Have Calgary streets gotten pinker recently? Thanks to Street Sisters, a grassroots organization that never misses a Monday, it certainly looks that way.
Dana Lyons co-founded the Street Sisters in 2019 after noticing that a Calgary demographic needed specialized support: unhoused single women. She and other advocates began approaching organizations around the city to see if there was a way to create balance within existing support systems.
“We saw a gap for women and the specific needs that they might have,” says Lyons. “We couldn’t find anyone that was interested in that, so we just decided to set up our own.”
Working to bridge the divide by handing out supplies, building community connections, and donning neon pink vests, Street Sisters are hard to miss in the community, something Lyons takes great pride in.
“Rain, shine, -40. It does not matter. We do not miss a day. There’s never a good enough reason to miss a day, and our volunteers always show up.”
During last year’s holiday season, Lyons and others wanted more ways to support individuals living in transitional housing, another demographic the organization works closely with.
Enter the a new program called the Secret Sisters, which offers select recipients a chance to have their Christmas wish lists secretly filled by a Street Sisters volunteer. Most importantly, the program provides recipients with an anonymous channel to ask for a hand-up.
“We wanted to use the Secret Sisters as a way to lift them up. We had brought gifts before for all individuals, but we wanted to involve the community in this,” Lyons says. “And so that’s where we didn’t want to disclose who they were or where they are.”
The program launched in November, and within 20 minutes of going live on the group’s social media, volunteers had spoken for all 25 recipients. Lyons says that the program accomplished well beyond what they wanted for it.
The items recipients asked for? Fundamental necessities. However, Lyons admitted that the community stepped up in a small but significant way.
“Many people put in extra gift cards, little baskets of lotion and shampoo, those kinds of things. And it was just a really awesome touch to it,” she says.
Two volunteers to step up are, Brenda Danyliw, and Shan Roth, who contributed gift cards, hygiene products, and their time.
For Danyliw, volunteering for an organization like Street Sisters was the least she could do to lend a hand.
“I feel like everybody needs help right now,” Danyliw believes. “These days, feeling cared about and seeing good things happen are important because it doesn’t happen a lot.”
The recipients of Secret Sisters last year were beyond grateful for the items they received, Lyons reported.
“Oftentimes they were filled with complete emotion, tears. Just overwhelmed that somebody cared about them during the season,” she says.
Because of the success of last year’s campaign, the program will be maturing into its second year and welcomes all volunteers. Lyons believes that helping out is the best way to support a community, no matter how small.
“Look for ways to give back in service and honestly to give back with your heart,” Lyons says. “It’s the moment that you cared about someone, truly.”
The Street Sisters kickstarted their program on Nov 24. And an official list of recipients is still in the works, Street Sisters urges community members who wish to get involved this year to watch their social media accounts for announcements, like calls for item donations, events, and programs like Secret Sisters.
