Why WIN House?
Many of you may be wondering why OCRD has decided to work with WIN House and donate proceeds from Lotus merchandise to them. In order to answer this, we should start with the background on the Lotus event.
Who was Lotus?
Lotus was a skater who joined OCRD late 2013. She was athletic, determined, and always came to practice with a positive outlook. When we received word of her passing (allegedly due to a domestic violence situation), to say we were shocked would be a huge understatement. Really, there are no words to describe the devastation that rocked our league.
The First Lotus Invitational
True to roller derby style, the community rallied. OCRD renamed their annual “Fresh Meat Frolic” to the “Lotus Invitational” in honor of this magnificent woman. A silent auction was held, a logo was created, and merchandise was printed and sold to support Lotus’ family. The money earned from these two channels went directly into a fund set up by the family.
The entire derby community stood behind Lotus and showed support. We received donations from as far away as Ontario. E-ville Roller Derby hosted a silent auction in support of Lotus at a game they were hosting against her team, the G.I. Janes. The outpouring of support was unexpected and incredibly inspiring.
Continuing the Legacy
Given the success of the inaugural Lotus event in 2014 OCRD wanted to continue the momentum by hosting the second Lotus Invitational in 2015. Unfortunately it had to be postponed until 2016.
Following the 2014 event, the fund for the family was no longer available to donate to. The family expressed gratitude for all that was done, but requested that they not be involved in future events. We completely understand and respect their position.
We still had merchandise available and wanted to continue using it to support a charity in memory of Lotus. After doing some research, WIN House seemed like the perfect match.
WIN House is an organization that provides emergency shelter and support to women and children fleeing domestic abuse. They specialize in culturally sensitive services and are the largest charitable, non-profit agency of its kind in the greater Edmonton region. The organization has roots dating back to 1970 and offers a variety of support services to women in need. The shelters operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (1).
This amazing organization has helped thousands of women and children in the Edmonton area. With a mandate that aligned with the original intention for the funds raised by the Lotus Invitational, partnering with WIN House was a logical choice.
OCRD has proudly hosted the annual Lotus Invitational every year since 2016, continuing to donate all money earned through the silent auction and Lotus merchandise to WIN House.
For more information about WIN House or to donate, please visit their website.