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NEWS 'wanting to get out from be- a.m. "mote all the work that we Corrections officer spends 24 hours i In cold at Maplehurst Out in the Cold raises $3,140 for Halton Women's Place JULIE SLACK jslack@miltoncanadian champion.com Having just: spent 24 hours shivering "Out in the Cold," corrections officer Ryan Graham would do it again in a heartbeat. Together with proba- tion and parole officer Wes Donovan, the pair sta- tioned themselves out front of Maplehurst Cor- rectional Complex to raise funds for Halton Women's Place. Graham said it was an awesome experience. "I was very encouraged by the amount of support in the community and the media," . said Graham, who's been with Maple- hurst for the last 12 years, and is now OPSEU's Local 234 president. "We've been hind the closed doors of the jail. ' "People don't always portray us in the best light," said the father of four. 'With that in mind, Gra- ham, 33, decided to choose Halton Women's Place, since Maplehurst had part- nered with the nonprofit group prior to Christmas to. help collect essential items including clothes. "We wanted to raise awareness of the homeless and displaced women and children fleeing abuse, " he said. In addition to braving 24 hours in the cold, out front of the jail, they also held a barbecue at noon for em- ployees and community members. On Monday, Jan. 8, they raised $3,140, through the barbecue and an online campaign. All it cost Graham was a few winks of sleep, and windburn to his cheeks. He was thankful the extreme' JOB. NEED ONE? Nikki Wesley/Metroland OPSEU Local 234 President and Correctional Officer Ryan Graham (right) and Probation Officer Des Donovan spent 24 hours out in the Cold to raise funds and awareness of homeless and displaced women and children fleeing abuse. They also hosted a BBQ outside Maplehurst Correctional Complex to help raise more funds for Halton Women's Place. cold temperatures of the weekend snapped. : They sat in camping chairs, and although the pair didn't know each other prior, they became fast friends, sharing 'plenty of 905.333.3499 thecentre.on.ca ae re. stories to which they could both relate. Graham figures he nod- ded off for about 10 minutes during the 24 hours, which began at 8 am. Monday and ended Tuesday at 8 He said an ice fishing hut had been set up for them for shelter, but he never ended up inside. "l was warm enough, but the temperature was the least of my worries," he laughed. "I had a lot of lay- ers on, but I basically just sat in my chair and shiv- ered. I'm glad it wasn't -20 CA He said Halton Women's Place is also close to staff's hearts since some 20 per cent of inmates there had some history of domestic violence. "It's all part of how we reach our and make the connections," he said. "Domestic violence is part of a mental health is- sue that is a problem na- tionwide and worldwide." Carm Bozzo, develop- ment manager of Halton Women's Place, said they're thrilled with the support. "It's important to work together with our commu- nity organizations to pro- do collectively to prevent and end violence against women," she said. "We are grateful for this support -- ' and we hope to work to- £ gether with them again." Graham reiterated the-= movement Crisis in Cor- rections, which started with a hiring freeze im- _ posed by the fovernment & seven years ago. He said correctional fa cilities are crying out for resources, especially to help avoid the cycle of pa- rolees returning to crime and ending up back in the prison system. "The province really needs to invest in the ap- propriate resources," he said, adding that there are some 44,000 offenders in the probation system in the province at any given time. "Some 50 per cent of staff suffer from mental health . and addictions themselves," he noted, a statistic he came across re- cently. "We're overworked and under-resourced," wey) ueipeue) uo | ~ 8 | Kenwer 'Kepsiny woo uojeyepisul