The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough is excited to announce our fourth annual Rebel with a Cause fundraiser. Rebel with a Cause honours three local outstanding women who have engaged in advocacy and action to address issues of criminalization, challenged practices in the criminal justice system, and worked towards gender equality. This year’s event will take place on Wednesday March 11th at the Canadian Canoe Museum, and will pay tribute to Lynn Zimmer, recently retired YWCA Executive Director; Ximena Murchadh, Human Rights Activist; and Deb Gillis, recently retired Sergeant, Peterborough Police services. The evening gala will also include live music, a cash bar, speakers and a silent auction.
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough is a not-for-profit organization working to end the criminalization of poverty, mental health, addiction, and domestic violence. The funds raised from this event are essential for Elizabeth Fry to continue to offer relevant gender responsive programming to women who have been victimized, criminalized, or institutionalized.
Tickets are $40 per person. Ticket holders will receive a charitable tax receipt for $30
Please email debbie@efrypto.org for other purchasing options or if cost is a barrier
Thank you to our Generous Sponsors:
sustainers:
Moving Media
Erin Brekke Conn
Major Sponsors:
LLF Lawyers
The Publican House Brewery
AAA Best Driver Training
Event Sponsors:
Naked Choclate
Rolling Grape Vineyard
Northstar Refrigeration
2020 Rebels:
Lynn Zimmer:
Lynn Zimmer has been working to prevent violence against women for over 47 years. She recently retired after serving as the Executive Director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton for 35 years. During her tenure, the YWCA expanded services and reach, creating a continuum of lifesaving and life-changing services for women and children escaping abuse. Lynn began her work career as the women’s page reporter for the Peterborough Examiner in 1969. She then moved to Toronto and tried law school for a year. In 1973 Zimmer was one of the founders of Interval House, Toronto, Canada’s first shelter for women and children escaping abuse, which continues to serve women today. In 1984 she became Executive Director of the YWCA in Peterborough. Like everyone who works in community services, Lynn spent many hours in community committee and project work, including four years as a member and first woman chair of the Peterborough Community Police Services Board. She is currently a Mentor with the Trudeau Foundation and a 2019 recipient of the Order of Canada. Lynn is also the sister of the late Patricia Zimmer, who was Executive Director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough until 2016. Patricia was honoured as one of our Rebels in 2016.
Ximena Murchadh:
During her early years as a street kid in Toronto, B.C. and Montreal during the tumultuous 1990’s - In this time of the introduction of the “safe streets act” and Mike Harris’s “common sense revolution” Ximena hit the ground running as an activist. Educating herself and acting on the social determinants of health became a keen interest as she found herself severely impacted by these on a day to day basis. Awareness and activism became a mode of survival. With the 30 years of activism and self-education she has behind her, Ximena has a long list of involvement with multiple radical activist circles and organizations. With too many to list, some highlights of these accomplishments are: loveCry. (the street kids ORG); OCAP many actions / notably the "Pope squat"; CBC fifth estate episode "No way home " A window into the lives of Toronto's street kids. (Featured in and helped film this episode which is used as a teaching module in University and College courses); Toronto for Peace – worked with Tooker Gomberg on the occupation of Nathan Phillips square and his run for mayor of Toronto in 2000; Toronto Coalition to Stop the War.
Over the years her perspective widened as she started to comprehend the truly intersectional nature of systemic oppression. Her personal battle has lead to a passion for self-reflection and self-education in all things social justice/anti-oppression related.
Since 2003, she has been in Peterborough where circumstances led to once more becoming homeless. Without means to support herself, she struggled with addiction, mental health, criminalization, and violence during this time.
Forever resilient she fought hard to manage her own healing while constantly challenging the systemic barriers in health care, service provision, and access to justice. Within this journey she courageously found her voice. From that point forward her trajectory became clear and she now finds herself privileged to have moved from surviving to thriving and is in the best health a 43-year-old who still thinks she’s 25 could be.
Since 2015, Ximena has volunteered with PARN-Your Community AIDS Resource Network, becoming one of the inaugural Peers in PARN’s integrated Peer Program when it launched in January 2017. Through her peer and volunteer work with PARN and the Peterborough Drug Strategy (PDS), Ximena has taken on a leadership role in the overdose prevention in her community by providing her expertise to PARN and the PDS to help inform their response to the crisis. Ximena has played an important role in expanding the availability of Naloxone in Peterborough, and has spent hundreds of hours working one-on-one with people at risk for overdose through PARN’s Harm Reduction program.
Ximena does so much for PARN and the people we serve, from her crucial work responding to the overdose crisis, to helping organize events, serving on various advisory panels, participating in our strategic planning process, covering our reception desk, and so much more," says Dylan DeMarsh, Communications Coordinator at PARN. "We are grateful that PARN and our service users are able to benefit from her expertise, skills and resilience.
Deb Gillis:
Deb Gillis recently retired from a 30-year career in policing. She started her career with Durham regional police in 1990, transferring to Peterborough in 1999 as a constable. She then moved into the drug and active crime unit for seven years before being promoted as detective sergeant in charge of major crime. For the last four years she has been the sergeant in charge of court security and case management, splitting her duties between Peterborough Provincial Court and Peterborough Superior Court. Deb Gillis has been instrumental in supporting the implementation of the Bail Verification and Supervision Program in Peterborough. Her continued support of this program over the last two and a half years has resulted in an increased number of individuals facing incarceration to instead remain in the community and access rehabilitation resources. Deb received the Outstanding Officer Service award in April 2019 through the Fleming College Police Foundation for her outstanding leadership in the court service division. In that role since January 2016, she was instrumental in implementing service-wide changes, leading job-specific training and spearheading a performance management system that have improved communication, accountability and inclusivity. Considered a mentor for young women in the police service Deb has contributed to critical transformations within the force. As Pride Month came to an end in 2019 the Peterborough Examiner featured a story about Deb where Peterborough police Sgt. Deb Gillis reflected on the service’s dedication to being inclusive. Deb reflected: “I think it is a great opportunity for the youth (LGBTQ+) to see there's no roadblocks if this is a career they wish to choose”, adding that it’s crucial the force hires for the demographic they serve.
Tickets available on Eventbrite
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