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Profile: . Working to Keep Members in the Media By Janine Roelens-Grant ewly elected Public Relations Officer for the Federated Women‘s Institutes of Ontario (FWIO). Mary Janes, says mem- bership in the Women’s Institute is very important to her. She remarked:”For meWI provides the fellowship of my community and information about a wide variety of top- ics. and it stimulates new interests. It also provides opportunities to take on responsibil- ity and leadership. and to meet a wide circle of interesting people." During her twenty years as a member ofthe Warwick Women‘s Institute Branch. Mary James has participated in many officers‘ con- ferences. workshops and conventions, and led workshops at all three levels. She has also held offices at Branch. District and Area levels. Her present positions include Tweedsmuir Curator at Branch level and Resolutions Convenor at District level. The resolution recently passed at Provincial Board concerning new reproductive tech- nologies was researched and developed in her Branch as a result of a newspaper article Mary presented at a meeting. As Branch President in the late 19705. her first challenge was to come to an agreement with the local Township Council concerning the use of the local township hall. Mary’s presentation to Council made her quickly realize that their Branch needed to change its image in the community before it would be taken seriously. During that time, her Branch had a chair lift installed to enable more peo- ple to use the hall. This. and other such projects, have raised the profile of the WI to the extent that members are now asked to participate on committees by Council. As District President in the early [9805, Mary helped organize members in Lambton North to make and present the Fairfield Family Puppet Kit to Lambton County schools. The kit was designed to encourage the teaching of agriculture related topics. To promote its use in the schools. she arranged a workshop for teachers during one of their professional development days. Two news- papers covered the event. Three radio interviews resulted and CBC TV Windsor came to Warwick Central School to televise the puppets in action at an assembly. Having made a start promoting District activities, she became the District Public Relations Officer. Her four-year term in cluded bimonthly reports to four newspapers about District and FWIO activities. The Area Program Co-ordinator's position provided a new challenge - how to make a long report interesting. Mary chose to create a composite W] member and show where her interests lay and Where she could expand her interests in the future. This way. compiling the District reports was a more exciting task than just repeating program ideas. This past year has been a particularly excit- ing time in Women’s Institute work in Warwick. Mary chaired her Branch’s Environmental Education Committee. Working in co-operation with Laidlaw Waste Systems and Warwick Township Council. the Committee helped plan an adult environmental education program for the community. The Warwick WI was invited to participate because of their involvement in establishing a recycling depot at the landfill site. and developing an ongoing public eduv cation program to use it. The adult environmental education proâ€" gram organized three inforrnation evenings. which included displays and speakers on re» ducing. reusing and recycling. composting. household hazardous waste and the Lambton County Waste Management Master Plan. After Mary janes moved to Warwick over twenty years ago. a neighbour invited her outta a Women '5 Institute meeting. New to the community as a young school teacher. ‘the Women‘s institute was the place to meet people. she said. After leavrng teaching to raise her three children, Mrs. [ones kept active in the Warwick Women '3 Institute and served at various levels until her election to the provrncial Executive late in I 994. - Excerpt extruded from an article in The Sumru 0b.ren'er. February. I995. Mary Janes The finale was an environmental concert last November. Not only was there radio. televi- sion and press coverage. the Women‘s institute was publicized in Thr Spotlighu'r. Laidlaw's international newsletter. Mary remarked that over the past fifteen years. she has learned the value of public relations work and how to get publicity when it is merited. With ussrstance from her hus- band. Paul. she helped publicize - via radio. television and press - the first corn drive in the Watt'ord-Forest area for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. And in l992. after several years of re« search. Mary and her husband received approval from the Ontario Heritage Foundation for a provincial heritage plaque to commemorate the work of Joseph Russell Little. an early Methodist preacher in Lambton County. A song. Uncle Joe's Last Ride. was written and performed by James Gordon as part of his Hometown Tunes se ries on CBC Radio's Ontario Moming. The unveiling of the plaque in 1993 received radio. lelcvision and press coverage across Southern Ontario. Leading up to this event. Mary compiled the research material into a 74-page book. Joseph Russell Little: Saddle- Img Preacher. As Public Relations Officer. Mary com- mented that she "would like to return to the organization some of what she has received by promoting it throughout the provrnce." In the future. she. feels that the Public Relations Officer needs to work in two directions. She explained: “The work of the Women's Institute needs to he kept in the public eye through press. television and radio coverage. But. it is equally important to encourage and retain the enthusiasm of members. as their attitude does more than any press release." Home a. Country, Spring '95 7