By Matthew Liebenberg
The Canadian Royal Purple organizes an annual awareness campaign in October to bring attention to the often-overlooked link between intimate partner violence and brain injuries.
Swift Current Royal Purple representatives made a presentation at a regular City council meeting on Oct. 13 in support of the declaration of Oct. 11-17 as Royal Purple x7 Week.
Purple Thursday took place in the third week of October and 2026 marks the campaign’s fifth anniversary. This is the second year of an expanded campaign known as Purple Thursday x7 that took place over the entire week.
“We found that more time was needed to respond to the needs of the survivors,” Swift Current Royal Purple President and Saskatchewan Royal Purple 2nd Vice President Dyanna Graham said.
She noted that one in three women and one in six men in Canada will encounter intimate partner violence in their lifetime. One in six of these women experiencing intimate partner violence will suffer a brain injury due to being hit, pushed or strangled.
“When a person is being strangled, they are not getting any oxygen to their brain, which can definitely cause a major brain injury,” she explained.
For every NHL player who sustains a concussion, it is estimated that between 5,500 and 7,000 women sustain a concussion due to the violent behaviour of an intimate partner.
Swift Current Royal Purple donated 60 care bags to different organizations during the week.
“Our Purple Thursday care bags show every survivor that someone in our society cares about them and they offer relief and hope for a better future,” she said.
The support of different local businesses made it possible to prepare the care bags and to fill it with a variety of items that will be useful to anyone forced to suddenly leave their home due to an abusive situation. It includes personal care items such as shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, mouthwash, body lotion, soap, comb, socks and a toque.
The local Royal Purple Lodge also prepared children’s bags with toys, blankets and teddies to give them something to hold on during a traumatic situation.
Southwest Crisis Services received 45 care bags, including 20 care bags for children, for distribution at the local safe shelter. Two organizations participated for the first time in this Royal Purple initiative. Hutch Ambulance received 10 care bags and the Swift Current Rural RCMP detachment received five care bags.
“Both of these organizations have agreed to provide these purple care bags to people in need and we hope that this partnership will continue to grow,” Graham said.
