EFryNB’s Community Outreach Worker, Aubrey Heber (l) and Wellness Coordinator for Mental Health, Christine Wark (r) seated in the Gathering Space (Image: Elizabeth MacLeod.
The Elizabeth Fry Society of New Brunswick (EFryNB) has kicked off phase two of its fundraising campaign to continue renovations of a Gathering Space.
Executive director Judy Murphy says they are thrilled at the response from the community to support this initiative.
“We feel it’s absolutely critical to have a space that feels new, feels special,” Murphy says. “To me, it’s a message to those we work with to say you count, you are important, and the community and everybody is willing to invest in that.”
EFryNB’s Gathering Space is a safe and welcoming environment for women and gender-diverse people to come together and connect through communal cooking and baking, arts and crafts, yoga and other creative activities.
“We envisioned really cooking together, sharing recipes, learning from each other in that sense of community,” she explained. “Cooking food and meals is a wonderful way to come together.”
Examples of art done by EFryNB’s residents (Image: Elizabeth MacLeod)
EFryNB’s Wellness Coordinator for Mental Health, Christine Wark says the inability to decompress and difficulty connecting with other people are two obstacles she’s found to be universal.
“I see it as a community living room – it would be a connection space, a space to let go and forget the day and be with people,” said Wark.
“I find that people are in survival mode and when they’re able to just be in a space like this and start to discover a little bit about themselves, it really is an empowering feeling,” adds EFryNB Community Outreach Worker, Aubrey Heber.
Phase two’s GoFundMe campaign goal is $25,000, which will enable EFryNB to purchase a stove, fridge, kitchen and storage cabinets, kitchen supplies and a sink/faucet.
“People are stepping forward, they’ve been amazingly generous and thoughtful and we really value that because it goes beyond, ‘I’m contributing to purchasing a fridge or a stove,’” said Murphy. “You’re contributing to somebody feeling worthy and very good about themselves.”
