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Club Action Newsletter:
November 11, 2022
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This publication contains time-sensitive information directed to Club Executives and members and pertains to CFUW activities and events. Please send relevant pieces to ALL Club Members.
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- President's Message
- Remembrance Day - Women in Service by Molly Lamb Bobak
- Linda Souter, CFUW National President 1985 – 1988
- Application for CFUW UNCSW Delegation
- You are invited: CFUW Think Tank about the State of Health care in Canada - Thursday November 24th @ 7:00 PM ET on Zoom
- International Service Project: Canadian Women 4 Women in Afghanistan - An Update & Reminders
- CFUW Membership Numbers & Dues Payments
- Sharing Corner
- University Women's Club North York Virtual Event: More Options, More Choice: Aging Your Way - November 28th @ 7:00PM
- FEMU: State, Society and Caregivers - Dec. 1 & Dec. 2
- UWCNY Virtual Event: When Gun Violence Hits Home - December 5 @ 7:00PM
- Sign the Petition in support of the CFUW National Resolution -
Strengthening Bail Laws to Protect Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
- Recording: Casey Oliver on Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence
- Because They Were Women - Book Review
- GWI Updates
- Club Newsletters
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October 28, 2022 marked Robin Jackson’s last day as CFUW’s Executive Director after years of dedicated service and leadership to our organization. Pictured here, she is having a rare lunch out with Heather Lewis, former VP Ontario. We all wish Robin all the best in the future and are grateful she will continue to have a role in the development of the CFUW Leadership Institute. Recruitment efforts for a new ED continue.
Until such time as a new ED is in place the Board has approved an Interim Executive Management team who will be responsible for operational oversight. The team consists of CFUW President (chair), Acting President Linda Sestock, VP Finance, Susan Lane and the Governance Committee Chair, Vicky Grabb. Robin will be providing time-limited contracted services to support a smooth transition.
Regretfully, Brittany Sagriff has made the difficult decision to leave CFUW to concentrate on her health and wellness in preparation for motherhood. Her last day will be November 21, 2022. Although we are so pleased for Brittany as she enters this new phase of life, her contributions are appreciated, and she will be missed. Brittany became known to members as she answered member questions and helped so many of us during COVID to master Zoom communication. Brittany also had a key role in the behind the scenes work in our recent AGM and policy session. Recruitment for the membership coordinator will begin shortly.
Visual Identity and Re-naming Announcement
After careful consideration of member feedback, the organization’s communication needs now and in the future and the human and fiscal costs of a name change, the Board has made a decision. On November 1, 2022 the Board unanimously accepted the recommendation of the Special Committee on Visual Identity and Renaming and voted to move to the use of the acronym CFUW in public and internal communications. The Board also accepted the Special Committee’s recommendation regarding rebranding and voted to move forward with a branding refresh which will include a new tagline that describes our work, logo and suite of key messages.
Key messages will include recommendations on how to answer the question what does CFUW stand for? Canadian Federation of University Women will continue to be the organization’s legal name and honors the heritage of our founding activists who were university graduates. The Special Committee on Visual Identity and Renaming (VIR) will be working with the Communications and Membership committee on the rebranding under the leadership of Sheila Service, VP BC and Chair of the VIR and Communications committees. The consulting firm KiK has already been engaged and started work around CFUW naming and rebranding. In due course, Clubs will be advised of the communication changes you will be asked to make and the National Office will provide technical support and a suite of tools to assist you.
Branding is important but at the Club level, our membership will only grow if prospective members experience CFUW clubs as welcoming to all women who share our Vision, Mission, and Values.
I attended my first RD Committee meeting and what a thrill to hear that some clubs are not only replacing the loss of members but are experiencing substantial growth! Demonstrating that we are an inclusive welcoming organization that cannot wait.
On behalf of the Board, thank you in advance for your continued patience during a time of transition and discovery. If you would like to reach me or communicate with the Board, please email boardmember@cfuw-fcfdu.ca.
Joy Hurst
CFUW President
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Remembrance Day - November 11, 2022
Painting: New Recruits by Molly Lamb Bobak
CFUW remembers Canadian soldiers and veterans with gratitude. We hope that our work contributes a small part to a future of peace and fewer people having to know the reality of war.
Learn about Canadian women in war and see the incredible art of official war artist Molly Lamb Bobak in a virtual exhibition on The War Museum's website: Women in Service - The War Art of Molly Lamb Bobak
(shoutout to CFUW Orillia for sharing this art on their facebook!)
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Linda Souter, CFUW National President
1985 – 1988
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CFUW is saddened to learn of the death of Past CFUW President Linda Souter.
Linda was President of CFUW from 1985 to 1988. She assumed the role of Coordinator of International Relations from 1988 to 1990; was elected to the board of the International Federation of University Women (now called Graduate Women International) for the 1992 to 1995 term and again in 1995 to 1998 and was elected as President of IFUW for the 1998 to 2001 Triennium.
CFUW members are indebted to Linda for her many accomplishments in advancing women’s equality and higher education for women. Two of her leadership initiatives, which remain very much in evidence today, are her work to open up sustained access to government and meetings with Members of Parliament and setting up a permanent office for CFUW in Ottawa.
The following quote from Linda embodies her vision and spirit of civic responsibility:
“I dream of a world where the daughters of our children and their children’s children will be valued for who they are and who they can be; where they will be free to laugh, to play, to explore, to study and learn so they can reach their potential; where they can grow to womanhood in homes and communities where they are free from fear, discrimination, violence and war.”
In 2019, a group of members of CFUW St. John's formed an Editorial Board with chief editor Faith Balisch and chaired by Grace Hollett, to review and edit the biographies of all the Past Presidents of CFUW from 1919.
To read Linda’s bio, click on this link:
https://cfuw.org/bio-past-presidents/linda-palmer-souter-1930/
The CFUW Charitable Trust will dedicate its Legacy Fund in 2023 to the memory of Linda Souter. To make a donation to the Legacy Fund, please visit the following website:cfuwcharitabletrust.ca/how-to-donate.
Alternatively, a cheque may be sent to the Treasurer of the CFUW CT:
Ruth Weaver,
1392 Petrie Way,
Mississauga, ON
L5J 1G5.
Please designate your donation as “in memory of Linda Souter”.
Linda’s full obituary is found here.
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Application for CFUW’s Delegation to the
67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW)
March 6- 17, 2023
Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
Participating in UNCSW is the primary opportunity for CFUW to contribute to global dialogue regarding the status of women within the United Nations framework. It is also provides a platform for meeting with our international partners and an opportunity to influence domestic policy as Federal Ministers are in attendance at the session. Insert our link for – CSW67 written statement
The sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place from 6-17 March 2023 and will consider the priority theme of “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.” The session will also review the agreed conclusions of the sixty-second session, “Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls” This year the sessions at the UN will be “in person” with the NGO parallel sessions, hybrid.
CFUW will be attending in person as well as hosting an in-person parallel event during the first week of CSW March 6-10 (most delegates will choose to arrive the weekend before.) It is exciting to be able to return to the United Nations again and an opportunity that we wish all our members could experience. However, even if you are unable to attend in person, all NGO virtual parallel events are open to the public. You do not need to be a CFUW delegate to participate.
Travel costs have increased since the last in-person CSW in 2019. Hotels near the UN start at $225 US (double occupancy). If you are considering going, we would suggest that you reserve soon and that you travel with a partner or that you let us know if you are willing to share.
Please note the following CFUW goals for our participation in UNCSW:
1. Advance CFUW's capacity for effective advocacy (by exposure to a wide range of advocacy strategies and UN Women sponsored advocacy training)
2. Increase CFUW member knowledge of intersectionality of issues, multilateral and intersectoral perspective of issues related to the status of women, for example not only how social factors such as race, class and gender create overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage but also how the issue is viewed by different sectors such as government, civil society, and the private sector.
3. Contribute actively to global dialogue and advocacy (by presentation and participation in of parallel event and submission of written and oral statements/position papers, briefing notes, etc)
4. Network with other women, national and international NGO's
5. Provide opportunity for personal growth and learning of CFUW members
Application Deadline: January 03, 2023
Apply Now!
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You are invited to a
CFUW Think Tank about the State of Health Care in Canada
Thursday November 24th @ 7:00 PM ET on Zoom
Navigating Canada's Health Care System is challenging these days. Finding the right care at the right time in the right place is tough given the state of the system. It's not just one province - the national public health care system is breaking down everywhere. Ministers of Health asked for more dollars - will money solve the problems?
What are YOUR stories? What have you heard? What do you know from experience? What are the contributing factors to the situation with health care?
So what can CFUW do to change the situation?
Come join the VP Advocacy, Heather Oxman, and the VP Education, Kathy Wosnick, as we explore with you the issues related to the roiling state of health care in Canada.
Please register in advance here.
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International Service Project:
Canadian Women 4 Women in Afghanistan
Reminders and an Update
Photo: Canadian Women 4 Women in Afghanistan
Holiday Fundraising and Reminder of Dates
Just a reminder that this year, the Board of Directors voted to change the name and the structuring of annual projects. This means that fundraising for the Darakht-E Danesh Library (DDL) and CW4WA will end in early February. Our new (TBD) international service project will commence fundraising on International Development Week (February 5-11) in 2023. If you're doing holiday fundraising, it would be a great time to raise funds for the DDL!
How to Donate
Donate by sending a cheque to the CFUW National Office (address at the bottom of this newsletter). If you would like to donate individually, you can donate on the CW4WA website by clicking "DONATE", selecting "DDL FUND", specifying "CFUW" as your organization (you are still eligible for a tax receipt).
Recent Webinar
You can find the recording of the November 3rd Webinar on Fundraising and the Darakht-E Danesh Library on the CFUW youtube page.
Advocacy and Fundraising Ideas from CW4WA
- Host a Breaking Bread Event
- Host a Film Screening - Films on Afghanistan here!
- Check out the regularly updated CW4WA Advocacy page for updates on the situation in Afghanistan and CW4WA's advocacy work
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CFUW Membership Numbers & Dues Payments |
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Your Club should submit their membership numbers by January 31st, 2023 through the CFUW Membership database (cfuwmemebrship.org). Clubs can begin to submit their membership numbers in November.
From these numbers, your Club's membership dues invoice will be generated. Click here to learn how to retrieve your Club's invoice. Your Club's dues should be paid by March 31st, 2023.
We encourage early submission of membership payments. All Clubs that pay their dues by March 31st, 2023, will be put into a draw to win a Kindle.
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Are You Ready to Age in Place?
University Women’s Club North York (UWCNY) invites you to attend More Options, More Choice: Aging Your Way – a virtual presentation via Zoom with Sue Lantz, Founder and Managing Director of Collaborative Aging on Monday, November 28 at 7:00 pm. You will learn about a holistic approach to planning, arranging, and preparing for the life you want to live tomorrow.
Sue will present a thought-provoking conversation to broaden your perspective on aging in the places you choose, with the best support and resources within your community. Participants will be inspired to map out their own plans in a practical, unique, and collaborative way using the five-strategy framework and various tools within the " Options Open" Guide.
Details about purchasing a copy of Options Open: The Guide for Mapping Your Best Aging Journey will be shared at the event. For more information, visit https://optionsopen.org and https://collaborativeaging.com.
CLICK HERE to register for this event. |
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When Gun Violence Hits Home
How safe is your community? Join Caryn Lieberman of Global News in conversation with Claire Smith and Ken Price, whose daughter Samantha survived the 2018 Danforth shooting. This life-altering event galvanized Claire and Ken’s resolve to become ardent gun control activists. They founded Danforth Families for Safe Communities – a support network for the other families impacted by the shooting. Caryn will explore how this Danforth family turned tragedy into activism.
University Women’s Club North York (UWCNY) is hosting this virtual event on the eve of the 33 rd anniversary of the 1989 Montréal Massacre at École Polytechnique and the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. This event is a 16 Days of Activism fundraiser in support of CFUW 1989 École Polytechnique Commemorative Awards. The CFUW Charitable Trust provides three awards ($19,000 total value) for graduate studies in any field relevant to women.
To donate to the CFUW Charitable Trust, CLICK HERE.
To register for this event, CLICK HERE.
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Sign the Petition in support of the CFUW National Resolution -
Strengthening Bail Laws to Protect Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
One of the CFUW National Resolutions this year was Strengthening Bail Laws to Protect Victims of Intimate Partner Violence.
CFUW Orillia, with support of their Member of Parliament for Simcoe North, Adam Chambers, has created an online petition urging the Federal Government to take the actions suggested in the Resolution. Once we have garnered 500 signatures, Adam Chambers will present the petition results in the House of Commons.
Please consider signing the petition as soon as possible. The petition will be closed on December 7th. Please also pass the petition link to friends and family with a personal note requesting they also sign.
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Because They Were Women - Book Review
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Description:
Fourteen young women, murdered because they were women, are memorialized in this definitive account of the tragic day that forced a reckoning with violence against women in our culture. The victims of what became known as the “Montreal Massacre” are remembered, their lives cut short on December 6, 1989 when a man entered École Polytechnique and systematically shot every young woman he encountered. The killer was motivated by a misogyny whose roots go far beyond one man and one day. This book examines how December 6 precipitated an entire cultural shift in thinking around gender-based violence.
About the Author:
Josée Boileau, author of Because They Were Women, has been a journalist for more than thirty years, many of those for Quebec’s Le Devoir newspaper, where she became Editor in Chief. Today, she is a current affairs commentator for CBC/Radio Canada and Chatelaine, and a book columnist for Journal de Montréal. She has received a number of honors, including the Hélène-Pednault prize in recognition of her feminist activism. She lives in Montreal.
Read the full review here.
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