You can also choose to apply your donation to a specific fund.

General Donations

By donating to Cowichan Women Against Violence (CWAV) Society you are helping people impacted by violence re-build their lives. Our core funding is not enough to fully fund our programs. Your donation adds to what we can do. 

Women's Emergency Cold Weather Shelter

We have a Women's Emergency Cold Weather Shelter in North Cowichan/Duncan!  Please donate to help us maintain the emergency shelter with funding for food, clothing, blankets, and other essentials for this winter initiative.  We hope to have a much needed Women's Emergency Cold Weather Shelter become a permanent winter facility in North Cowichan/Duncan.

CWAV Building Fund, Safe Housing for Women and Kids

We are raising money to build twenty "second-stage" or supportive housing apartments for women and families leaving abusive situations. 

Children Who Witness Abuse (CWWA) Programming

CWWA provides one-to-one and group counselling to children (3-18) who have been hurt and/or who have seen their moms hurt by an abusive partner or spouse. It gives a safe space for young people to talk about the troubles in their families. Our CWWA program is only funded for 15 hours and the society uses donations to provide another 5 hours a week. Your support to this program means we can continue to see more kids.

Shelter Enhancement Fund (Somenos House)

Somenos House, our place of rest, provides temporary accommodation for women and kids who are in immediate danger from violence. It's an older home that needs constant repair and maintenance. This fund allows us to keep the house in great shape and to upgrade it as needed. Occasionally, this fund helps us provide extra supports to enhance the safety and comfort of our residents.

By donating to Cowichan Women Against Violence (CWAV) Society you are helping people impacted by violence re-build their lives. Our core funding is not enough to fully fund our programs. Your donation adds to what we can do. 

Debbie Berg became Executive Director of Cowichan Women Against Violence Society on October 29, 2018.

Berg has a Master's degree in counselling and is registered as a Master Practitioner of Clinical Counselling. She has extensive experience in management and director roles with non-profits beginning in 1998.  Her background includes counselling, housing management, quality improvement, addictions services, program development, human resources, education/training and business owner. 

During her children’s school years, Debbie became a private educator, homeschooling her children along with other students who had learning differences.  Her success with children led to working with the school district in developing and serving as chairperson of an alternate school where homeschool parents could have their children taught Math and English in a classroom setting. She also became mentor to parents with children struggling in the traditional school setting, helping them with their children’s learning differences. 

Along with her husband, Stephen, Debbie championed the development of a residential single mother’s project known as AARMAC (Assisting At Risk Mothers and Children) which assisted young single mom’s in completing high school, a post secondary course and acquiring employment.

After completing her Master's, Berg became employed as HR Manager for Hope Mission, an Edmonton inner-city agency that served all ages with shelters, programs, food and advocacy. This position included supporting and mentoring managers along with the staff of children’s camps, a skate park, food programs in schools, youth, women’s and men’s shelters, a one-year addictions program for men and another for women, and second stage housing for both men and women. 

The next step in her career led to becoming manager and then director of the George Spady Society funded through Alberta Health Services which provided low-barrier shelter to men and women along with a non-medical detox center. Berg championed an innovative project known as SpadyPOD (Place of Dignity) that was the first of its kind in Western Canada.  This project served street entrenched individuals with substance abuse and medical challenges by giving them long-term to end of life supportive housing in a harm reduction model. Strong connections to the Royal Alexander Hospital were developed with Berg serving on a committee that developed a Managed Alcohol Program for the RAH.  Berg also served on the HUOS (Heavy Users of Systems) committee alongside Edmonton Police and Emergency Services, the City of Edmonton, various agencies, Alberta Health Services, Human Services, and REACH. This included being invited to join two fact finding trips to Vancouver and Toronto to learn from their police services about inner city challenges and solutions.

With a desire to move to Victoria, the roots of her husband’s youth, Berg accepted a position with Our Place Society working as their Director of Housing.  Her projects were heavily focused on working with the tent city residents and BC Housing.  Along with 2 transitional shelters and a night shelter, Berg also oversaw a Transitional Residential Program and a Pre-employment program.

Nature has a strong influence in Berg’s life beginning with being raised on an Alberta farm.  She loves hiking and biking with her husband and family, as well as attempting a permaculture lifestyle along with gardening.  Creative renovation and building projects have been one of her go-to therapies.

Debbie has been married to her husband Stephen since 1986.  She is the mother of 3 grown children, Justin (Michelle), Teryl (Mateo) and Mark, as well as proud stepmom to Michael and Lucas (Jamie) along with step-granddaughter Madison (Carter).

Faye is a retired social worker with a Masters degree in social work. She spent the last thirty years of her career working in the area of First Nations child welfare, mostly with Cowichan Tribes but having a few contracts with other First Nations groups as well. She found a good deal of satisfaction in having the opportunity to work with the whole community and being able to have a focus on community development in the context of child welfare.

Over the years, Faye has been involved with a number of non-profit societies in the Cowichan Valley, including service on the boards of Arcadian Day Care Centre and Providence Farm.  For a number of years she has also been on the executives of the local NDP constituency associations.  Aside from these involvements, she loves to sing, read, play Mah Jong and be a political observer. Faye is in her second term on CWAV Society's Board of Directors.  

Anne has a long background in community development, including assisting immigrant and women’s outreach programs in Saskatoon, coordinating the Women’s Centre at the University of Victoria, crisis counselling at Somenos Transition House, and organizing music events, artisan fairs, anti-racism workshops, and radio shows.

Believing that the personal is political, she has volunteered on many community action committees (Take Back the Night, Dec 6, International Women’s Day).

An outdoor enthusiast, Anne spends as much time as possible in the garden, hiking, swimming in the river, dancing and building clay creations. She loves to travel and explore new cultures, customs, foods and experiences. She teaches English and Student Study Skills at Vancouver Island University and does program coordination with their Community Extension and Contract Services department.

Anne is pleased to bring her work and life experience to CWAV Society's dynamic board and society. Anne is chair of the board.

Angela is a member of the Cowichan people and is the Community Safety Coordinator, Lands, Governance & Fisheries Department of the Cowichan Tribes.  She has a Bachelor of Social Work. 

Through the years Angela has provided much support to women and children in the aboriginal communities dealing with forms of abuse and trauma.  She finds her strength and joy with her family, youth, elders and prayer.  Angela enjoys taking part in Cultural Ceremonies. She practices Coast Salish Weaving with wool, and cedar. 

Angela was appointed to the CWAV Society's Board of Directors in 2013. She is on the Resource Development Committee.

Chris Mazur was born in Port Alberni but grew up in Victoria. She attended the University of Victoria and graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Education degree and Note of Distinction.  Chris has lived in the Cowichan Valley and worked for the School District since 1990. 

Known for educational leadership and as an innovative and creative teacher, Chris' passion is fueled by her daughters and the potential of the young people she works with every day. Chris is dedicated to nurturing strong, healthy, happy educated children.  She believes working with families to promote healthy environments for our children is a positive force that can foster progressive social change.

As a parent, teacher and activist, Chris believes the social impacts of violence against women and especially, its negative effects on the children who witness it, is a serious global concern.  

A survivor of domestic violence and aware of the disturbing effects witnessing violence had on her two daughters, Chris was inspired to work for social change. She found solidarity and support with the knowledgeable, compassionate people at CWAVS and decided to pursue the opportunity to work with the dedicated women who seek to change and improve the reality for girls and women.

Chris is honoured to sit as a board member for CWAVS and serves on its Social Action Committee.

Cowichan Women Against Violence Society is incorporated as a Society in British Columbia and is a Registered Charitable Organization (#118878339RR0001). CWAVS is governed by a board of dedicated people who provide oversight and participate in setting the strategic plan for the society. Officers of the society are Chair Anne Hilker, Vice Chair Brooklyn Mann, Treasurer Talitha Soldera and Secretary Jeanette Kimm. Directors are Faye Griffith,  Chris Mazur,  Angela Underwood, and Denise Tacon.