An Airdrie community organization is grateful to have received a donation from the RCMP that will help them with their initiatives to combat family violence.  

Community Links were presented with a cheque for $14,538.66 by the Airdrie organizers of the Red Coats for Kids Charity Hockey Tournament that was held from January 25th through the 27th in Airdrie.

The annual tourney brought 12 teams of RCMP members to Airdrie for a weekend to build "esprit de corps" with the members taking part.  It's also used as a fundraising tool for a community group in the community it takes place in every year.  With this year's event in Airdrie, the organizers chose Community Links to receive the money, and Executive Director Brenda Hume couldn't be happier.

"We are so thrilled and we are so fortunate to be the recipient of this fundraiser.  It means a tremendous amount to us.  Our family violence services is mostly funded by donations so this will go a huge way toward helping those who are victims of family violence."

Hume says there is an array of family violence initiatives that are undertaken by Community Links.

"If someone comes in who's a victim of family violence, we meet with them to find out their story and if there's any safety planning that needs to take place for them to be safe and connecting them to the resources that they need.  It could be connections to Victim's Assistance, RCMP, mental health, employment services.  We really look at the whole picture wholistically and see what we can provide for them and their families."

Hume says the Community Links family violence program works very closely with the RCMP in the city.

"We absolutely work very closely with the RCMP and we are a strong partner with them.  There's always communication back and forth, there's referrals back and forth, there's connecting back and forth and we also work closely with Airdrie and Victim's Assistance Society.  We have a partnership where we have created a wraparound support for those who are victims.  We're always making sure that no one falls through the cracks."

While Community Links is tremendously grateful for the RCMP donation, Hume says they continually need to do fundraising to keep their family violence programs afloat.

"It's a small amount in terms of what our needs are.  The more funding that we can have the more support that we can provide for the community.  Each year we try to raise at least $85,000 to ensure that we have our counselling in place, our services in place, our wellness fund.  Anything really, really helps."

The Red Coats for Kids hockey tournament moves to a different location in Alberta every year.  Next year it will be held in Cold Lake.