CIWA Grapevine Newsletter - April 2018

Welcome to the Calgary Immigrant Women's Association's bi-monthly Grapevine Newsletter! 

Made to Measure- An Intergenerational Dress Story Event

Made to Measure-an Intergenerational Dress Story event- took place on March 2nd at

the John Dutton Theatre of the Calgary Public Library. The event was held to mark the

end of a yearlong project that was funded by the Service Canada’s New Horizon for

Seniors Program. Made to Measure Project was a seniors-led initiative that enabled

senior immigrant women to engage in the community by mentoring young immigrant

girls through intergenerational activities. Ten seniors and ten youth came together to

design and make graduation dresses for youth. The hard work of the participants was

showcased at the event. Hair and makeup for all participants was provided by

Hedkandi.  

Merit Award  

 Every year the Merit Award is awarded to Justice and Solicitor General staff in

recognition of their exceptional work and dedication. CIWA Board Director, Jade

Duong,received the Justice and Solicitor General Merit Award in the community

service category. Jade was recognized for her work in helping immigrant women

transition to Canadian life.  

Inspiration Awards 

Each year, the Ministry of Community and Social Services celebrates remarkable

Albertans who have inspired action to end family violence, sexual violence, child abuse

and bullying. Through Alberta Inspiration Awards in Family and Community Safety, the

ministry recognizes outstanding Albertans who are making a difference in their

communities. Bela Gupta is an award recipient for working to prevent family violence

and promoting healthy relationships.

Leaders in Diversity

Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers – Western Chapter (“FACL Western”) was

pleased to award CIWA with “Leaders in Diversity” Award. CIWA was recognized for

demonstrating a commitment to advancing diversity.

Making a Difference for Women Award

On April 3rd, Soroptimist International of Calgary had their 2018 Awards Dinner. This

annual event honors women who are making a difference in the lives of other women

and those who are working through adversity to achieve their educational goals. Beba

Svigir, Chief Executive Officer of CIWA, won the Making a Difference for Women

Award. 

CIWA is Proud to Announce Three New Projects 

 Senior Divas on a Dime is a project that will increase social participation of senior

immigrant women in the community. Seniors in this project will focus on health,

wellness, self-confidence through fashion (clothing, accessories, cosmetics, self-care,

henna) and physical activity (yoga, relaxation techniques, etc.), as well as finding ways

to give back to the community. The project is funded in part by the Government of

Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.

Supporting the Economic Security of Unpaid Caregivers is a project that focuses on

supporting immigrant women who are providing informal/unpaid care for a family

member (spouse or aging parent/parent in-law, grandparent, etc.). The project will

provide caregivers with the knowledge, skills and connections that will enable them to

meet their current and future economic needs while providing informal/unpaid care. This

project is funded by Status of Women Alberta.

After School Homework Help for Immigrant Girls is a project that will support the

academic success of low income immigrant girls in high school. This will be

accomplished by providing high school immigrant girls with customized supports to

address learning needs through one-on-one support from volunteers, access to basic

school supplies, materials and computers in order to complete class assignments and

an environment that is conducive to learning. This project is funded by the Nickle

Family Foundation. 

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