Each day, the White Ribbon office is swamped with calls: A union local of 700 miners in New Brunswick wants ribbons for all its members. A high school on Vancouver Island orders the education kit to plan activities for their students. A group in Regina is holding a huge fund-raising breakfast for local women's shelters. A woman in Montreal wants to get information for her husband.

While White Ribbon has always encouraged local supporters to raise money for women's shelters and other women's programs in their communities, for the first time we are holding a national fund- raising effort. People picking up ribbons at various retail stores will have a chance to make a contribution that will go to women's shelters and other women's anti-violence programs across Canada.

Over the past two years, the growth of the White Ribbon Campaign around the world has been inspiring. I have visited college campuses from Alabama to New York to Washington state and have seen a White Ribbon effort in progress. I attended a conference in Europe and discovered that one of the governing bodies of the European Community is urging all countries in Europe to start White Ribbon campaigns. By e-mail, I have talked to men in Norway, Australia, El Salvador, South Africa and Russia who are involved or trying to get something off the ground.