Continuing charitable work during the toughest of times

Christina Mars Community Outreach

MARCH 24, 2021 ~ The past year has been a pivotal year for many across the globe. With the need for social distancing, the importance of maintaining a connection with one another has become noticeably clear for so many people. The need for support on many levels including charity work has become elevated to another level for many around the world.

As such, our team at Modern Mystery School Western World Head Quarters led by Ipsissimus Dave and Divina Franca have continued our efforts to assist those in some of the greatest need. We have continued with our support of the Women’s Habitat of Etobicoke. This organization provides safe refuge, counselling, support and advocacy for women and their children who are fleeing violence. As this organization had to take their programming online there was a need for devices (such as iPads and other communication devices) to access the online format as well as internet access for many of the women and their children that are served through this centre.

As Initiates we understand that isolation most often leads to separation which is the enemy of humanity as a whole. It is clear to us that even in these times when it is necessary to maintain social distancing, we can still bring people together to create community. In the case of people facing violence within their home knowing that there are people in the world that care about them and want the absolute best for them means that they are not alone in their fight for a better life for themselves and their children. This alone can bolster their drive to create change in their living situation and to put an end to these patterns within their families. Ipsissimus Dave and Divina Franca have ensured that all participants now have access to everything they need to continue to be able to come together and connect as a community and participate in the many programs. There are not enough words to express how important this is in the world today.

This has extended to the program for the young/teenage girls served through this Centre. For the last several years our team has provided many events for the young ladies in this program. This year was not going to be any different! Under the direction of Divina Franca, the office staff was able to continue our work with these ladies to help unify them through many shared experiences, focusing on bonding as a community. This year even though we were not able to gather everyone together physically in the same way as in years past there was no way that we would not deliver everything these ladies have become accustomed to from us over the years to provide an outlet for them bringing them light and positivity. It was a lot of fun to bring everyone together virtually to connect, celebrate, share in creativity, and laugh! It is just as important this year as any for us to show these young ladies that we value them and their contributions to the world. That no matter what is happening (pandemic and all) that there are people in the world that care about them and will go the extra mile for them. As Initiates we know that this can translate into huge things for these ladies in their future and helping them to overcome obstacles they may encounter.

Due to financial issues for many businesses this year several long-time donors to this program have not been able to help this year. With that, the need arose to find another way to provide food for these families during the holiday season. With no way to meet this need The Women’s Habitat was looking at other possibilities to make up for this loss for these families. As they know our hearts, they knew they could reach out to us for help, that there was no way we could let these families go without. As they have many times throughout the years Ipsissimus Dave, and Divina Franca met this need and provided all of the food needed to feed every family served through this program. This ensured that every family had what was needed (and more) to continue with family traditions to celebrate and to have the ability to create amazing family memories. Regardless of their current circumstances, we believe that it is important to still have the ability to celebrate and maybe even “forget” about the pains of today for a short time and just focus on being together and bonding.

The local Ritual Master community also got involved when the call was put out with an opportunity to donate gift cards to be given to these families to purchase essentials not available through regular programming. This helps with things like winter wear for the children, toiletries, medicine and much more. These RMs heard that call and responded in force to provide these much-needed gift cards. Meaning that these mothers will have a way to help fill the gaps in what they can provide for their children. This helps to take off some of the pressure that moms in these circumstances can feel. Not being able to provide for their children can be incredibly stressful, so anything that can be done to help can make a huge difference in easing her mind.

Unfortunately, at this time the need in this regard is great, as such we will continue to hold the Light for those in these circumstances and help to guide them to a greater understanding of their worth in the world.

Please see below for feedback from the Women’s Habitat regarding these donations.