This past year has had many challenges for all of us to face and we have more than survived it. Thank you for your participation and support to make it a successful time for CFUW St. Catharines as a club, for our member-ship and for our community. There are so many people to thank:
– The Program Committee and the Virtual Platform team who made it possible for us to safely gather monthly with excellent speakers and have access to Zoom for other meetings and interest groups such as book club and dining.
– The Communication Committee who reviewed and evaluated the Membership Questionnaire results, conducted focus group discussions, established a communication plan, worked endlessly on raising the visibility of the club including promotion for the House and Garden tour, and producing a monthly newsletter to keep us in touch.
– The Advocacy Committee who raised awareness of the issues facing Indigenous Women with involvement in the 16 days of Activism against gender-based violence and highlighting the endless environmental issues where we can make an impact for the future.
– The Membership Committee who so creatively celebrated new members to the club and created a new online membership form that will deal with all the privacy concerns related to online communications.
– The House and Garden Tour committee who have re-established the in-person tour for the first time since 2019, in addition to continuing the virtual tour with assistance from Niagara College. All dollars raised support scholarships for young women and local community agencies that support women and children. Thank you to all of the club members who will volunteer as guides at the homes as I know it takes a minimum of 140 of us to make it successful.
– The Charitable Fund which kept us focused on how the fundraising dollars are spent and the impact on the recipients of the scholarships and contributions.
– The 100th Anniversary Ad Hoc Committee who have kept our profile visible in the community and given us a great reason to gather in person to celebrate a century in St. Catharines at Club Roma on May 29.
– All those who kept the interest groups going – virtually and/or in person.
– Gail Neff for the last four years of her leadership and guidance as President and Past President; Lorna Whitty for her timeless detailed work on the budget and Brenda Dolha for her energy and support on Fundraising. We welcome Anne Marie Stockwell as the incoming President and Christine Marks as the incoming Vice-President. Anne Kirkpatrick will replace Christine Marks as Membership Chair.
– Grace-Ann Cambray for your leadership and guidance as the Charitable Fund Chair for the past three years. You leave it in excellent hands for the incoming Chair – Susan Hughes.
– All of the Executive Officers and the Executive Standing Committee members – your support and friendship has made this year so much easier for me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
– All who have been working behind the scenes to support CFUW St. Catharines – so many of you – thank you.
It has been a privilege and pleasure to work with women who are so committed to a club and to the development of deeper friendships.