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Board Directors Meet A travelogue of New Zealand and Aus» tralia. combined with reports from the five Federated Women‘s Institutes ofOntario (FWIO) delegates to the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) Triennial Conference in Christchurch. kicked off the Spring FW'IO Board meeting at the Crieff Hills Community Retreat and Conference Centre south of Guelph. In herupdate of activities since the Novem- ber meeting. Donna Russett. FWIO President. spoke about the Farm Safety As- sociation. Their annual repon expressed appreciation to the Women‘s Institutes for their resolution and support concerning slow- moving vehicle signs. New legislation has recently been enacted at provincial level con- cerning the use of these signs. The Women's Institute has agreed to pub- licize and promote the Farm Safety Association's Rural Child Safety Project. from April through to October. 1995. This project is designed to increase awareness to make every farm a safer place for children. Each Board Director has a kit describing the project. Agricultural Advisory Committee It is recognized by the FWIO Board that Women‘s Institute members are not as farm- oriented as they once were. Vicki Bracket. the Board’s representative on the Agricul- tural Advisory Committee. noted in her report that there is a great deal of concem among dairy farmers about the use of BST (bovine somatotropin. a synthetic hormone which increases milk production, but may be linked to breast cancer). She also expressed concern for the poor living conditions proâ€" vided for some seasonal off-shore workers in Ontario. Not all are covered by the same regulations. and some families are living and working in conditions similar to slavery. Headquarters Fund Interesting events are taking place to reach the objective of the Headquarters Fund. Board Directors reported bakeless bake sales. beef barbecues, an evening with the Sweet Adelines, Chinese auctions. strawberry so- cials and horse shows. One Subdivision is donating the excess funds of $200 received from the bus trip to the June Barbecue in Milton to the Fund. Board Directors ex- pressed interest in a provincial card party as a fundraiser. By the end of February. 1995. a total of$337.063 had been contributed to the Headquarters Fund. 10 Home & Country. Summer ’95 By Mary Janer Health Care Committee Organized As a result ofdiscussions by Board mem- bers during the spring meeting. a Health Care Committee was struck to identify current health issues and to present briefs to the ap» propriate agencies. The Committee will provide resources for Areas, Districts and Branches to study and make recommenda» tions. This process will help WI members take an informed stand on changes being proposed at present. The Committee is chaired by Subdivision 5 Board Director. Mary Lou Norton. and includes a Board Di- rector from each region - Ann McDougall (Eastern - Subdivision 3). Margaret Richardson (Western - Subdivision 9). Mary Nicklas (Southern ~ Subdivision 23) and Joe Ann Lane (Northem - Subdivision 29). LACAC to Designate Features of Lee Home Representatives of the Stoney Creek Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Com- mittee (LACAC) presented information concerning designation of the Erland Lee (Museum) Home underthe Ontario Heritage Act. The Home is one of the best preserved examples of “gothic revival“ architecture in Ontario. The important architectural aspects include the board and batten siding. the bay windows and shutters, and the carved maple barge boards running along the gables. After a lively discussion. the FWIO Board decided to ask LACAC to designate certain features of the Home. to identify it as a heritage build ing and to help preserve it. Centennial History Book Dr. Linda Ambrose has been publicizing the WI and its history while writing the hisâ€" tory book. She has presented papers in Sudbury. Toronto and Montreal. and has written an article in Ontario History (March 1995). In order to keep the cost of the book down. Branches and Districts are being asked to donate to theBook Committee‘s fund raising. Jane Croft. Chair ofthe Committee. stated: “I don't know how to convince you that it is better to underwrite the remaining [cost of producing the book] (3510.000). than to raise the price of the book by $2 to $4." She explained that raising the price “in house" only benefits the publisher and bookseller. She added: "Those who do not pre-order books will be able to buy the centennial book in bookstores at bookstore prices. not pre-or- dercd prices." Restructuring Task Force The Strategic Plan that was initiated in 1987 to examine the long-term and short- term goals of the FWIO recognizes the need to improve the links between levels of the organization. As a result, a Restructuring Task Force has been struck. The Task Force. co-ordinated by Past President Margaret Eberle. is made up of Mae Craig (Eastern Region). Pat Osvari (Southern Region). San- dra Kell (Western Region) and Marg Atkins (Northern Region). They are reviewing the efficiency and ef~ fectiveness of all operations of FWIO. Among other objectives. they will be inves~ tigating the need for streamlining the organization so that the needs ofall members are met. investigating the workload of the Executive. the Board and the office person- nel and developing a model for the future structure of the organization. The Task Force is requesting input from all Wl members in keeping with the installation ceremony - “They have their part; equally you have yours." The report will be presented in 1997. By noon on March 30, after two full days of deliberations. the forty members of the FWIO Provincial Board left for their homes. once again renewed in their enthusiasm for the work and accomplishments of the Women‘s Institute. Mary Janet it the Publii' Relulimtr Ofiicer for the F edemred Wrrmen 'x Intlilurer (if Orr/LIth Why do WI members have to report "volunteer" hours? Volunteer hours are the time you spend doing Women’s Institute work. You could legitimately wear your WI badge during this time. The number of hours is important provincially when the FWIO negotiating team meets with government officials to ask for funding forprovincial projects. Volunteer hours show how involved we are as a commu~ .nily volunteer organization. At the spring Board meeting, each Director received a sheet explaining in detailhow to record volunteer hours and: chart on which to record them regularly. If your Branch did not rev ' 'ce‘iveor'ieofthese' sheets at your District AnnualMeeting.besuretocontactyour murmur.