in some leisure activities that they normally would never be able to enjoy due to poverty-related circumstances.
The Parenting Programme assists families that have been stigmatized and hurt by
an incarceration. Even in the most healthy and loving families the
incarceration of a woman with children will have an impact on all members.
Supporting these families helps our community, and our society.
Shoplifting and Fraud Programme
The Shoplifting and Fraud Programme has continued to develop and grow stronger over the past year.
The programme consists of a 10-12 week group in which women are offered the opportunity to explore their shoplifting and/or fraud behaviour. During this time, women can begin to identify and work on their underlying reasons for their behaviour and begin to develop and gain a deeper understanding of their coping strategies.
Over the past year, 50+ referrals came into the agency from a variety of sources, of which 42 women were assessed for the programme. Eight women are accepted into each cycle, which runs three times a year. Out of the 42 assessments, 23 women were accepted into the programme, and 17 women completed the programme.
Highlights for the upcoming year include a follow up maintenance support group
for women who have completed the Shoplifting and Fraud Program. This group will
be run on a monthly basis to offer women on-going support around their issues.
This group plans to begin in the summer of 1999. The Elizabeth Fry Society of
Toronto is pleased to continue to offer support to women around shoplifting and
fraud issues in 1999.
Diversion Programme
In October of 1998, the Elizabeth Fry Society started a Diversion programme at College Park Court. In cooperation with the John Howard Society, this programme provides service to people who have been charged with minor offenses. Over ninety percent of the charges for women are theft-related.
After the Crown deems a person appropriate for diversion, it is the diversion worker who initiates contact and provides the necessary information, planning and support to each women. Being eligible for diversion means that by participating in alternatives to the regular court process, for example making charitable donations, community services, letters of apology and workshops, the Crown will withdraw the charges, leaving the woman with no criminal record.
In addition to helping unclog a very busy court system, this programme also gives people a much desired second chance to keep a clean record.
Our first year has been a successful one. We have seen nearly 75 women through
diversion. Although College Park is not the busiest court for diversions, it is
a court that sees clients with a high degree of need and most in need of our
assistance.
Development
The continued success of our fundraising programmes is due in large part to the
diverse nature of our funding sources.
As always, we rely on those individuals committed to the organization who annually give once or twice a year to our direct mail campaigns. During the 1998-99 fiscal year, over 600 donors gave almost $40,000 to the organization.
Individuals are also the key to our special events. This year we held two events - a theatre night and our sixth Rebels for a Cause event. A full house at Theatre Passe Muraille on November 26, 1998, watched the last show of the Toronto run of The Convict Lover. Following the show, there was a draw for door prizes and a fascinating question and answer session was held with the cast and Merilyn Simonds, the author of the book that inspired the play.
On May 7, 1998, we held our sixth annual Rebels for a Cause event. This year's honoured rebels were Susan Aglukark, Clarissa Chandler, Alexa McDonough and Pamela Wallin. Rebel alumni - Michelle Landsberg helped our silent auction reach a record high by offering successful bidders the opportunity to have lunch with her.
We would very much like to thank all who attended these events, as well as all who sold tickets and donated items. Thanks to all your efforts, both events were great successes.
We were also fortunate this year to have two externally sponsored fundraising events. On June 17, 1998, Threshold Theatre held a benefit performance of Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape at Theatre Passe Muraille. On October 18, 1998, the Angel Group Hair Studio on Yorkville Avenue lived up to their name by holding a benefit Cutathon for the agency. The Angel Group will also be a corporate sponsor of our 1999 Rebels event. We thank both groups very much.
We continued to receive funds from bequests this year. It is a testimony to the important work that we do that individuals choose to remember the Elizabeth Fry Society in their wills.
On a much more temporal plane, in January of this year, we began holding approximately two bingo sessions a month at the Delta Bingo Hall at St. Clair and Weston Road. Our seasoned crew of bingo volunteers have worked very hard to ensure that we run a smooth operation and keep the over 200 players happy. We are kept happy by the fact that the hall has proven to be very profitable.
Not all the funds we raise come from individuals. We also receive donations from foundations for a variety of activities. We are particularly grateful for a donation from the Community Foundation of Greater Toronto that will allow us to run a full series of Counselling Groups for Women Who Are Survivors of Incest/Childhood Sexual Abuse in the coming year. Of course, we are deeply appreciative of all the donations we receive from foundations.
The financial support we have received over the past year from individuals and
organizations, reminds us that work is noticed and appreciated. Thanks to the
generosity of our donors, we are able to continue to provide vital services for
women in conflict with the law.
Volunteer Programmes
While the year 1998-99 was a year of transition in leadership for the Volunteer
Programme, the volunteers continued in their strong commitment to serving the
women who are in conflict with the law. Judith Walters retired in June, and
Cheryl Champagne filled the position of Coordinator for the Volunteer Programme
in September. As part of the transition, a Volunteer Update survey was sent out
to re-acquaint us with the numerous volunteers on our roster. In addition to
learning about the many skills of our volunteers, feedback was requested and
received on the needs of volunteers and their expectations of the Volunteer
Coordinator. As a result of this information, the 1999 Series of Volunteer
Development evenings was launched, starting with a very informative evening with
Community Information Toronto on referral skills and use of the Blue Book.
Our volunteers continue to be vigilant in their efforts to assist women in conflict with the law. In total we had 111 volunteers contribute 4500 hours at the Elizabeth Fry Society, providing assistance to 2400 women. What a fabulous gift to E. Fry and the women we serve! Three of our long-time volunteers also received awards recognizing their contributions from the City of Toronto and the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Culture.
The evening Social/Recreation program at the Metro West Detention Centre continues to be successful and well attended. With the dedication of 35 volunteers, 94 programmes were provided to 1,149 incarcerated women, including 157 women at the December festive season party. The format of the Vanier party changed this year, giving us the opportunity to collaborate with E. Fry Hamilton in a larger venue that provided gifts, fabulous food and entertainment to 60 women.
At College Park Court, we had a total of 19 volunteers this year, and are now fully operational, with volunteers at court every day of the week. By increasing our availability, we have served 1,163 women at the court this year. A student from Simon Fraser University also brought her knowledge and enthusiasm to the Court Support and Diversion programmes.
The involvement of volunteers in E.Fry group programmes continues to grow. Participation this year included the Thelma and Louize Group, the Relationships Group, the Incest Survivors group and the piloted Parenting Programme, Mothers Who Care. With additional groups being added this coming year, we expect more volunteers will be involved.
The Bingo programme was suspended in the Summer of 1998 due to the closure of the Bingo hall, but the volunteers returned with vigor to our new venue in January. They continue to work to support our agency to bring in needed dollars for the services that we provide. Volunteers also assisted in Community Relations to plan special events and provide valuable information to the community where requested. Our dedicated office volunteers also helped out with many tasks that made all of our jobs easier.
We trained 18 new volunteers this year, despite one less volunteer orientation. In 1999, a new Volunteer Orientation curriculum was developed and the training hours expanded to include an Information Session for prospective volunteers. New screening and selection policies for volunteers were also developed to ensure that we are doing our utmost to ensure the safety of our clients. The response has been very positive and the volunteers continue to express their keen desire to know more about the needs of women and how they can assist most effectively. The diversity of our volunteer base also continues to expand, bringing volunteers from different cultural backgrounds who speak additional languages to better reflect the diversity of women we serve.
There continues to be a great deal of interest in our Volunteer Programme and
the unique opportunities we have to work with women in conflict with the law.
While we have seen this past year as a time of consolidation for the Volunteer
Programme, we expect that the next year will be one of growth. We plan to
conduct a Programme Review, with specific attention to the ways that we can
support community clients. In addition, with the advent of new computer
technology, we hope to develop a computer database that enables us to have
comprehensive skill profiles of our volunteers. We look forward to the next
year, as our committed and caring volunteers continue to increase our ability
to serve women in conflict with the law.
Our Donors
We would like to thank all of our donors who gave so generously to the Elizabeth
Fry Society in our 1998-99 fiscal year through our various mailing appeals and
special events. Due to space limitations we are unable to list everyone, but
for each donation we are extremely grateful. Following is the list of those who
donated $200 or more between April 1, 1998 and March 31, 1999.
BEQUESTS
Helen Jean Tracy
CORPORATIONS
Arthur Andersen and Company
Crawford Scale Company
Elliot and Boyko Inc.
Royal Bank of Canada
FOUNDATIONS
Bennett Family Foundation
Boland Foundation
Chum Charitable Foundation
Edwards Charitable Foundation
George Lunan Foundation
Henry White Kinear Foundation
J.P. Bickell Foundation (National Trust Company Trustee)
Kahanoff Foundation
Morton and Ethel Fields Foundation
Nancy's Very Own Foundation
Nelson Arthur Hyland Foundation
Tippet Foundation
GIFTS IN KIND
East West Centre
Hazel and Associates
Interlog Internet Services
Lipton Monarch PMG
Maya Gallus
Wally's Restaurant
GROUPS
Angel Group Hair Studio
CUPE Local 2189
Fairlawn Heights United Church
Leaside United Church, Meta Hunter Mission Trust Fund
Metropolitan United Church Women
Sophie and Gwen Boyd Memorial Trust
Threshold Theatre
INDIVIDUALS
Signe Ball
Margaret Beare
Paul Bennett
Christie Bentham
Catherine Brooks
Margaret Buck
John Buddo
Alice Burton
Martha and George Butterfield
Margaret Chambers
Debby Copes
Ruth Cowan
George Dale
Lucille Dobbins
Asan Dzourelov
Jane Glassco
Jane Glatt
E. M. Hamilton
Joan Harrison
Dorothy Hartsell
Kori Kalinowski
Suanne Kelman
Nancy Kleer
Rudy and Rita Koehler
Errol Lewars
Steve Luck
Virginia Mair
Lauren Marshall
Debra Matheson
Anatol Mazurenko
Jack Micay
Donald Morrison
David Murray
Sue Nador
Marion Niven
Winnifred Owen
Janet Perez Vela
Angela Rae
Lynne Remigio
Cheryl Rowe
Jane Schoonmaker
Diana Sepejak
Margaret Skelton
Cathy Shilton
Richard Sims
Nelson Smith
Sonja Smits
Lesley Sparks
Catherine Steele
Suzanne Tanzer
Kathleen Thompson
Anne Marie Vanier
Earl L. Veitch
Julia Watt
John Harvey Webster
Linda Weichel
Bev Welsh
Elizabeth White
Barbara Yip
Statement Of Operations
for the year ended March 31, 1999
REVENUE
Contributions $ 502,626
Fees for Services Rendered 438,694
Government Grants 10,530
Interest and Other Income 117,139
---------
1,068,989
EXPENSES
Agency Office 39,734
Building Depreciation 1,642
Building Occupancy 62,473
Client Needs 23,220
Committees 197
Community Relations 4,668
Direct Services 38,277
Food Services 17,287
Fundraising 56,271
Miscellaneous 4,003
Mortgage Interest 5,726
Professional Services 61,635
Residence Occupancy 28,172
Salaries and Benefits 741,200
Satellite Apartment 2,604
Staff Recruitment and Development 11,519
Transportation 2,371
Volunteer Programs 5,678
---------
1,106,677
Excess of Expenses over Revenue $ (37,688)
Condensed Balance Sheet
as at March 31, 1999
ASSETS
Current Assets $ 264,425
Land and Building, at Cost
Less Accumulated Depreciation 115,999
Restricted Cash and Client Trust Funds 598,837
-------
979,261
LIABILITIES
Current Liabilities 283,790
Long Term Mortgage Payable 84,058
-------
367,848
FUND BALANCES
General Funds (22,796)
Restricted Funds 598,837
Barbara Maslowsky Endowment Fund 3,431
Capital Asset Fund 31,941
-------
611,413
-------
$ 979,261
Auditor's Note
We have examined the information contained in the foregoing 1999 financial summary. We are satisfied that the information presented is prepared directly from the audited financial statements on which we reported, and which fairly presents the financial position of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Toronto and the result of its operations for the year.