Concert benefits women released from jail

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Susan Aglukark is a busy lady but when asked by the Yorkminster Park Baptist Church in Toronto if she would perform a benefit fund-raising concert for them, she readily agreed.

The cause, The Gate Community Chaplaincy, has been in operation for three years and is the only organization of its kind in the Greater Toronto area.

"We are an organization of interdenominational women who form circles of support for women who are being released from prison and who are trying to reintegrate into the community and society. Four to five women volunteers commit themselves to one year for a minimum of once-a-week meetings with each woman who approaches us for assistance. We have 15 women volunteers at this time," stated Dr. Diane Bollis, founder of The Gate and a Baptist minister.

"Volunteering with The Gate is a big commitment. We don't want to let these women down because for many of them we are all they have. We help them find apartments, sort out their finances, get access to their children (if they have been apprehended), write a resume, find employment, get connected to community resources-it's an extensive and exhaustive list but we're trying to do all that we can. These women get $26 the day they leave prison and a one-time community benefits grant of $799 to re-establish themselves. . . . We feel that The Gate can . . . greatly ease their transition," added Bollis.

"This fund-raiser is our big event of the year, and ideally we would like to raise enough money to be able to double that one-time community benefits grant for each and every woman who comes to us. We were initially only dealing with the Toronto area, but recently we've been approached by the cities of Hamilton and Brantford.

"At this time we are not keeping statistics on the women that have or are using The Gate program, so we don't know the percentage that are Aboriginal, but I can say that we have worked and are working with several Native women and we hope that in the future we are able to help more women who need our assistance."

Aglukark, who in the last two years has begun doing speaking workshops based on her own life experiences, performed for an audience of more than 300, although a bigger crowd was hoped for. She sang all the crowd's favorites and interspersed the songs with jokes, stories and anecdotes connecting the reason for the evening's event with her own past.

"Being part of this evening, knowing that I can help raise money for a cause that is close to my heart is important to me. I want to make this connection tonight because I think that it is important to make it. Being able to give something back to my community, whether it is my home community or the community in which I work or live is something I feel I both need and want to do," stated Aglukark.

The evening ended with Aglukark's signature song, Amazing Grace sung in Inuktitut, and a long autograph and photo session for as many of the congregation as wanted to talk with her.

"We feel that the evening was a success, and Susan is a very generous and gracious person for helping us out. Many of our members were surprised at how intimate the concert was. It's nice to have a celebrity believe enough in your organization to put their name on it and help out with a fund-raising benefit," stated Barbara Fuller, a staff member at the Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.

Anyone interested in obtaining more information on The Gate Community Chaplaincy can call (416) 405-8300.