The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Greetings from Rainbow Country! Rainbow Country includes Parry Sound, Sudbury and Manitoulin Island. In Sudbury’s pot of gold, there is nickel, copper, cobalt and precious metals such as gold and platinum. The Erland Lee (Museum) Home was closed in December 2010. At the August 2011 Board Meeting, the FWIO Board approved a plan by the Friends of the Lee to raise funds for the Lee by producing and selling a two-year calendar and a cookbook. The calendars were sold at Area Conventions and the cookbook was launched February 19th in the Drive Shed at the Lee. At the November 2011 Board Meeting, the FWIO Board approved a Two-Year Pilot Project for the Lee that was presented by Hamilton Councillor, Brenda Johnson, and Friends of the Lee secretary, Margaret Byl. A subâ€"committee was formed and worked on Terms of Reference. ‘M Women’s Institute celebrated its 115th Anniversary on February 19th. It was suggested that Members stop for a cup of tea that day and during WI Week, February 19â€"25th, Members do random acts of kindness. FWIO’s four regional scholarships have been merged into one scholarship - the FWIO Provincial Scholarship - which will be awarded to a high school student who is going on to university or college education. The title ofthe essay for the FWIO Provincial Scholarship is “Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture”. The FWIO Handbook Committee revised the Handbook in 2010. The draft copy was reviewed by the FWIO Board in November. The new Handbook will be published in 2012. I will be attending the FWIC Convention in Sidney, BC from June 12â€"16, 2012. This will be a busy and productive year for FWIO. A new strategic plan has to be developed, the Handbook published, manuals prepared and repairs made at the Lee. Respectfully submitted by, Elsie Stephenson lVa’a‘lfLVLQYJ ~ ’ > _â€" ‘ rosy Stay Connected! As you know, FWIO recently launched a new website! There are many familiar features, including the Members Section, Locate a Branch, Donate Online, and Events Calendar â€"just to name a few! Be sure to visit the website ifyou haven’t done so already and don’t forget to discuss with your Branch about using your Branch Page to help share information with other Members and the public. Detailed instructions for Branch Users were sent out to all Branch Secretaries in the annual mailing in February. These instructions are also available in the Members Section. DID YOU KNOW? The password for the Members Section is written on the back ofyour Membership Card for easy reference! Visit us at www.fwio.on.ca ' CALENDAR‘ Provincial Board Meeting August 14 â€" 16, 2012 “ Wfi/avmm‘mtmmug‘ 3