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THE PRO LINE Answers to Your Questions During the past few months. I have had the opportunity to answer several interâ€" esting questions conceming the Women‘s Institute (W'I) organization. In this issue. I will share some of these questions, and my answers. with you. What is the Women's Institute? The first answer that comes to mind is our mission statement, “an organization for per- sonal growth and community action." But, as often as not. the person asking the question responds with another question - “What do you mean?" At this point you start mentioning the fun. the fellowship and the feeling of community at meetings. You mention the care with which local history is recorded and the sup- port for the 4â€"H programs. Then you refer to all the things you learn at meetings about agriculture. citizenship, international affairs, culture. education, and the rest of our pro gram areas. That leads to talking about the self-confidence that you gain as a member by learning meeting procedure. leadership skills. social skills. team work and problem solving. Of course. you also feel that you cannot forget our national and international links with seven million women around the world. By this time. it is obvious that it is difficult to define the Women’s Institute Perhaps the member who stated that “WI used to be called the rural woman‘s univerr sity. a place for women to gather and leam about things that interest all of us,” has the best definition of all. Is the Women’s institute a “feminist” organization? Although Women's Institutes place a great deal of emphasis on home and family. the organization encourages all women to ex- pand their outlook and extend their influence in today's world. The WI promotes the value of women in our society. WI also endorses a policy requiring employers to choose the most qualified person to fill any position. regardless of sex. race. colour or creed. So. is the WI a “feminist” organization? Not really. Feminism is a social movement that advo- cates women‘s rights on grounds of equality of the sexes. It seeks to change the traditional role and image of women and to eliminate sexism. Commonly called “Women‘s Lib." it has a history of extremes. including dem- onstrations and bra burnings. Betty Friedan, probably the best known American feminist, wrote The Feminine Mystique in 1963. in which she debunked the popular notions that A Home A Country. Summer '95 women could only find fulfillment in home- making and raising children. This movement promoted women‘s rights. no mutterthe cost. Is the Women's Institute primarily a “lobby” group? A lobbyist is someone employed to influ- ence legislators to introduce or votc for measures favourable to the interest they rep- resent. In the Women's Institute. members intro- duce resolutions to express the opinions of the organization for the benefit of the IIIIJJOT- ity of the population. Resolutions are researched carefully as they are discussed at the various levels. and are used to promote worthy causes. Because resolutions are only one aspect of Women‘s Institute work. it would be difficult to describe the WI solely as a “lobby” group. If the Women's Institute does not “do” bingos. how do they raise funds? There are as many different methods of fund raising as there are BrancheslThere are card parties. fashion shows. bus trips. Dutch auctions. silent auctions. Chinese auctions. bake sales. book sales. hat sales. Teshirt sales and note-paper sales. Some groups cater to banquets; others pass a basket at each meet- ing. Semetimes roll call is “donate yourwaist size in pennies" or “give a dime for each cup of coffee you drunk today." or “give aquaner for each book you read in the past month." Fund raising is one area in which WI mem- bers tend to show both their independence and their resourcefulness. The donor olfunds always receives value for their “donation.” The Women's Institute does not believe In simply asking for charity. Over the years. WI members have raised funds for local and provincial scholarships and projects.forinternationalaidthroughthe Associated Country Women of the World_ and for charities and community initiatives Is the Women's Institute a dying organization? Our local Branch is disbanding; is this a trend throughout the province? Although there are Branches that are dlS~ banding. there are also new Branches forming. Some of the newer Branches since l992 include Woodland Springs (Grey Bruce Area). Westside (Kingston Area), Nonh Shore and Marlbank (Trent Valley Area). Oswego (Hamilton Area). First Toronto (Central Area) and Parry Sound (Northern Area). In the 199394 fiscal year. there were over 400 new WI members. This hardly seems like a dying organization. when our membership is at about 16.000. The challenge to all members is to create interest. especially in those regions where there are no Branches. The need for wont, to have access to the fellowship. sense community, knowledge and information available through the WI is greater now than ever before. Each member can help the New Branch Organizer in her efforts to create enthusiasm for the WI by becoming better acquainted with her and her goals. and by helping her achieve them. Mary Jane: is the Public Relations Ofi'icerfor 1hr Federated Women '5 Institutes afOniario. â€"-â€"â€"â€"_â€"â€"â€" Cleghoms continued from page 1 In spite of her involvement with the farm. Wilma has also found time to become a Women’s Institute member. She joined the West End Branch in the mid-19705. when her children became involved in 4-H, a program sponsored by the WI. She became an active 4»H Agriculture Club Leader. “It was my way of giving back to the community." she said. Since. Wilma has given a great deal more as a Women‘s Institute member. For years. her Branch ran the kitchen at the Brubacher Sale Barn on Highway 86. This was a lucra- tive money-making activity. and their Branch was able to donate to a variety of local causes. They gave money towards the pur» chasing of equipment for the Guelph General Hospital and the Mobility Service within the city. as well as for playground equipment at the Guelph Township Park. “We were able to make donations to almost anybody who asked." she said. Since giving up mnning the kitchen at the Bnibacher Sale Earn. the West End Branch has looked to other money-maki ng ventures. including catering, garage sales and fun fairs. The proceeds made from a very successful Fun Fair at the Marden School. for example' were sent to the ACWW Water for All Pro- jBCl. When Wilma is not involved in farm or Institute work. she takes on calligraphy PTO- Jects as a sideline business. .l Written by Janine RDelens-Granl.