Thursday was International Women’s Day and we want to take a moment to honor all women all around the world, from the trailblazing women who came before to the women still leading the way today to the women of the future.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives.”

There are many ways each of us can work to transform the lives of women.

One local way is to support Ruth’s Cottage capital campaign.

Started in 2002, Ruth’s Cottage is a domestic violence shelter that serves Tift, Worth, Irwin and Turner counties.

The capital campaign is for a new, $1.6 million facility that Ruth’s Cottage plans to build.

The new facility would bring together its operations, housing the administrative side and residential side of the organization, and double the shelter’s capacity.

In connection with Tift County, Ruth’s Cottage is applying for a $750,000 community block development grant, or CBDG.

Part of applying is proving that if the grant is awarded to Tift County and Ruth’s Cottage, then the rest of the cost of the project can be covered.

The grant has to be submitted by April 1.

At that point, Ruth’s Cottage needs to be able to show that our community can pick up where the grant leaves off.

To that end, Ruth’s Cottage is in the middle of a capital campaigns, asking for donations and pledges from our community as well as the other communities it serves.

Community and government organizations, as well as individual donors, have been stepping up to support the campaign.

Monetary donations for the new building can be made at www.stopthehurtga.org/capitalcampaign.

Any money donated to the new construction would stay earmarked for that in the event that Ruth’s Cottage doesn’t get the grant.

Donations can also be sent to P.O. Box 2727, Tifton, GA 31793.

More information: 229-387-9697.