Meet Mabel.
Originally from Brazil, Mabel moved to Victoria about six years ago. Although she had shopped at WIN several times and admired the organization, her professional involvement with WIN began with a job search. She wanted work that supported her values, and this job was the right fit.
“I have always been passionate about social justice causes and that’s what drove me to WIN.”
Which of the WIN values do you most strongly identify with and why?
I honestly identify myself with all of the WIN values. If I had to choose one single value, though, I would say that Self Sustainability is what speaks to me. Self Sustainability is responsibility to ourselves and the environment around us. It is about healthy relationships that will be equally beneficial for an entire community. It is entrepreneurship, being innovative and thinking outside of the box and still be able to find tangible solutions. It is conscious choice to follow what we believe is right. It is personal growth and empowerment, and finally, environmental responsibility, acting in ways that maintain the natural environment around us. All of these together equates to Self Sustainability.
What is it about going to work every day that keeps you inspired?
It’s hard to pin down only one thing about working at WIN that keeps me inspired. For starters, I work with amazing people. Everyone I work with is passionate about what WIN does. Everyone is on the same page.
Are there any little-known facts about WIN that you wish more people knew?
WIN is 100% self-funded! I find it so interesting that the generosity of the local community is really what fuels WIN’s programs, be it from a donation of a household item, clothing, piece of furniture, monetary donation, or donating their time in volunteering at WIN.
“When I say in our marketing materials“it’s thanks to the people’s generosity that we are able to empower these many women”, I really mean it!”
WIN does not rely on any government funding and that’s really impressive when you think that we operate in a group of 13 municipalities that has a population lower than 400,000 people, and still empowers more than 1,200 women every year.
What exciting projects are you working on in the coming months?
A project that I am really excited is a calendar that we are planning to launch at the end of the year. It’s going to be a regular 2020 calendar, but with local photos, and we plan to include some facts and quotes about WIN and our programs.
This calendar will be available for purchase at all 5 WIN shops, and we plan to launch it with our 2019 Community Cheer Campaign that happens every December. The Community Cheer Campaign is the only annual event we host to fundraise for our Self Sufficiency Bursary Program. All the funds collected during this campaign become bursaries for women in the community.
Learn more about the Self Sufficiency Program here: https://www.womeninneed.ca/self-sufficiency-program.
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