Front Line Service Providers Awards were handed out by the Domestic & Relationship Violence Initiative Committee at the Red Deer Golf and Country Club on Wednesday. Front Line Service Providers Awards were presented to Damian Bottrell of Women's Outreach (left) and Cheryl Borton (right) of Sylvan Lake & District Victim Services Unit. Kathy Cave of Julietta's Place (centre), was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

By Sheldon Spackman

Making A Difference

Domestic Violence and Bullying Front Line Service Providers Awards handed out

Nov 6, 2019 | 4:16 PM

Nearly 100 community members and leaders gathered at the Red Deer Golf and Country Club on Wednesday to help recognize individuals who have made significant contributions towards helping victims of domestic violence and bullying throughout central Alberta.

For the 15^th consecutive year, Alberta’s Family Violence Prevention Month was launched in conjunction with the Front Line Service Provider’s Awards Luncheon, hosted by Central Alberta’s Domestic & Relationship Violence Initiative Committee (DRVIC).

This year, two Front Line Service Awards were given out, in addition to a Lifetime Achievement Award to those working directly with individuals and families impacted by domestic violence and bullying.

Roughly 90 people attended the Front Line Service Providers Awards held at the Red Deer Golf and Country Club on Wednesday.

Front Line Service Providers Award winner Cheryl Borton of the Sylvan Lake and District Victim Services Unit, says she’s recognized for her efforts every day through the work that she does.

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“By the people that offer the opportunity for us to work with them and to honour their stories,” says Borton. “I think that the biggest thing that everybody maybe not realizes is how collaborative we really are and the different agencies working together towards common goals. That’s multitudes of agencies when you go from policing, to an authoritative aspect such as Children Services, the RCMP, right down to just support services in order to achieve some safe and stable lives for people.”

Fellow Front Line Service Providers Award winner Damian Bottrell, a case worker at Women’s Outreach in Red Deer, says his experience spans from homelessness, to addictions, to mental health, and working with male victims of domestic violence among other areas.

“I’m very grateful to work with the people that I support in the community, whether that’s families or men, women or children affected by domestic violence,” says Bottrell. “The moments that stand out for me is housing people, housing families or single families with their children or re-housing them in the community. Connecting them with appropriate supports inside the community, but also having one-on-one relationships with them and their families and providing them with coping skills for healthy relationships and setting boundaries.”

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Kathy Cave says she’s very honoured to be recognized.

“I work with Julietta’s Place which is a second-stage housing facility that we have within the Outreach Centre, and I lead an amazing team, the Red Deer Housing Team,” she explains. “We’ve had a lot of successes working with homeless, working with domestic violence, everybody believes in what we’re doing. So with the homeless, addictions, mental health population, housing is a right, it’s not a privilege, and that’s my passion.”

Women’s Outreach executive director Barb Barber says for those who work with victims of domestic violence or individuals struggling with addictions or mental health challenges, it’s truly their passion.

“They care very deeply for each and every one that they work with,” explains Barber. “They can’t just leave it at work, it goes home with them. It just gets so embedded in them. This is just a very dedicated group of men and women in our community.”

Barber notes a significant amount of supports and services in the community doing a great job of serving those who need it.

“I think we all play a part in it,” says Barber. “Whether you know somebody whose affected or not, if each one of us does something to disrupt family violence, that’s when we’re going to start making a difference. Disrupting family violence can be just as simple as volunteering your time, your resources, caring about your neighbor, asking your co-worker, ‘Are you OK?’”

Barber concludes the collaboration between the many different agencies involved throughout central Alberta, is key to the community’s success in ending domestic violence.

“There’s a saying on the wall at the Outreach when you first come in,” explains Barber. “And it says, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”