Selkirk GM, Steeltown Ford, and Selkirk Chrysler team up to give
The second annual Battle of the Brands event from Selkirk GM, Steeltown Ford, and Selkirk Chrysler had our community win big. During the sale, $200 from every vehicle sold went towards a donation to Nova House. The sale was a great success, and in the end $15,000 was donated, $5,000 from each dealership.
“We were absolutely thrilled that they have supported us in such a way. That all three dealerships gave us such a generous donation, I was just elated. We were just thrilled,” said Viktoria Westgate, Executive Director of Nova House.
Nova House is a 24-hour, seven days a week emergency and transitional shelter for individuals with or without children experiencing Intimate Partner (domestic violence) and/or Family Violence. In addition, they provide individual counselling, life skills, coaching, and educational workshops to help residents in our community get out of difficult situations in whatever way is best for them.
This donation will be put towards their essential work.
“In the last two years, we have been expanding our services to include more transitional and long-term housing options for the individuals who stay with us and families that stay with us. Because there is definitely a housing shortage, especially in Selkirk, if someone comes into the emergency program and needs to relocate to a new home, the waitlist for Manitoba Housing is quite long. The private housing market is fairly expensive, so it takes a long time for them to then leave shelter,” explained Westgate.
Because of the changes in the housing availability in the community over the years, Nova House has had to adapt to provide what the people they are helping need.
“In the last couple of years, one of our strategic objectives is to expand our services to help provide safe, stable and affordable housing. So, in 2023, we purchased our first house, and in the last year, we purchased three more. So, this money that we just received will be going towards renovating those homes,” she said.
Renovations include changing the homes so that instead of only being able to house one family, each home has two units.
Being able to provide safer places to live is very important to the work of an organization like Nova House.
“When families leave their abuser, first of all, it’s a very brave and scary decision for them to make. They often leave with nothing but the clothes on their back, and so they have to start completely over. A lot of times, families have nothing, not even furniture, no beds, no backpacks for school. When the kids go back to school, they have nothing. They just leave. So, we have to start all over, and the first thing that they need is housing,” said Westgate.
In these situations, every little bit helps, and a large donation like those received from Selkirk GM, Steeltown Ford, and Selkirk Chrysler is going to help a lot.
“Financial donations, of course, go a long way. For example, to renovate these houses that we received, we have to split them, which means we have to turn one single home into two, and that requires two separate furnaces. We have to replace all of the drywall so it’s fire-rated because you have to have two separate entrances. Just to split the furnaces alone in one house is over $10,000, right? So, it costs a lot and that’s just one step. Then you have to make a whole suite— kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms. We want to do this because then you turn four homes into eight suites, and so you can help more families. Financial donations go a long way in helping us to achieve those goals,” said Westgate.
They are still accepting donations from the community on their website, should anyone want to give to this project. Currently, two of the homes have residents on the main floors, so they have six units yet to complete.
Representatives from the three dealerships were happy to be able to support Nova House.
“We are very proud to support an amazing cause right here in our community. We have been honoured to support them during the Christmas season every year and will continue to do so in the future. We are also ecstatic to announce Selkirk GM won the Battle this year,” said Dianne Little, General Sales Manager at Selkirk GM.
“The Battle of the Brands is a fun and exciting event for both our customers and the dealership. But it goes even a step further. It was great to be able to donate to Nova House. We are happy to support such a vital organization in our community. I look forward to the Battle of the Brands again next year!” said Andrew Rewucki Jr. General Manager at Selkirk Chrysler.
“It is important to be able to support an organization like Nova House that does so much for the local community. Steeltown, along with the other two dealerships, truly appreciate the opportunity this community gives us to earn their business year after year, and it’s great to be able to come together to give back. We have a lot of fun with Battle of the Brands, but we want to make sure the real winner was the community. It has been pretty successful the last couple of years, with the proceeds last year going to CancerCare. We are going to continue to try to find ways to show our appreciation to our customers by giving back when and where we can,” said Kevin Mitchell, General Manager of Steeltown Ford.
Westgate wanted to make sure that she thanked those who support Nova House throughout the year, and also the dealerships who participated in the Battle of the Brands event.
“The Board and Staff of Nova House would like to express extreme gratitude to Selkirk GM, Steeltown Ford and Selkirk Chrysler. This donation will help us in our expansion of transitional and long-term housing options for families using our services. The commitment they have shown Nova House over the years has been incredible. Their generosity will make a real difference,” she said.
She also wanted to share a message of support for anyone in our community who is experiencing intimate partner or family violence, that Nova House is available if you need help.
“We are a safe space. Everything is confidential. You’re not alone, and you can reach out to us at any time,” said Westgate.
If you have the means and would like to support Nova House’s work, there are a few ways you can, in addition to a financial donations. Twice Over Thrift Store on Manitoba Ave. in Selkirk is run by Nova House with volunteer support, and making donations or shopping there means that they are able to help more people.
You can also go to their website at www.novahouse.ca where they have a ‘how you can help’ tab. There, they have a list of immediate donation needs. There is also contact information.
