There was plenty of music and laughter at a Rowan House Emergency Shelter fundraiser in memory of a fun-loving, talented-young woman who had to take shelter from the storm of domestic abuse in her past. “Amy tried a few times to get into shelters when she was in relationships in the city that she needed to flee,” said Debbie Sands, the mother of the late Amy (Ami-Jane) Sands. “She would go there and it would be full and she couldn’t get in. “Women shelters were always very important to her.” The sixth annual AmiJane FunRaiser at The George in Okotoks brought in $9,200 for Rowan House on Nov. 10. The fundraiser has raised close to $40,000 in the past six years, the last two of which have been held in Okotoks. Amy was killed in August of 2012 when struck by bullets fired through a Calgary garage door. She was 27 years old. The fundraiser on Saturday was held on what would have been her 34th birthday. Several of the musical acts were friends and family of Amy, including Joey J; the Handsome Devils and the Sheep River Bandits, featuring dad Ed Sands. Her brother Mike Sands also took the stage with his dad in the band Remembering Days. They played one of Amy’s favourite tracks, Spiderwebs, by No Doubt. Mike is an award-winning musician who continues to be inspired by his older sister. “At her funeral a lot of her friends told me she had spoken about me because I was chasing the music thing,” Mike said. “For two years afterwards, I really chased it as far as I could, freelancing and putting myself out there.” He dedicated his album F***tropolis to Amy. The album went on to win the 2014 Western Canadian Music Award and Edmonton Music Award for metal album of the year. Charlene Hansma, the shelter facility assistant at Rowan House, said the event does more than raise money – it also raises awareness. The funds will be used to help Rowan House with ongoing programs or to help the women who need to come to the shelter. “The money may be used for basic needs,” said Peta Glazer of Rowan House. “When women come to us, they come with nothing. We have to provide them with food and clothing and toiletries… toys for the children. We know that when a woman’s basic needs have been met and we have provided them with a safe place, that’s when the healing can begin.” Amy would have been delighted to see the funds go to a women’s shelter. There’s precedence. Amy, who attended the Alberta High School of Fine Arts, won a pageant based on talent and personality. “She won a prize in the pageant and she could choose to give to a charity and she donated to the Calgary Women’s Shelter,” Debbie Sands said. “She was up against 20 other women. She would definitely have wanted us to support Rowan House.” For information about Rowan House or to make a donation, go www.Rowanhouse.ca
