I am writing to publicly congratulate and thank the organizers, performers and crew of the International Women’s Day celebration,  Aphrodite and Friends on their wonderful show held Saturday, March 8 at the Algonquin Theatre in Huntsville.  

The variety show featured numerous women from Muskoka and demonstrated the tremendous wealth of talent in our area, involving multi-media visual arts, dance, music, and comedy.  The audience, which included lots of men, enjoyed a rich tapestry of experiences with laughter as well as moments of poignancy and a reminder that the work for equality of women is not yet over. It is my hope that we can continue to celebrate women’s talents and strengths every year.

The show was a benefit for Muskoka Parry Sound Sexual Assault Services.

Huntsville has sadly been reminded recently of how closely women live with the reality of sexual violence in our lives. One in four Canadian women will, in her lifetime, experience a sexual assault.  Nearly 80 per cent of sexual assaults against women are committed by a man known to the woman. While these statistics may be shocking they are unfortunately consistently found in Canadian research on the issue.  

We thank you, friends of Aphrodite, for your great show and performances, diligent work behind the scenes and vision in supporting services for women in our community who have been sexually assaulted.

Lauren Power,
Sexual Assault Therapist,
Muskoka Parry Sound Sexual Assault Services