Every month, Vicars School of Massage Therapy devotes a full day at each of our student clinics to an important cause in our community. This March, proceeds from our Giving Clinics will go to two life-saving organizations: WIN House in Edmonton, and Fear Is Not Love (formerly the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter) in Calgary.
In Edmonton, the Giving Clinic takes place on March 31. In Calgary, it will be March 29.
About WIN House
Proceeds from this month’s giving clinic will go to WIN House’s Light The Darkness fundraiser, happening this month in honour of International Women’s Day. The campaign includes multiple events—including an interactive art installation at Kingsway Mall and a special fundraising event on March 21. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of gender-based violence in our communities as well as to support those in need.
WIN House has been providing life-saving support for women, children, and non-binary and transgender Edmontonians fleeing violence for over 50 years. Today, they run three shelters: two emergency shelters as well as a second-stage shelter.
They offer wrap-around services including meals, clothes, nurses, crisis intervention support, child support, pet care, and valuable links to housing, legal, employment and educational services and numerous post-shelter goods and services. They also run a domestic violence crisis hotline, and online resources such as a Healthy Relationship Guide.
WIN House also has ongoing partnerships with other organizations in the city. For example, Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society provides on-site indigenous cultural teachings and experiences.
About Fear Is Not Love
What began in 1973 as a small volunteer-run shelter in downtown Calgary has grown into a multi-faceted domestic violence and abuse charity that serves thousands of people every year. Known since 2022 as Fear Is Not Love, what was once called the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter now offers a wide range of services and resources in the city.
On top of the emergency shelter for women and children that they’ve always provided, current programs include a domestic violence helpline, dedicated resource lines and counselling services for men, community counselling, healthy relationships programming, child and family therapy support, and even a court program to help their victims of family violence navigate the legal system.
About Vicars Giving Clinics
Vicars Giving Clinics are our way of giving back. Each month, we dedicate one student clinic day in Edmonton and one in Calgary to a cause that aligns with our values. On
these days, 100% of student massage fees are donated to the chosen organization. We schedule Giving Clinics on high-demand days to maximize the impact of our donations.
