When Ithaca College Senior Ronee Goldman first saw the annual Wheels for Women Benefit Cabaret as a freshman, she knew she wanted to be a part of it. What she didn’t know, however, was that she would eventually co-organize the event virtually in the middle of a global pandemic.
“There might not be the same community feeling as usual,” Goldman said. “But there is, in a way, a greater online community, and people from all over who will get to attend that might not have the opportunity to see the cabaret otherwise.”
On Saturday, Feb. 27, the Wheels for Women Benefit Cabaret at Ithaca College celebrated its 10th anniversary. Every year, the cabaret raises funds to support the Sakhi shelter for victims of domestic violence in Kerala, India. However, like many events held during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cabaret looked a bit different than it has in the past.
Rather than gather in the Clarke Theater in Ithaca College’s Dillingham building, performers and attendees participated through Zoom.
Kathleen Mulligan, co-founder of Wheels for Women and professor in the Department of Theater arts at Ithaca College, said that while she missed the atmosphere of an in-person cabaret, the virtual event provided an opportunity to do something she had always hoped to do: involve people who have supported Wheels for Women throughout the years for the organization’s 10th anniversary.
“The silver lining of this time that we are in is that because it is virtual, it’s much easier to get alumni involved,” Mulligan said.
Origins: Wheels for Women
Wheels for Women Benefit Cabaret originally debuted at Ithaca College in 2011, a year after Mulligan taught a workshop titled “Finding Women’s Voices’ at the Sakhi Shelter. At the end of the workshop, the director of the shelter told them what the shelter needed more than anything: a vehicle.
“She said, ‘We get calls from women in the middle of the night, in desperate situations, and we have to go rescue them; we have to find transportation’” Mulligan remembers. “My husband, before I knew it, said, ‘We’ll raise the money for that.’”
Throughout the last decade, students and faculty members connected to the Ithaca College Department of Theater Arts have planned the cabaret fundraiser to fund the purchase of rickshaws and driving lessons for women at the Sakhi shelter to help them gain independence and rescue other women in the area. The event typically includes auctions, raffles and suggested donations.
Sarah Morrisette, Ithaca College and Wheels for Women alumna, participated in the first Wheels for Women cabaret when she was a junior in the Department of Theater Arts. Now, 10 years later, she said she feels grateful to be able to attend and participate virtually.
“Wheels for Women is a very special reminder for me of why I do this work,” Morrisette said. “That art can be more than entertainment, and that you can change somebody’s life by sharing art, being in these spaces together and reflecting on humanity. I think that’s really beautiful.”
Wheels for Women and COVID-19
Mulligan said that she feels that the cabaret this year was extremely important, not only because it is the 10 year anniversary, but because the pandemic has placed added stressors on women at the Sakhi shelter and people all over the world. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, isolation and other COVID-19 related stressors have worsened conditions for people facing domestic violence.
“It’s hard for everyone,” Mulligan said. “And if you’re living with an abusive partner, this time is very difficult. So, that makes it especially important this year to support this effort.”
