By Cindy Chant

cindy@peicanada.com

Staff at the O’Leary branch of Access PEI have been busy organizing events in preparation for Family Violence Prevention Week which runs Feb 12-18. Valerie Smallman, director for the West Prince Family Violence Prevention Services, said the week helps raise awareness within the community about the terrible toll taken by family violence.

A number of activities will be held during the week, designed to encourage family togetherness, kindness and fun within the community.

Each year since 1997, Access PEI in O’Leary has held a “Sweetheart Dinner” to mark the week long event. 2012 will not disappoint, as the popular dinner is scheduled for Feb 15, for all Access PEI staff.

Members of the organization want to stress there is a lot of work being done to prevent family violence by providing resources are available to women and children who are affected by family violence.  

Along with the fundraising dinner “Wear Purple Day” is also scheduled for Feb 15.

A self-defense workshop for women will be conducted Feb 15, by constable Renee Michaels of the RCMP, Alberton Detachment. All women and female youth are welcome to attend the informative event which is set to begin at 7pm at the Alice Duncan Intergenerational Centre.

Throughout the week random acts of kindness will be circulating through West Prince. Several businesses and organizations are supporting the cause by promoting random acts of kindness.

“Often we will walk into a local coffee shop and pay for 10 cups of coffee,” said Valerie Smallman, who went on to say how West Prince Family Violence Prevention Services Inc distributes several hundred “kindness cards” to local businesses who randomly offer the free cups of coffee or kind words to patrons.

Several students from Westisle Composite High School will also be taking part in the random acts of kindness program and also receiving information and materials regarding abuse as it relates to youth. 

For more information about the events, please call PEI Family Violence Prevention Services Inc. at 859-3916. To learn more about random acts of kindness visit www.randomactsofkindness.org.