Agape House’s Purple Gala to host former broadcast journalist

Agape House has invited former broadcast journalist Nicole Dube to be guest speaker for its fourth annual Purple Gala in March.

“We continue to host it because it’s just more than a fundraiser,” said Lisa Fast, outreach and housing coordinator. “It’s a night where our community comes together to stand against domestic violence and shows survivors that they are not alone. We continue to host this event because the need is real and growing.”

Manitoba had the second-highest rates of police-reported intimate partner and family violence among Canadian provinces in 2022, according to Statistics Canada. The province’s family violence rate increased to 585 in 2022 from 453 in 2014.

Fast reported that 2025 saw Agape with the highest number of clients than any year previously. Agape provided more than 2,100 adult bed nights, more than 1,300 children’s bed nights, and responded to nearly 1,500 crisis calls. Women and their children typically stay for a month at the women’s shelter.

“These aren’t just numbers. They represent real families in our community that are seeking safety and support. So, the Purple Gala helps ensure we can continue to meet that need and also while creating awareness and reminding survivors that their community stands with them.”

The gala is the organization’s prime fundraiser and last year it raised about $20,000, which was double what was raised in 2024 and more than any other year prior. Fast hopes that amount, or more, will be raised this year.

This year’s guest speaker is former journalist Nicole Dube. Dube was a broadcast journalist for 20 years and is currently the owner of Dube Media, where she works as a communication skills specialist, teaching individuals and organizations how to use curiosity and storytelling to enhance their message and improve their communication skills.

Agape asked Dube to speak at the Purple Gala after hearing her give a presentation on the importance of storytelling in communication at the Edge Business Expo last year.

Dube calls this form of communication “storyosity.” She defines it as having curiosity for a story and by having that curiosity people connect better with each other and have a deeper understanding and empathy for each other.

“It’s more that we’re not letting circumstance dictate our future. We’re in ownership of all the chapters of our life. And I really do believe that the parts of our story that emerge in moments of crisis, they can grow in our future and in our lifetime to foster gratitude and generosity and allow us to support others the way we got support in those moments of crisis,” she said.

Dube shared the story of a man, who every year comes and donates a full Christmas dinner to Agape. He never leaves his name and wants no recognition, he only shares that his mother used Agape when he was a boy and now he is repaying the service that Agape gave to his family.

“When we invest in places that can offer immediate safety and healing, it’s not just that immediate moment in time. We’re shaping the story of these future adults and leaders because that’s what Agape House has seen. The little boy who was there has continued to come back and he does so in such a meaningful way,” she said.

Agape House has been serving women experiencing domestic violence in the Southeast since 1985. It began as a three-bedroom bungalow and has now grown into a 16-bed shelter. It is one of 10 women’s shelters in the province that provides support to women and their children.

On average, Agape needs $150,000 annually to continue to operate. Its funding comes from the province, donations, and fundraising campaigns such the Purple Gala and Ribbons for Hope.

“The stories that are going be shared at the Purple Gala will really underscore the significance of what Agape House means to the people who use (its) services. It’s a family in a time when people don’t have family,” said Dube.

The Purple Gala will take place on March 7 at the Niverville Heritage Centre where cocktails and a plated dinner will be served. There will be a number of prizes including the grand prize of a trip for two with WestJet to anywhere the airline flies.

To contact Agape call 204-326-6062. If you are in crisis, call Agape’s crisis line at 204-346-0028.