ERRACE STANDARD | COMMUNITY The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 16, 2000 - BI INSIDE SECTION B COMMUNITY EVENTS B2 638-7283 Local group fights abuse By SARAH GLEN DEBBIE Scarborough tells the story of a teenage girl who she found passed out in the back bedroom of a house after a party. The’ girl’s pants were half down?’ and their were two men — both known to the police, Standing over her. When Scarborough and her partner arrived at the scene — she was working as an auxiliary police offi- cer at the time, there was blocd all over the walls and floor from the fights that took place that night. The girl was unresponsive and had to be dragged half-naked, through the blood and out to the police cruiser. It’s unsafe, abusive si-. tuations like these that the coordinator of the Terrace ‘ Transition House tries to educate people about. “We not only provide women and children with a ‘safe. place to stay, but I think ‘it’s also important that we promote awareness about abusive relation- ships,”. said Scarborough. ‘Although she’s net too sure what happened to the young girl after she drag- ged her body out of the house, Scarborough uses the story to illustrate the dangerous = situations people, especially women can. get themselves in- volved in. She ‘visits local schools and sets up displays in the mall to help with the edu- cation campaign. “We have to make abuse a public issue.” Scarborough believes by educating the commun- ity on abusive relation- ships, the Transition House can break the cycle of vio- Jence in families. “We are already seeing the second generation of black eyes and broken bones but if we teach kids the difference between healthy and unhealthy re- lationships we're one step closer to stopping the violence,” said Scarbor- ough. The Terrace Transition House is just one of the community services run by the Ksan House Socie- ty, a non-profit organiza- tion that offers counseling services, Other programs offered by the society include the Terrace Emergency Shel- ter, the Sexual Assault Centre, a Women’s Drop in Group and numerous counseling services. » “I'm just. a: catalyst,” said support counselor al the society, Jocelyn Ian- . harelli: “You never know when* you: are going to ‘meet someone on their. journey.” -Tannarelli explained that all programs span- sored by the society are free to the public and run on. a ‘client. motivated mandate. “We don’t probe or ass- ess anyone. We listen,” she said. The society is run by a voluntary board of direc- tors and is funded by the Ministries of Women’s Equality and the Attorney General. While it may offer numerous. programs and services, the society is only scratching the surface when it comes to respond- ing to the need, said Irlan- da Price, counseling coor- dinator at the society. “There are definitely gaps when it comes to helping the community,” Price said. She would like. to see a second-stage housing pro- ‘fect set up shop in Ter- race, which would give pecple fleeing abusive re- lationships a longer stay then the 30 days currently ‘allawed at the Transition ' House. “The [second-stage] house would give women more time to gain the skills they need to become independent while stil! giving them support,” she said. ' But while a second- Stage transition house would be her. “dream”, Price is pushing harder for a full-time child counselor, for the society. 4 Currently, a counselor} at the Transition House” works with the children, “It is really important that we have a specialized counselor,” said Price. “Children who have been victims of abuse or who have witnessed abuse necd to see models of healthy relationships — without that we're just perpetuating the cycle of violence.” Price's call for a spe- cialized children’s counse-— lor is echoed by Scarbor- ough. “Children are a product. of their environment but they do have the power to change and with the right counseling we can facili- tate that,” Scarborough said. But Scarborough goes one step further, saying Terrace alsa needs a se- parate safe house for: youth, “There is not enough for youth in this community,” she said. “People don’t want to think about it, but in our sleepy little com- munity, teens are sleeping outside because they don’t have a safe place to ga.” Tf all goes well, she plans to get the safe home up and running by winter. Another program that falls under the umbrella of the society, the Terrace Emergency Shelter recog- nizes the need for a youth safe house. “Of course there is a need [for a youth safe house]. But what the com- munity has a tendency to do is rationalize that need away,” said coordinator at the shelter, Roy Atrill. Alriil believes the big- gest barrier the society faces in creating new pro- grams comes from the community’s reaction to the people who usé the services. “They [the community] definitely have false per- ceptions about what hap- pens in these programs,” said Atrill. “They stereo- type those in need as people who are on welfare, lazy and alcoholics.” Atrill says that the pro- grams run by the society feed more community in- volvement in order to break down the stereotypes surrounding the services, One way the Emer- gency Shelter is bridging the gap is by offering a free french toast breakfast in Lower Little Park, Au- gust 19. The breakfast is open to the whole community. “Community involve- ment helps peopie see the -reality behind these pro- grams — they can’t rationa- lize it ‘away if they are part of it,” said Atrill. Terrace can become a safer place with commun- ity involyement and edu- cation, believe Atrill, Price and Scarborough. And pulling girls from the back bedrooms of party houses will be a thing of the Past. THERE WAS a bagpiper, some birthday cake, just a few short speeches and some memories as a area. After a ribbon cutting, the crowd got to walk small crowd gathered at the ald Skeena Bridge Riverboat Days Aug. 6 to note its 75th birthday of service to the across the bridge.. Vintage cars were also on hand Happy birthday IT’S DUBBED the last curved bridge of ils kind in North America and on Aug. 6, the ald Skeena Bridge was rededicated to note its 75th birthday. On hand was Dan Man- son, the grandson of area MLA Alec Manson who helped lobby for its con- struction in the 1920s. “It's a symbol of the preat expectations -of the promise of the north,” said Manson in a short speech. The rededication was a “reaffirmation of our faith in the north,” added Man- son who works at the Uni- versity of Northern B.C, in Prince Gearge. Acting Terrace mayor Lynne Christensen said he grandfather worked on the structure. The bridge was closed to traffic for the occasion, allowing the crowd on hand to walk across it after a ceremonial ribbon cut- ting. A procession of vint- age cars fallowed. A plaque on the bridge will mark its age. Annual celebration a Summer success RIVERBOAT DAYS is done for another year and organizers have barely caught up on their lack of sleep but they’re already hard at work planning next year’s celebration. “] thought that 1’d be able to get to sleep but there are so many things that still need to be done,” said Karlene Clark, chair of the Riverboat Days Committee, which orga- nized the annual affair. She said that the festi- vities, which ran from Au- KITSEKALUM CHIEF council, gust 3 to August 7 were bustling with bath local re- sidents and tourists. “Wilh the excellent weather and the commun- ily spirit behind us, I don’t know how we couldn’ have had an excellent weekend,” she said. At the Riverboat Rides | (a first-time event for the celebration) hundreds of people turned out and the organizers had to cut off tickets sales because the queues were so long, “It was a fabulous weekend that showed what Diane Collins was rounded up by local ACMP and put in a makeshift jail cell outside of 7-11, Aug, 4. Collins was just one of many local residents who took part in the Jail and Bail event during Riverboat Days. ARATE ‘A TERRACE-AREA server makes her way through the obstacle course during the slingers race. Local bar and pub servers take part in the annual River- boat Days event. a preat little place this is to live,” said Clark. But she notes that the weekend wouldn't have gone on al all if it weren't for the support from the city, local businesses and volunteers. “It’s a huge undertaking [organizing Riverboal Days] but everyone is so commilted to making the days successful that il helps a lol,” she said. This year saw a host of new events take centre stage during the festivities and Clark is already plan- ning similar events for next year. One of her ideas in- clude a heritage car rally, which would pit local resi- dents in a race to hunt oul specific clues around town. “It would be a cross be- tween a scavenger hunt and a focal history lesson,” said Clark, The committee will be meeting near the end of September to taik about the plans for next year’s Riverboat Days Clark is hoping that local residents will come out for the meeting. “We definitely need new blood,” she said. “We only have about eight to 10 regulars.” She is also organizing an open mecting far this year’s event hosts and park vendors to voice their ideas and concerns to the committee. “We need the feedback from thase involved,” she said. The commiltee meets intermiltently in the fall and will start meeting re- gularly in January. A NEW to this year’s Riverboat Days ¥ were river rides down the Skeena River, August 7, So many people turned out to take advantage of the boat trips that organizers had to cut off selling tickets early. Boat trip attracts hordes of people TICKET SALES for a first- ever Riverboat Days river- boat tour of the Skeena River Aug, 7 had to be cut off carly because of de- mand, says one of the event's organizers. Al times there was an cight-boat wait arising from more than 130 $5 tickets sold, said Terrace Tourism Council’s Maria McGowan who helped or- panize the tours. “People were there waiting at 10:30 a.m.,” said McGawan of the tours which began at 1] a.m, at Ferry Island and lasted until 5 p.m. The tour last about 15 minutes with one boat operated by Fred Straw. McGowan said the tours will take place again on the Riverboat Days weck- end next year. “Next year, we want to have two boats,” she said. LEN BRUGGEMAN lends his music to the Riverboat Days Heritage Park family picnic, August 6. Bruggeman has been playing his accordion for a long time.