Home & Country (Fall 2007)

              Alberta Women’s Institutes
4
Zella Pimm, Director
District One
I am just back from the September Council Meeting. There are lots of changes
for us. Please members look at the new report forms and get them off to
where they need to go on time. If your reports do not reach the officers who
are waiting for them your branch will not receive its rewards. It will show you
did nothing when you efforts were great.
I have plans for District One workshop on October 13 in Rycroft in the
Alex Ders Restaurant banquet room. I hope all can attend and remember to get
to me you District One Director nominations before this. I am here to hear your
concerns please do contact me so I can get you answers.
Our Alberta region of FWIC Into The North Phase II will be helping the
Second Stage Women’s Shelters around Alberta. You may remember we had a
resolution at last year’s Convention relating to these shelters, which house abused
women and their families for up to one year as they cannot stay in emergency
shelters more than one month. At the Second Stage Shelters they receive
counselling, programs on parenting and relationship skills, referrals to outside
agencies for legal advice, job training etc. These shelters need both financial
support and items for women and their children when they leave the shelters to
set up their own homes.
More information will be provided shortly when we find the best way
to get the needed items to the various shelters. wi
District Two
Maxine Allen, Director
O ur Alberta Women’s Institutes project is
Charitable Recycling. The Charitable Recycling
program encourages the donation of used
cell phones, and will provide a monetary contribution
to charity for each cell phone donated, regardless of
age or condition. Our charity will be ‘ Second Stage
Women’s Shelters,’ which are located in Alberta. The
Charitable Recycling Team wants to assist you and the environment by making
it easy to dispose of used cell phones. Cell phones and their batteries contain
many hazardous materials that can harm the environment if not disposed of
properly, so it is important to know how and where to recycle electronic waste in
an environmentally responsible way. Charitable Recycling is a terrific addition
for organizations interested in waste reduction, reuse and recycling efforts as
well as gaining greater awareness for good community service. Cell phone
recycling is a convenient, cost free service. Recycling benefits more than the
environment. Charitable Recycling phones are used for social good as many
phones are distributed for 911 { emergency only} services, providing battered
women and senior citizens with a direct link to necessary communication. They
have also donated phones to medical patients awaiting organ transplants and to
Indian reservations. Some phones are reused in less developed countries where
the cost of a new phone is often prohibitive. Obsolete phones are destroyed in an
environmentally responsible manner. Please be reminded, however, to deactivate
your wireless service before donating your phone.
I encourage each Branch to collect as many unused cell phones as
possible. You can bring them to your Constituency Conference or to the Alberta
Women’s Institutes Convention in 2008. This can be a fun project, so use your
imagination on a strategy for the collection of cell phones.
Wishing each of you a very Merry Christmas and all the best in
2008. wi
T his year I have taken on helping
with a few new things in Alberta
Women’s Institutes, and I need
your help. Has your branch done
something wonderful that you want the
whole world to know about? My latest
project is to send information about
how great the members of the Alberta
Women’s Institutes are to the Federated
Women’s Institutes of Canada website.
This website has a page for each
province where we can place articles
about the activities in each province.
I would like to hear about all of the
outstanding things that are going on in
your area so I can send the information
on to the website.
It is my hope that by keeping
the website current with great
information about the events in the
different areas we will be able to attract
new members.
Information can be emailed,
faxed or sent to me by the traditional
method of a letter in the mail. So I look
forward to hearing from as many people
as possible. My contact information is
in the front of this issue of Home and
Country. wi
Want to blow you horn?
Brenda Willsie, Director
Women’s Institute
Edra Campbell, Duffield WI
W is for Women, the whole world wide
O is for Others, we share with pride
M is for young Mothers, so often in need
E is for Everyone, sans color or creed
N is for News, and tips we exchange
S is for Satisfaction, each of us gains.
I is for Industrious workers – what fun!
N is for New methods we share with
everyone
S is for Strength we derive from each
other
T is for Times that we all get together
I is for Initiative straightforward and
unafraid
T is for Thinking new plans to be made
U is for Union of women the wide world
round
T is for Touch with new friends we have
found
E is for Energy put forth and just why?
A bright future for W. I.