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

Meet Your Regional VPS Self-Profile: Northern Regional VP Arthena Hecker was born in Glace Bay. Nova Scotia, but raised in Wawa. Ontario. a small mining community. After attending Shaw‘s Business School in Toronto, I returned home to work; there I married my husband, Seigfried. and had a son. Seigfried wanted to hobby farm, so we purchased fifty acres on St. Joseph Island. I spent much of my time volunteering - teaching religious education at the local public school. working at the school library. teaching 4H. and working as Secretary for the local Red Cross. PreSently. I am involved in my church as President of the Ladies Guild. and as a church warden, I also work partâ€"time at a local hardware store, Ijoined the Clover Valley Branch of the Women‘s Institute about 18 years ago. Currently. I am the President of our Branch. the Board Director for Subdivision 30 and Northern Regional Viceâ€"President. I have also held various offices at the Branch and District (Algoma North Shore) level. Ijoined the Women‘s Institute because Gail Murdock. a former Board Director. invited me to come to a meeting. Having never heard of the WI before. I was surprised at their scope and at the fact that all this was going on so quietly. The fellowship was what enticed me tojoin. The fact that I learned and grew as an individual, as I became more and more involved, was an added bonus. There is an opportunity for everyone to participate in the Women‘s Institute. All talents are used. This is the strength of the WI. and will be their strength into the next century. By participating in the Women‘s Institute. I feel that I am contributing to my community and my country. And as members ofthe Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW). we have the opportunity to help people in other lands. This never ceases to amaze me. Women helping women to learn and grow worldwide. We are truly a unique organization. The opportunity to serve as Board Director and Regional Vice-President has been an experience that I shall always remember. We are in the process of change. and it has been an exciting time to be a pan of this process. I hope to be a part of the Women’s Institute for many more years - serving. learning and growing. Self-Profile: Western Regional VP Joan Playle I was born on a farm in Saskatchewan, moved to British Columbia for my early schooling. then to Ontario for high school and university. A year after my marriage to Jack in 1954. we moved to a farm on the outskirts of Guelph. [joined the West End Branch in 1956. as a good way to meet my neighbours. Various opportunities for Women‘s Institute service have come my way, including Branch President and Secretary-Treasurer. District Secretary-Treasurer and Guelph Area Secretary. However. Chair of the Crafts Section of the Women's Program at the 1984 International Plowing Match in Wellington County was a big step in my Women‘s Institute “career.” That was followed by Program Chair for the FWIO at both Conference ‘88 in Kingston and Conference '90 in Ottawa. My four years as Secretary-Treasurer of the Erland Lee (Museum) Home Committee have been a highlight of my Women‘s Institute work, Now. I'm excited about my involvement as Program Co-Chair of Conference '97. My term as Board Director for Subdivision 12 and as Westem Regional Vice-Presiâ€" dent is bringing many challenges. but also opportunities to return to the organization some of the benefits I have gained over my thirty-nine years as an active Women's Institute member. I would urge any member to face and accept the challenge and “become involved." You don‘t really know what you can do until you try! The Choir of the First Baptist Church in Guelph is one of my pleasurable commitn ments. as is involvement in various congregational activities. Reading. weaving and needlework are my hobbies and I have taught various craft classes. I have two children. David and Kathy. and delight in three grandchildren. Opportunities to travel with my husband 7 camping. participating on tours. or attending both FWIC and ACWW conferences - were a real bonus in our lives. I’d like to pay tribute to my late husband, Jack. for his constantencouragemcnt and support in all my Women’s Institute activities. I couldn’t have done it without him! 12 Home & Country. Summer '95 Butler Project Completed he Women's Institutes of Oxford North and South Districts have completed their joint educational effort - The Butler Project. Some of you will remember the domestic animal pictures that decorated the one-room school houses. To- day. as children become more and more removed from an agricultural background. the need for visual information is even more important. The women involved with this Project have worked long and hard contacting the different breed organizations. having Ross Butler‘s true type prints updated and created. and compiling the teacher's guide to accompany the pictures. The kits have been issued to every school in Ontario. Kits are still available from Vivian McDonald at RR 2. Thamesford. Ontario, NOM 2M0. or by contacting your local Branch of the Women’s Institute. From left to right in the back row are Butler Project Committee members Margaret Lee, Linda Hammond. Kae Ross and Donna Kittmer. In the front row are Ilene Chesterman (left) and Vivian McDonald (right). Jean Roberts and Beth Deslippe were not present. Submitted by Chris Wlflen. F'RD.OI10IU NI:th Dislnct. WI Workshop a Success Glenna Smith. Provincial Program Co- ordinator for the Women’s Institutes, was the keynote speaker at a day-long workshop for Program Co-ordinators in the Hamilton Area. Helen Young. Hamilton Area Proâ€" gram Co-ordinator and a member of the Lynnville WI. planned the workshop. About eighty women attended. Barbara Oldfield, Secretary-Treasurer of the Erland Lee (Museum) Home and a member of the Wentworth South WI, was the first to sign up for the workshop. Submllled by Halon Young, Frograrn Coordinator, Hamlltan Area WI.