President’s Message

President’s Message to CFUW Nepean 2025-26

Message from the President – Carole Baker

CFUW Nepean was recognized at the July 2025 Virtual CFUW National AGM:

1. Celebrating club innovation – Nepean received a Special Award for the original historical plays written and directed by Joan Conrod and Marlene Sylvester.
2. Celebrating increased membership numbers – Nepean achieved a high % member increase.
3. Celebrating our talented members – CFUW National showcased the play written by Joan Conrod about Grace Annie Lockhart – the first woman university graduate in Canada.

Our club continues to enjoy strong membership growth and participation in our many areas of interest and community support.

Creativity – The CFUW Nepean Players are the actors/characters in historical plays which have been highly successful in raising funds for our Scholarship Trust.

Education – The Scholarship Trust provides six $1000.00 awards to deserving young women at Algonquin College to further their education.  There are three scholarships, and three bursaries which include one indigenous person.

Advocacy and Community Support – Our Period Products Drive to collect and provide period products for the Barrhaven Food Cupboard almost completely filled a car!

In addition, we have collected multiple items to support refugees, and women and their children at Interval House, Cornerstone House and House to Home.

Program and Events Planning – Our enterprising Program Convenor, Sue Carter, schedules thought-provoking and inspiring speakers for our General Meetings and Speaker Series. Other events include our Christmas lunch and Annual AGM at the Waterford Grand Retirement Residence in Barrhaven.

Many of our club members came together to generate a lovely White Wine and Strawberries Fundraising event in June which was a resounding success and provided an opportunity to mingle and enjoy a beautiful garden on a beautiful day.

In addition, two groups enjoyed a Pontoon Boat Tour at the Long Island Locks in June.

Interest Groups – A wide range of interest groups led by our enthusiastic convenors includes bridge, books, art tours, travel talk, luncheons, movie matinees, theatre, exercise and chat, and environmental action.

Together, we will continue to prosper and meet life’s challenges as a strong group of women dedicated to education, advocacy and community support.

President’s Message to CFUW Nepean 2024-25

Dear fellow members,

On June 11th a Club Executive Crossover meeting hosted by Past President Joan Conrod welcomed
me as your new President for 2024-2025 – there is even an official gavel that goes with this position!
We have enjoyed a successful year and I am looking forward to another positive year with our
dynamic club.

We held our May AGM Dinner at the Waterford Grand Retirement Home in Barrhaven with an
engaging and informative speaker, Donna Shields Poë. She spoke about the 125th anniversary of
the May Court Club of Ottawa.

The well attended Garden Party and House Tour in June hosted by Betty Ann Grainger raised
$2000.00 for the Scholarship Trust. Thanks to your generous contributions to fill our three gift
baskets, the raffle added another $400.00.

Another successful June event was the Pontoon Boat Ride from the Nichols Island Long Island
Locks in Manotick organized by Sue Carter. It was an enjoyable afternoon on the Rideau River as
we cruised past the lovely homes and scenery in good company.

As President, I attended the July AGM in Edmonton with Joan Conrod, Past President, and Marcia
Armstrong, Past President and VP Membership Ontario. It was the first in person AGM since 2020
and was a well-organized event with 132 club representatives from coast to coast in attendance.

We are looking forward to the gathering on Parliament Hill September 21st- World Peace Day.
An assembly of CFUW members, friends, and supporters of Peace will gather on Parliament Hill
with a display of hundreds of colorful panels calling for Peace in our troubled world.

CFUW clubs across Canada have sent in their Pieces4Peace to be displayed on the Hill. Our
indefatigable Past President, Joan Conrod, is fully involved and is encouraging everyone to
participate and create their own banner. Joan set up a P4P workshop at the AGM and many
attendees, including our new CFUW National President, Linda Sestock, contributed. Jennifer
Robinson has posted lots of information about this upcoming event on our Facebook page.
On August 16th Joan hosted a Pieces for Peace Picnic at her condo, where we painted panels for
September 21st and enjoyed a picnic lunch together.

We will start our new CFUW year at our General meeting on September 10th with Thomas A. Barber,
who will speak about his great-grandfather, Paul Barber, a formerly-enslaved Black man who moved
to Ottawa and became a respected horse trainer.

See you there!
All the Best, Carole

 

President’s Welcome to CFUW Nepean 2023-2024

Well begun is half done  –  I quote my mother  –  and last year we had just begun to come out of our COVID way of doing things.  We did begin well, and we are perhaps at least half done on our way back to preCOVID ways.

What returns have we made?  Lunching Out is back, as our tours of the National Gallery. Some of our bridge games are in person, and certainly most of our general meetings were held at Bells Corners United. Well begun to say goodbye to COVID indeed.

Return to “normal” is still considered for other interest groups. Book Club will continue to meet on Zoom, as will Travel Talk. Our executive meetings were, and might still be, on Zoom.

Perhaps Zoom is here to stay. The convenience of such meetings in the bad weather of winter, and for those who have trouble getting out and about, must be considered.

Whatever the case might be, I welcome you to the 2023-24 year of CFUW Nepean and thank you for your work, your friendship, your commitment and your advice.  Let us move ahead together, prepared to deal with the changes that will come, anticipating another great year, following the advice of Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 3  –  Wisely and slow. They stumble that move fast.

Stay safe.

Joan

Joan Conrod, President, CFUW Nepean