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

Notes from the Program Coordinator Ideas let a IhnN Year By Mary Lou Norton I his year will be an exciting, educational and informative year for all Women’s Institute (WI) members â€" at the Branch, District, Area, provincial. national and inter~ national levels. Remember, each Branch in Ontario re- ceived the program for February I9, 1997. We are asking that all Branches meet on that day to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Women’s Institute. Invite all women in the community to attend and celebrate this day with you. Don't forget to assign a Women‘s Institute member to speak to both your local radio andtelevision stations. And be sure that your local newspapers are full of Women’s Institute activities Celebrating 100 years of the Women’s Institute can be accomplished at various ven- ues: educational meetings. teas, pot luck dinners, parades. mall displays. libraries, museums, schools. hospitals. store fronts. and numerous special events. This is the year to network and tell the Women‘s Institute story to all other service clubs, organizations, seniors groups. agen- cies and local councillors in your areas This is the year when every member has the op- portunity to be involved in spreading the word about our accomplishments at Branch, District, Area and the provincial level. We know who Adelaide Hoodless and Erland Lee were and what part the W] has played in the history of Ontario Who better to tell this story than our enthusiastic members themâ€" selves. What a golden opportunity to involve the community. Here are some ideas: 0 In February ‘ Invite everyone in the community to participate in the Special Programs 0 In March - Hold a community event and tell people how the Women‘s Institute spread from Ontario across Canada. - In April â€" Welcome the community to your ACWW Day event on April 29 and tell them how the Women's Institute be- came an international organization. Explain WIs involvement with the United Nations. English Village Life c? the WI feature (secondfl'om left) is pictured herewith Perth WI members ' far left). Barbara Elg (second from fight) and Eleanor ings were organized. always including an information tablep'n the speaker's topic and a trading stall for the sale of crafts. She also spoke about some’of their Branch projects, including an annual clean up of village roads, garden'tours to raise funds and oper- ating a"village market that finances itself. (redrby FutBamzr, Public Relatiaru' Ofi‘icer, ' . Vi" 'anSki‘iirier; Public Relations ‘ L: I In June - Organize a meeting at the local school in conjunction with "school days" or graduation programs. Highlight the WIS involvement in education, l0- cally and provincially. - In September - Make sure the W] is featured at your Fall Fair, noting their years of 4H support and involvement. - In November » Remember WIS involveâ€" ment during the war years; arrange special events in conjunction with local Legions and other military groups. and be sure that they are reported in the November ll, I997. editions of your newspapers. The references for researching some of these ideas are many: the Home & Country newsletter, photograph collections, Women‘s Institute scrapbooks, Tweedsmuir History Books and provincial history books, especially For Home [Hill Country: The Ccu- termini History oft/tr Women 's lllA‘lll‘liIt’S in Ontario. These arejust a few challenges as we gather to celebrate 100 years of Women's Institute history. Plan your programs as a way to in~ form and include your community; it may even lead to an increased membership and the formation of new Branches? Pick up the challenge! Mary Luii Norton is Illt' ngrurrl Ciiurdirnuur fur the Fttlt’l'llll’if ll’nmeli 'r f/ii'ririilct of Opium: Sllt‘ 1 mi be fELlL'llEtl 1” RR 2. Bloomfield 0N KUK IGO, (6/.i)-.l9}-2053 Women’s Time Out During the long January of 1996, a couple of friends ol mine who work for the Salvaâ€" tion Army planned a summer project for a group of city women. The group was called “Women's Time Out," The project decided upon was planting and mainlaining a small garden. I offered a plot in my garden lor the proiect. This beneficial project required cooperation and allowed the women to see the results of their ef‘lorts. The majority of the women had never experienced the ioy of watching some- thing grow. They worked hard turning the soil. planting the seeds and weeding. Each week they looked forward to seeing the progress the plants had made, As the plants matured, the women enjoyed the rewards of reaping me harvest. They proudly shared beans, lettuce. onions, pola- toes. carrots, zucchini and even some ornamental gourds and flowers. It was a hands-on leaming experience that lorrned friendships and emphasized the joy of shar- ing. Submitted by Mime Hiiiiiilliiii. Similar “7, Thunder Bay Dirlrii'r Home & Conntry.Winler1996-QT Q