File Photo
It’s been a tough go for the team at Lloydminster Sexual Assault Services (LSAS) as they slowly watch the foundation of their almost-100-year-old building crumble.
“We had already seen things start to happen such as sewer damage and flooding, and there were also times when we had to be closed to the public because of things happening inside the building,” said Heather Sinfield, community initiative director, LSAS.
“Long story short, in July of 2022, Jody Herbus from BioClean told us our foundation was crumbling and was in desperate need of repair as soon as possible.
“We got the quote of $450K, which was just astronomical for our small organization.”
To help cover the costs of building repairs, LSAS hosted its Night Under the Stars fundraiser Gala for its 40th Anniversary on Feb. 11.
“We worked hard with the gala and are currently sitting at $85K, which is a great start, but what we’re hoping to do now is try and raise $250K with the Foundation 500,” explained Sinfield.
“With Foundation 500, we’re essentially asking 500 individuals, businesses, families, organizations, however people want to combine resources, to donate $500.”
Built in 1927, the LSAS building was the original Lloydminster City Hall and carries quite a bit of Border City history.
“The history is huge. We also have old banker vaults in our building that house all of our files and has an old-school dial lock … it’s a beautiful building to try to keep in our community and not utilize the space in an effective way,” said Sinfield.
“We do want to sustain it for another 100 years. We’re coming up on 100 years in 2027 and we went to create that space for another 100 years.”
A lot of work has also been done throughout the building over the years thanks to financial support from the community.
“It feels like home, it’s comfortable and safe, and we get a lot of comments like that from our clients about how they feel like they’re able to heal from something very dramatic because of the love, care and compassion that’s been put into the building,” she said.
“That’s effort not only by our staff and board but by the community donations and effort that’s gone into it.”
Sinfield also noted the heavy traffic LSAS saw throughout 2022.
“That foundation supported 800 individuals in our community and surrounding areas in 2022. I’m in my 14th year at the centre and that is the largest number of clients served during my time there,” she said.
“What we’re seeing is, it’s continuously growing. From January to March of 2022, we had 90 new intakes; that’s one per day, and it’s very overwhelming when that happens because our waitlist is also sitting at 150 people who want to access support services.”
From a community and provincial standpoint, Sinfield explained two out of three girls will experience some form of sexual violence before the age of 18, and one out of three boys will experience it.
“Another statistic that’s really important is sexual violence doesn’t happen by strangers, 85 per cent of it is perpetrated by someone we know and trust. We’re looking at parents, caregivers, coaches, siblings, babysitters, aunts, uncles … family members who are doing this within our communities.”
To support Foundation 500, call 306-825-8255 or email reception@lsas.ca
