Ask about her music or her family and it’s all sunshine and roses, as you might expect from a renowned children’s singer, author and musician.
Asked to proffer her opine, however, on the relevance of women’s issues in Richmond and Charlotte Diamond’s overtones become altogether more serious.
A staunch supporter of the Richmond Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) from its very inception in 1976 — a mutual admiration which continues to this day — Diamond said the need for the female-centric organization is as strong as it was when it opened its doors 38 years ago.
And International Women’s Day (Sunday), the ever-popular entertainer said, is a day that every woman in the city should stand up and make themselves heard.
“It’s a constant struggle, even today,” said Diamond of the changes in the women’s movement in Richmond and further afield in the last few decades.
“Women’s issues still don’t get the funding they should and they’re often overlooked.
“But much of the strength of our community comes from daughters, mothers and grandmothers.
“The (WRC) has seen a lot of growth in its programming and is still helping women that are new to Richmond, B.C. and Canada.”
Although admitting her bias in that she has a very soft spot for the WRC — after all, the centre sang Diamond’s praises long before her first album, Ten Carat Diamond, made her famous — the entertainer is adamant the organization, built on the foundations of feminism, is still relevant in today’s world of alleged “equal opportunities.”
“The likes of the women’s resource centre means we don’t forget about (women’s issues),” said Diamond.
“They’ve worked really hard to stay connected to the community and have changed along with life over the years.
“The centre is still very much needed and International Women’s Day gives us all a chance to stand up and say ‘we’re proud of who we are and what we do.’”
Fundraising vital
For the last 38 years, the non-profit centre has been striving to support women in various facets, such as job searches, cultural integration, education, and helping women escape domestic violence.
From 2010 to 2014, the average number of clients the centre served per year was 6,573. As far as last year is concerned, it served 7,274 women.
Clearly, the demand for the centre’s services remains strong.
And it’s that support the WRC will try to convert into dollars this weekend with its 3rd annual International Women’s Day Breakfast on Saturday, March 7 at Cora’s restaurant at Coppersmith Plaza on Steveston Highway near No. 5 Road.
Beginning at 9 a.m. and running until 11 a.m., for your $25 ticket, you will get a delicious breakfast and beverage and will also be entertained by Richmond’s own rhythm and blues star Sibil Thrasher.
Colleen Glynn — WRC’s president, who first started with the organization in 1978 on an LIP (federal) grant, working in the office (someone’s basement) — said the fundraiser is more important than ever, given that funding from federal and provincial sources has been dramatically reduced or disappeared altogether.
“The provincial funding has dropped away and the federal government hasn’t given us anything for ten years.
They both keep downloading everything onto the cities,” said Glynn.
“We are not without other options though; we can perhaps cash-in some investments. Obviously, we’d rather not do that.”
In its grant application to the City of Richmond recently, the WRC listed expenses of $166,000 and asked the city for $54,000. A grant for $15,700 was approved by city council last month.
As evidenced, however, by the aforementioned number of women using the centre, demand is still very much there for the WRC in today’s Richmond.
“We take great care not to duplicate our services,” added Glynn, mindful that duplication of services weakens their argument for greater grant funding.
“We’re pretty knowledgeable about what’s out there, so that gives us a fair chance of not doubling up.”
The most popular program at WRC, said Glynn, is the “work ready” program, primarily aimed at new immigrants, helping them “open the door to employment in the community.”
Bringing women together
Thinking back to its early days, Diamond, who spent some time on the WRC’s board of directors, is acutely aware what the WRC brings to the community and to women in general.
“They were the first ones to come out and publicly support what I was doing,” said Diamond, whose hit Ten Carat Diamond album wasn’t even released when she first encountered the women’s group.
“Throughout the years, I always attended their events and I was very influenced by their club and what they were doing.
“They were, and still are, all about bringing women together. When we get together, we are much more centred; is it not oxytocin released when we’re all together? From the feeling of goodwill?”
A live auction will follow Saturday’s fundraising breakfast, with homemade baskets containing many “delicious and useful items.”
If you’d like to help the group mark International Women’s Day, you can buy tickets at the Richmond Women’s Resource Centre, at Caring Place at Minoru Boulevard and Granville Avenue, or by calling 604-279-7060 or online at www.richmondwomenscentre.bc.ca.
A limited number of tickets will also be on sale at the door at Cora’s on the day.
