HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE

PRESIDENT? By Judy Whalen, President CFUW Dartmouth

Someone asked me this question recently. After 5 months as a newbie in the job, the quick answer is: Stimulated and Challenged by a wealth of opportunities, Enthused about our future, Inspired by my predecessors, Grateful for a wonderful, willing and talented executive, Nervous about public speaking and Oh my Gosh! Where do we go from here? In May when the executive changed, we were looking ahead happily to our opening meeting in Sept when we would celebrate our 65th Anniversary as a chartered club of CFUW. With a keen core of volunteers, much of the usually inactive summer was spent organizing the celebration of this big event. We planned food, fun, frivolity and fashions. We turned the clock back to 1948 and if laughter is any measure of enjoyment, we got the year off to a great start with some of our members appearing in fashions dotted throughout the first 25 years of our existence. One of the first items of business tackled before we started in the fall was to update the position descriptions for our executive. This was done to clarify the duties preformed by everyone so we can avoid overlap or communication issues. Last year we hosted the ARC in Dartmouth and decided then we needed to have a Webpage. Its main purpose at that time was to advertise the ARC.

Now we have to decide how to use this wonderful tool to publicise our club and make it interesting and informative for the public and members alike. It was our great pleasure to welcome the national president, Susan Murphy; our Atlantic Region President, Karen Dunnett; and our NS Director, Janet Willwerth at a Meet and Greet hosted by Glenna. In an era of cyber communication we have a much better handle on all the great work being done by National and at the regional levels. There is nothing like an inspiring conference to get one all fired with enthusiasm about what we can do to make our club notable in the community! The Arc in Moncton in October was such a vehicle and the four of us attending came away ready to take on the world. We all care about each other in our club and the `Getting to Know you` happens most easily at our Interest groups. They are all underway for this year and you can read all about them in a column outlining their activities in this Newsletter. The `Where do we go from here? ` I spoke of initially is up to you. The leader of the pack is only just that.... the 'make it happen’ person. So you tell me.... Where do you want to go from here? I`m willing and happy to help us get there.

Canadian Federation of University Women DARTMOUTH

Publisher: Vivian Bright Volume No. 5 Issue No. 1 Date: November 2013

ATLANTIC REGION CONFERENCE, MONCTON, OCTOBER 18-19, 2013 Those of you who weren`t able to attend the 25th anniversary of ARC in Moncton, missed a good conference! The Rodd Hotel is situated in downtown Moncton amid lots of restaurants and overlooking the Petitcodiac River with its famed tidal bore. A lovely park was just next-door and a waterfront boardwalk along the river was found just behind the hotel when you wanted to walk off the extra calories. Our registration kits were very personalized. Each contained business cards for the individual registrant as well a photo of your own club banner. An entire room was devoted to the Boutique with lots of interesting items to purchase as well as a “Lucky Lady” auction, the same as our “Chinese Auction” at last years ARC. We understand in excess of $800.00 was collected to support the ARC. On Friday, it was my pleasure to represent the Dartmouth club by attending the Presidents Roundtable, which gives one a sense that all clubs share many of the same goals and challenges. The evening reception gave folks an opportunity to network with all 53 fellow CFUW members from around the Atlantic Provinces. Sat. morning was devoted to the business meeting that included an opportunity to hear the creative ideas other clubs have used to fund raise as well as support their communities. After the delicious luncheon, the dynamic and enthusiastic guest speaker, Dawn Arnold outlined `Why Women Need to Do it`. Dawn is a young member of CFUW Moncton. She described her decision to run for a seat on the Moncton City Council and some of her experiences as a counsellor. The afternoon sessions included a panel discussion on Cyber Bullying (now called violence) and a workshop lead by Pat DuVal on membership - a recipe for recruitment. Vivian, Lorraine, Marg and I who attended from our club came away invigorated and we found that talking to others sparks ideas for future planning. We all enjoyed the conference and the informal socializing netted lots of new initiatives! Hats off to the Moncton Club for a good opportunity to expand our horizons! Judy Whalen, President, Dartmouth CFUW

INTEREST GROUPS Interest Groups are an important part of our CFUW year. They provide a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other as we share common interests and activities. Many of us have belonged to a few groups for a number of years. This may be the year to spread our wings try something new. Consider joining a “new to you” group. Invite a friend to come to one of the groups that you enjoy. Start a new group that you think will be of interest to others.

ANTIQUES : If history, secrets and glories from the past are of interest then this group is for you. It meets in the afternoon of the fourth Wednesday of the month. This group bring antique items which are discussed and we learn from information shared. Discussions are followed by afternoon tea. Leader: Michal Crowe – 423-1882; michal.crowe@ns.sympatico.ca

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT: This group meets several times a year to attend theater presentations, visit art galleries, go to concerts or whatever cultural event the group decide might be of interest.. Leader: Vivian Bright – 434-3981; carman.bright@ns.sympatico.ca

BOOK CLUB: The reading enthusiasts meet on the fourth Thursday evening of the month at 7:30 p.m. Once a year each member recommends a book which she thinks others would enjoy. Books are chosen with several criteria, one of which is availability

of the books from the library. Leader: Rebecca Stockhausen - 464-1068; rstockhausen@ns.sympatico.ca BRIDGE: If you enjoy bridge, join one of our friendly games. Pick your most convenient time slot. The afternoon group meets every second Friday and the evening group meet weekly on Monday nights. Leaders: Afternoon Group: Lorna Heustis – 469-9904; rsheustis@ns.sympatico.ca Evening Group : Glenna Conrad – 434-2783; glennaconrad@eastlink.ca

COFFEE AND CONVERSATION: This keen gathering of ladies meet on the second Wed. morning of the month . The group begin the morning with Coffee and chatter followed by discussion on articles that each member has brought in. Members deliberately choose articles that have two view points and discussions are lively, varied and informative. Leader: Margaret Stuart – 463-5999; margstuart@eastlink.ca

LUNCH BUNCH: This group enjoy discovering new restaurants and menu delights in restaurants around town. They meet monthly at an establishment decided by the group to share camaraderie and lunch on the first Wednesday of the month. Leader: Therese MacNeill – 435-7449; tech.mac@ns.sympatico.ca

ISSUES COMMITTEE: This group meet as needed to address issue of concern to our club members and our community. Leader: Marian Issekutz – 425-6972 bmissekutz@hotmail.com

CFUW DARTMOUTH PROGRAM

Following are the speakers and their topics for the programs at our monthly meetings.

Oct. 18th Hope Blooms – Jessie Jollymore, a Registered Dietician will discuss The North-End Community Garden located on Brunswick Street – a greenhouse and salad-making business featuring a growing number of intelligent and committed youth.

Nov. 15th Maureen O’Connell, Status of Women – Maureen will discuss why your social network is a predictor of your mental health.

Dec. 12th Christmas Party

Jan. 16th A Manager from Smitty’s – will discuss changes to their menu including gluten free, diabetic consideration, etc.

Feb. 20th Dr. Jock Murray - will discuss the Halifax Explosion when the Imo and Mont Blanc collided in Halifax Harbour.

Mar. 15th Discussion of CFUW Resolutions

Apr. 17 A Member from the RCMP – will discuss how we can guard against identity theft and other general topics of particular interest to seniors.

May 15th Annual General Meeting & Closing Dinner.

This and That

The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) is proud to announce that Susan Russell, an Ottawa resident, has been acclaimed one of four Vice-Presidents of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW) at their 31st Triennial Conference in Istanbul, Turkey. You will remember Susan as the person in charge of the CFUW office in Ottawa for several years. She attended several of the Atlantic Regional Conferences and, I believe, was a guest at “Coffee Parties” in our area. Lorraine Margeson, one of our past presidents and a club member, despite living in the “Valley” announced at the ARC in Moncton that she will be stepping down after 12 years as Secretary-Treasurer for the Atlantic Regional Council. This has been a big job that Lorraine has filled admirably for these many years. We are proud to have her as a member of CFUW Dartmouth and appreciate all that she has done for the Atlantic Area Clubs. Joan Payzant put together a disc that has pictures of CFUW Dartmouth members and activities between 1949 and 2008. We have a copy in the club archives and one that can be borrowed through Sally King, our archivist. Don’t forget that the children representing the Hope Blooms gardens will be appearing on the Dragons Den on November 13.

Anniversary Celebration

By Sally Ritcey & Jean Wagener

On September 19th the Dartmouth CFUW celebrated the clubs 65th Anniversary. And what a wonderful time we had. The highlight of the evening was the retro fashion show featuring garments from the 40s through to the 70s. What fun! Our president, Judy Whalen, was master of ceremonies dressed in a stylish wedding outfit. The lovely models paraded up and down the runway in everything from a beautiful wedding gown and cocktail dresses to hot pants and beach wear. Oh! That bathing beauty! Marianne Rissesco’s music , appropriate to the times and style of the costumes, added a very special touch. We were also treated to items of club history and even a guessing game of 1940 prices for groceries and other household items. The evening ended with tea and coffee and a great selection of delicious nibbles. A hard act to follow for our 70th. Many thanks to all who helped to make this evening such a great success!

Sally in her poodle skirt

Therese C. in Glenna’s wedding gown

Rebecca in her hot pant outfit – it still fits!

CFUW Bursary Winners Supper By Marion Issekutz

In September, CFUW Dartmouth held a supper for the Bursary winners of 2011, 2012 and 2013. About 12 members attended a very pleasant evening. Jessica Lohnes the 2011 recipient of a Bursary named in memory of Marjorie McGibbon, came with her mom. Jessica has completed 2 years of a Bachelor of Science degree at Dalhousie. She is enjoying her courses very much. Kelsey Ehler the 2012 recipient of a bursary named in memory of Janet McConnachie came with her mom and dad. Kelsey has completed her first year of Criminology at St. Mary’s University and is enjoying it very much. Claire Ahern the 2013 winner of a bursary named in memory of Pat Gilbert , came with her mom . Claire had just spent her first week in residence at King’s College, and was very excited. She is studying music at Dalhousie and the Foundation year at King’s Jessica Kimber the 2013 winner of a bursary named in memory of Katherine DeVan, has started her Health Sciences degree in x ray technology , at Dalhousie, and was also very excited to begin life at university. Jessica came with her mom. The CFUW members present really enjoyed meeting these delightful young women, and chatting with them, and for their part the winners and their parents were delighted to meet the members. Some of the parents had read about our club in the Snap article, and all expressed their sincere gratitude for the bursaries that in all cases were a great help in paying for tuition and books.

“National Initiative: Preventing and responding to Violence against Women and

Girls

At the CFUW 2013 AGM in Saskatoon, a national initiative on Preventing and Responding to Violence against Women and Girls was announced for the coming year. It is hoped that Clubs will be interested in working on some aspect of this issue within your local communities.

Gender-based violence is a persistent and pervasive issue in Canada, affecting approximately half of all women over the course of their lives. The mental, physical, social, and financial impacts of violence are devastating and cannot be ignored.

Recognizing the importance of this issue, CFUW has a long history of promoting women and girls safety, and advocating for stronger national and provincial action to end violence against women, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, non-state actor torture, human trafficking and prostitution. We have numerous policies on these issues, which can be found under “violence and exploitation” in the CFUW Policy Book (The Policy Book can be found on the website www.cfuw.org in the Advocacy Section – subsection Policy Book). Most recently, CFUW National has been advocating for a comprehensive national action plan/strategy to end violence against women and girls, and has been a strong supporter of aboriginal women as they lobby for action on missing and murdered aboriginal women.

With this national initiative, CFUW can be a part

of providing increased support to women and children who experience all forms of violence, help ensure that their voices are heard, and let them know that they have friends and supporters across Canada. Our collective efforts can help raise public awareness about gender-based violence, improve support and prevention, and put pressure on all levels of government to take stronger action.” – taken from the CFUW web page

At the Atlantic Regional Conference in Moncton all Clubs were urged to get in involved in the National Initiative related to violence against women. National hopes that each and every Club in Canada will undertake at least two initiatives in their area and report their efforts to the National Office. Our ongoing support of Alice Housing is a way that we have been active in this area. It was suggested that the CFUW membership, individually, might become involved in the YWCA’s Rose Campaign to send letters of concern to our Federal Members of Parliament.

This is very easy to do for anyone who has a computer. You simply “google” YWCA Rose Campaign and follow the instructions. When you insert your e-mail address your letter is directed to the MP for your area. It is a very simple way to let our representatives know of our concerns.

Coffee Party for Susan Murphy

On October 24th, eighteen members attended a Meet and Greet Coffee Party for CFUW’s National President, Susan Murphy. The party was held at the home of Glenna Conrad. It was a beautiful sunny day and everyone was in fine spirits. A number of club members contributed to a magnificent table of food to go with the coffee and tea.

Accompanying Susan were Karen Dunnett, VP Atlantic and Janet Willwerth, NS Regional Director.

Susan was on a tour of all the clubs in the Atlantic Provinces. She had met with the Halifax club the night before and was to meet the Truro Club that evening. She is full of energy and seemed to be enjoying her tour.

We all had a chance to talk with these interesting women. The atmosphere was happy and congenial. By noontime we had pretty well polished off all the food and felt that the party had been a great success.

What a spread!

Janet Willwerth, Susan Murphy & Karen Dunnett with Therese & Judy