Rotary assists Toora Domestic Violence Service  

There’s a lot to be said for the feeling you get when you give back. It’s a true sense of fulfilment that you feel when you’re working to help others in need. And it’s a feeling our founders, the Rotary Club of Hall, never tire of, especially when local community projects are identified and they can find a clear way to help.  

Toora Women Inc is a local organisation whose goal is to defend, rebuild, save and strengthen womens’ lives through services focused on assisting with homelessness, domestic violence, dependency and counselling. Representatives from Toora attended Rotary’s ‘Say No to Domestic Violence’ day in Canberra last year, and Rotary subsequently met with them in December 2024 to gain a deeper understanding of how Toora serves the community and to strive for a long-term relationship with the Rotary Clubs of Canberra.  

 It turns out that Toora’s Domestic Violence Service is in fact the ACT’s largest specialist domestic and family violence support service for women and children, and they run various residential and outreach programs to provide individual case management and a range of emotional and practical support for single women and women with children. 

So, when Toora recently put the call out for Rotary to assist, there was no question our Rotary volunteers wanted to provide support in any way they could.  

That support came in the way of providing volunteers to undertake the assembly of flat pack furniture for a residence that will accommodate a mother and her children who are victims of domestic violence. Rotary Club of Hall, Jerrabomberra, Sundowners & Tuggeranong answered the call at very short notice, supplying volunteers armed with cordless drills and tools and assembled the furniture in six hours.  

In taking on this local community project, Rotary saved Toora the cost of around $3000 to employ a contractor for the furniture assembly. And way bigger than that – local women and children who desperately need a safe haven are in good hands with Toora, and our Rotarians get the good feels for donating their time to this highly worthwhile project. 

You too can get the good feels every time you shop at Capital Region Farmers Market as all profits are distributed back to the community via worthwhile projects funded by the Rotary Club of Hall.  

If you or someone you know needs help in the ACT, referrals to Toora’s Domestic Violence support services are accepted from OneLink on 1800 176 468 and the Domestic Violence Crisis Service on (02) 6280 0900. Or you can self-refer by contacting Toora on (02) 6122 7000 or email intake@toora.org.au