When Crystal Boys witnessed an altercation outside Safeway, she said, a flashback to her own experience with domestic violence allowed her to identify a persistent gap in support for victims in Airdrie.
There was some support, she said, but not that she was able to access in the moment – and there’s still nothing in place to support the long-term change that needs to start now, according to Boys.
“No one else was doing it, and it was in my heart since I moved to Airdrie that I wanted to do something with women – empowering them and helping them survive domestic violence,” Boys said. “When I saw that nobody was doing it, or really able to do anything about it, I said, ‘Well, why not me?’”
Three years ago, Boys joined forces with a group of Airdrie women and formed Airdrie P.O.W.E.R. (Protecting Our Women with Emergency Resources). The organization has since been dedicated to raising awareness for domestic violence, and fundraising to establish a women's shelter in Airdrie.
Currently, Airdrie P.O.W.E.R. provides aids like the Hamper Program, which arms domestic violence survivors with emergency kits containing basic necessities they need to leave an abusive environment.
But, she said, increased awareness and education will help long-term. The day shelter would be home to that education, as well as a number of other resources. Women can find solace, as well as help to “build themselves up” to a point they can leave, Boys added.
“When I was younger and I left my abusive situation, there was a key few people that had faith in me, that I looked up to and admired,” Boys said. “I was a single mom, and I just came out of a really abusive relationship. Society kind of labelled me scum of the earth, and I had these two very successful people in my life support me, and they believed in me. That’s what got me through.”
Boys said she hopes Airdrie P.O.W.E.R. can offer that kind of support for others going through similar experiences. Ultimately, she said, she wants to help women be who they want to be.
“I’ll be really ecstatic when we hear we helped a woman escape, or be safe, and realize her dreams and what she wants to be,” she said. “Once I’ve heard that, all of the work is totally worth it. If we save just one woman, I’m happy – but I want to save them all.”
Her lofty goals extend to how P.O.W.E.R. operates, too. Boys said she wants to take the initiative to other towns, cities and even countries to educate on domestic violence.
But a shelter must first be built, and Boys said the organization is currently fundraising to get to that point. According to Boys, the community support has been immense already.
“When I started, domestic violence wasn’t on anybody’s radar,” she said. “Now, it is on everybody’s radar and people are talking about it – and more people are reaching out for help than they ever were.”
