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NEWSLETTER MARCH2018 Thursday, January 19, 2017 January luncheon meeting St. Thomas’ Anglican Church Hall Doors open 11:30 am Lunch at 12 pm

Regular General meetings are held the 3rd Thursday of the month 6:30 Social time and meeting 7:00

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REMINDER OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY THURSDAY MARCH 8

MARCH 4:30 FROM BELLEVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY (More information page 5)

PROGRAM - March 15

***A MUST SEE***

On March 15th we welcome renowned local wildlife photographer Bill Bickle. His image of a grizzly bear, on our website, has been shortlisted by Canadian Geographic Magazine for a photo prize in their Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year competition. There were 8,500 photos submitted!

~~ HELP WANTED – PLEASE SEE PAGE 4 ~~

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Laura Hare International/National

Once again, dues increases top the charts for GWI and CFUW concerns. It seems like we are in a ‘Ground Hog Day’ movie, repeating the same story over and over. At this time last year, we embarked on a research project on the mission and activities of GWI to determine if our club, and CFUW National, should maintain a membership in GWI. This research was inspired by GWI’s request for an increase in fees. Our conclusion was that membership was worthwhile and we were willing to accept an increase of $14 for a combined GWI/CFUW increase. The dues increase motion didn’t happen at the 2017 AGM, so we are back at it. Two motions have been proposed, for voting at the CFUW National AGM on June 23, 2018:

1. An $11 increase in fees paid to CFUW, to cover a GWI increase of $8.40 and a CFUW National increase of $2.60

2. A dues-per-capita motion from CFUW Winnipeg that individual members pay $50.90 to CFUW National and not be part of GWI, or $81.00 to CFUW National and be a GWI member (with the GWI $30.10 forwarded to GWI)

Complete information for motion 1 is available by clicking here. For motion 2, click here. More information on what GWI is, and does, click here. More information on what CFUW National is, and does, click here. Username: viewonly Password: cfuw4321 The executive discussed these motions on March 1 and will recommend that our delegate at the June 23 AGM vote in favour of Motion 1 ($11 increase) and against motion 2 (per-capita dues). These recommendations will be brought to our AGM in May for your input. PLEASE take a good look at these motions. Our local budget is based on the $11 increase for each member. More on that later!

National CFUW National has proposed several amendments to the CFUW by-laws. They all look quite reasonable. Our secretary will be sending a suggestion of an ‘Amendment to the Amendments’ that minutes of special meetings be made available for all Clubs.

Local Anniversary committee

Lots of good news about our upcoming 80th anniversary in 2019! Marylea Burtt has agreed to chair this committee and we have a lot of enthusiastic members…and always looking for more help! Thanks to Bev Boyd, Margaret Briscoe, Judith Chalmers, Jess Chambers, Carolyn Cockerline, Sylvia Doyle, Margaret Goodwin, Martha Grant, Pat McLaughlin, Sandy Repic, Carol Sayeau and Cathy Warren for supporting Marylea with this fun project. We’ve had two meetings, and the plan is coming together with four components:

1. Anniversary Scholarship – for one year only, funded by donations directed specifically to it. For our 75th, scholarship donations totalled $3700. At the March meeting, we will start accepting donations for this special fund.

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2. Party Hardy – Thursday, April 25, 2019. Don’t know where, but do know when: the week after Easter, so our snowbirds are back to join us in celebrating our past and getting ready for our future. Looking at a video to cover both past and future in partnership with Loyalist students. Want to get involved? We have a meeting booked for May 23 at Loyalist. Let Marylea know. Mark your calendars!

3. Refresh the CFUW banner – Jess Chambers has offered to lead the project to replace our beautiful banner. For those who are new, a banner is a CFUW tradition. At any club gathering, the banners are proudly displayed. Belleville’s is the most stunning (but who’s biased?), so Jess has set the bar very high for a replacement!

4. Public Forum – Fall of 2019. Don’t know where and don’t know when! But we do know we’d like a high-profile female speaker who will draw a large crowd. Being researched: CBC personalities (Wendy Mesley, Nahlah Ayed, Adrienne Arsenault), Gov Gen Julie Payette, Sports greats (Hailey Wickenheiser, etc). Do YOU have a personal connection to someone who would fit the bill? There are some famous people living in the County – do you know any? Chris Hadfield packed the Empire Theatre last month. Could our event do that? Imagine the public awareness for our club.

Want to be part of making 2019 a special year for our club? Contact Marylea Burtt.

2018-2019 Budget At the March exec meeting, we took a good look at how the club operates and what it costs. You can rest assured that we are a VERY frugal organization, but costs do rise. You have already read about the increases for the GWI/CFUW organizations. We haven’t heard anything from the Ontario Council about any increases. Combined, each member will be sending $87.25 outside of our Club. If we wish to remain part of a National/International federation, that’s going to be the cost. This, of course, makes a $90 annual fee impossible. We cannot run our club on $2.75 per member. The first response is “Why don’t we just go it alone…and be a women’s club in Belleville? It would save us all a bundle!” . It’s worth a discussion among your club colleagues – would a standalone club last? At the exec meeting, we didn’t think it would. The connection to a larger entity prods us to advocacy, inspires thinking beyond our municipality and supports involvement in provincial and national issues. What do you think? The next response is to look at the second motion for the National AGM and set up a two-tier dues structure – saving $30/ year and avoiding GWI dues. The big question mark there is its effect on GWI’s finances and then CFUW’s finances. If the invoice from GWI is based on the number of members in CFUW clubs (about 8,000) and only 3,000 members choose to pay the $30.10, then where does the money come from? Very murky, indeed. Where does that leave us? Increasing our fees from $90 to $100 eases the situation. The 2018-2019 budget draft would need $2600 from our accumulated

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surplus, leapving about $7200 by June 2019. Still a nice cushion, but it can’t go on forever! Increasing the fee to $120 pays all the bills…but how many members would we lose? Worth a discussion with your colleagues and the exec definitely needs to hear your feed back. This newsletter has a separate attachment with the draft budget details. There are only really three items that differ from any other year’s spending:

1. There is now a budget of $300 to respond to requests for donations from outside organizations. We usually give $100 each to 3 Oaks (women’s shelter) and the International Women’s Day committee. This gives us $100 if a request comes in that fits the CFUW objectives. It also gives us an answer for all those requests we receive: “Sorry, our budget has been used up”. We know our members support all kinds of good works, and it is not our Club’s mission to give money away to other women’s groups. However, it is useful for public awareness and community-building.

2. The program committee needs an increase, so the new number is $700 (up from $650).

3. The Anniversary committee is being budgeted $1000: $500 from the proceeds of the January luncheon for its Anniversary scholarship (this usually goes into general revenues) and $500 to help with expenses in the other 3 components of the Anniversary Year.

Mary Milne, our treasurer, and I welcome your input. Our travel plans mean that only one of us will be around at any one time! Mary will be able to answer questions during March and April and I will be back in May. The budget will be up for final approval at our May AGM, so there’s lots of time to contact any member of the executive with your thoughts and ideas.

Ontario Council Speaker Series is Saturday, March 24. Click here for more info. I will be away, but Marg Goodwin often attends. Contact Marg about car-pooling. All are welcome to attend, but the Club is limited to paying for a maximum of 2 registrations. ($35 includes a delicious lunch). If you’re not one of the first 2 to sign up, you’ll need to pay your own way. Registration deadline is Monday, March 19. Form is here. I’m off to down-under and will be back May 12. Thanks again to everyone for their support and see you in a couple of months! VP EDUCATION & ADVOCACY Marilyn Jackson

HELP WANTED

Empowering Young Women group has received a request from Abigail’s Learning Centre (www.abigailscentre.ca ). At the CFUW Spring Forum workshop last year we

discovered the barriers existing in our community for girls and young women from their earliest years; Abigail’s starts at the root causes. Abigail’s supports parents (often

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1. young mothers) to build sustainable livelihood skills including Alternative Adult Education & Literacy Programs. They have expressed needs in two areas: A person who has expertise in the Simply Accounting program to train a couple of Abigail’s staff in its use – not to take over accounting, but to improve the skill level of those currently doing it. Organization will work with the Member to find an appropriate schedule. This would be a relatively short-term commitment.

2. A person (or two) to sit as Director of the Abigail’s Non-Profit Board . Primarily the organization looks for Directors who share their passion: building strong families as a cornerstone to early childhood wellbeing. Some bonus areas of expertise for Directors would be health, education, finance, business, social services and law. Board meetings are monthly.

Mary E. Miller is the liaison between Abigail’s and our CFUW Club. She can provide more information to anyone interested, on a “no obligation” basis. Contact Mary at

mmiller0852@bell.net or phone 613-966-4380

Report from VP Education and Advocacy Marilyn Jackson Resolutions On March 2 a group of Members discussed the Resolutions recently received from the Ontario Council (one) and CFUW National (three). The original resolutions were circulated to all Club members by email Feb. 16. They involved:

• Housing for all through sustainable and mixed urban development in Ontario • Fair and Non-Discriminatory Management of Refugees and Asylum Seekers • Ending Youth Homelessness • Education to serve as a vehicle for social justice for vulnerable children living in

closed religious communities

The Resolutions generated a stimulating conversation which raised broad questions. They touched on international relations, migration, charter rights, urban planning …. We rediscovered what a wealth of experience and educated knowledge our CFUW membership represents; the input of those participating enriched the already deeply-researched backgrounder documents. The meeting concluded that we would recommend acceptance of all four resolutions by the Club, but we would prefer to see some amendments. Particulars of amendments and rationales will be circulated to the membership before the March 15 General Meeting.

REMINDER OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

THURSDAYMARCH8MARCH 4:30 FROM BELLEVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY

FOLLOWED BY REFRESHMENTS 6:00 SPEAKER CYNDY BASKIN

3RD FLOOR - LIBRARY TOPIC: INFLUENCES ON THE IDENTITIES OF INDIGENOUS WOMEN

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Now we need the audiences, both morning and afternoon. Bring your young children, neighbours and grandchildren! With many thanks to so many of you who are volunteering to help present these concerts on Saturday!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VP Finance: Mary MilneRevenue to February 27, 2018 totaled $12,465.01 and included membership dues of $11,575 (1 new member added), book sales of $288.18, January luncheon profit of $548.03 and interest earned of $53.80. Kudos to Jo-Anne Twamley for adding another $95 in profit to the luncheon total through sales of the attractive “arts” aprons. Expenses to Feb. 27th came to $3,575.56 for a surplus of revenue over expenses of $8,889.45. VP PLANNING & DEVELOPEMENT Linda Connelly Fundscrip Program: Thank you to the members who have enrolled in this program so far. Two of the promotions for March are: Amazon.ca at 2.5% from 2% and Stokes at 8% from 6%. It is so easy to sign up and start participating. http://www.fundscrip.com/how-it-works

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I will bring my computer to our next meeting and help you get logged on and started with the program. Please get in touch with me if you have any questions or I can help in any way. (lconnelly555@gmail.com 613-920-0241) Garden Tour 2018 As you know, March is a busy time for the Sponsorship Team of the Garden Tour Committee. Janet Simpson-Lightbody has been busy in Prince Edward County and reports that she has picked up a cheque in the amount of $500 from Elizabeth Crombie of Royal Lepage ProAlliance Realty, Picton. Kudos to Janet. For the complete listing of donations go to the CFUW Belleville and District website, under Garden Tour. In an effort to think spring, here are excerpts from two Garden Tour 2018 descriptions: Garden 1: Two years ago, the current owners, both avid gardeners, took possession of this charming Hansel and Gretel home in the East Hill area of Belleville. The backyard, though small, was a blank slate. The owners set out the tasks of building fences and designing garden beds. While digging the beds, approximately 50 wheelbarrow loads of buried bricks were unearthed. The garden is Asian inspired with Buddhas, pagodas, mirrors, art, an abundance of perennial flowers and re-purposed items of the past. The garden is still in its infancy and will continue to grow. Garden 2: The garden design and structures have been patiently constructed and shaped in an informal way with re-claimed, discarded or re-purposed stones and found objects. Large planters with colourful annuals play an important role in leading people to appreciate other aspects of the garden including a very old wisteria and rose bush at the side of the home. People are encouraged to stroll to the back of the home to enjoy the seating areas that are surrounded by perennials such as rhubarb, raspberries, peonies, ferns and evergreens along with plants that attract birds, butterflies, and bees. This small garden beckons you to sit awhile, experience the quiet, and restore your soul. Irene Hiebert and Karen Mouck Co-Chairs

CFUW Belleville and District Program Committee Report Margaret Goodwin

On March 15th we welcome renowned local wildlife photographer Bill Bickle. His image of a grizzly bear, on our website, has been shortlisted by Canadian Geographic Magazine for a photo prize in their Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year competition. There were 8,500 photos submitted! His skill and patience with his craft is incredible and he is as good with a story when he shows the range of his work. He will have samples of his

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work on the on display for you to peruse. You are welcome to bring friends and neighbours to see his presentation. It will begin about 7:35/40 after our business meeting. In case you missed it: The three workshops held at our February meeting were well attended and well received. A Doodle Poll worked well for registration with about 40 participating in the workshops.

2. Simply Fit - Amanda Boldrick, YMCA of Central East Ontario. Amanda brought a laptop to show the exercises in addition to her own demonstrations, poles for participants to use – they can be used for strength training rather than weights, and an aptitude for teaching. Some remarked that they might have sore muscles the next day.

3. Telling Your Stories – Katherine Sedgwick, Journalism Program, Loyalist College.

Katherine talked about the importance of digitizing photos, letters, stories... in order to make them available in years to come, assuring participants that it is not a difficult skill to learn, even for those who are inexperienced with computers, and that assistance is readily available. [Ask a 7 year old for help. LOL] She had each participant tell a story from their own life, which demonstrated that everyone has stories worth telling and passing on.

4. Watercolours - Dona Knudson. Dona is an accomplished and patient instructor.

She started with basic techniques and made sure that each person had tried them before she moved on to the next one. Participants went on to paint their own sky and water scene, and many left with the paint palettes, happy to be able to continue at home.

Should you have speaker/program ideas for next year, please email them to Anne who is continuing on the Committee; Kathryn and Margaret are finished their two year term. Anne Cunningham: annecunningham1940@gmail.com; 613-968-7438 Kathryn Fellows: fellows@hickoryhouse.net; 613-477-3168 WEBSITE Jane Taylor Please send photos and articles about club activities to me at my email - jtaylor113@cogeco.ca Notice of interest group meeting dates and times can be posted on the web calendar. If you wish to have the password for the Members’ Only page on the website, please email me. CORRESPONDING SECRETARY & NEWSLETTER Carolyn Cockerline No cards have been sent to members this month. Please email me at: cockerline_c@holtmail.com

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INTEREST GROUPS FRENCH CONVERSATION: Elizabeth Ewashkiw

Nous avons des vacances ce mois. Mais, la réunion en avril sera chez Lynn Becker et en mai, chez Marilyn Jackson. Joyeuses vacances à toutes,

We are taking a holiday this month, but will return next month, at Lynn Becker's and in May, at Marilyn Jackson's. Happy Holiday!

TABLE HOPPERS: Mary MilneIn March we are switching our usual lunch date of Wednesday to Thursday, March 22nd. One of our members suggested we try Resto 213, the restaurant at Loyalist College and it operates only on Thursdays and Fridays. Our reservation is for 12:30 pm. There is visitor parking available in the parking lot on your left as you enter the Loyalist campus. To reach the restaurant go in the main door and go straight ahead to the first side corridor on the right. The restaurant is a short way along that hallway. Or, you can ask directions at the security desk just inside the main door. Please let me know if you plan to attend by Tuesday, March 20th at d.milne@sympatico.ca or 613-962-6369. We welcome any other club members who might like to join us for a nice lunch and good conversation.

Wishing you warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a

smooth road all the way to your door.

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