– CFUW Nepean

Advocacy Activities

advocacy-award

ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES FOR 2022-2023

  • Sponsoring Kelly Favro’s Zoom presentation on her experience with sexual assault and publication bans.
  • Raising awareness of gender-based violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) through Facebook posts during the 16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence (Nov. 25-Dec. 10) and throughout the year. Some of our posts focused on GBV/IPV issues in Ottawa and the surrounding area.
  • Co-hosting the very successful GWI webinar on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Over 80 people participated, from several different countries.
  • Co-hosting the GWI webinar “Choose to Refuse Single-Use Plastics”, which was very informative and well-attended.
  • Holding a profitable clothing drive for the Scholarship Trust.
  • Selling Rotary Cash Calendars for the Scholarship Trust.
  • Raising funds for Cornerstone Housing for Women by participating in the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) walk – well done, CFUW Nepean Cold Walkers team!
  • Reviewing resolutions forwarded by National from other CFUW clubs, and sending our comments to the clubs involved.
  • Donating items throughout the year to organizations that help women and children in need: Elizabeth Fry, Interval House, Cornerstone, House to Home, and Minwaashin.

 

ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES FOR 2021-2022

  • Co-hosting a three-part webinar series, “Tackling The Environmental Crisis: Together We Can”, attended by over 200 people.
  • Co-hosting a GWI virtual Peer-to-Peer Conversation in honour of International Women’s Day, “It’s a Celebration: Sharing Traditions of How Women Celebrate”.
  • Selling Rotary Cash Calendars for the Scholarship Trust.
  • Raising funds for Cornerstone Housing for Women by participating in the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY) walk – well done, CFUW Nepean Cold Walkers team!
  • Reviewing resolutions forwarded by National from other CFUW clubs, and sending our comments to the clubs involved.
  • Donating items throughout the year to organizations that help women and children in need: Elizabeth Fry, Interval House, Cornerstone, House to Home, and Minwaashin.

 

ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES FOR 2020-2021

CFUW members, throughout the year, sent letters of concern to municipal, provincial and federal levels of government on such matters as Long Term Care, Guaranteed Basic Income, Human trafficking, Gun Control, and the peace process in Afghanistan.  We also became a signatory to the statement, authored by the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual diversity, Wisdom4Action, and Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, which calls upon feminist leaders in Canada to proclaim their commitment to trans inclusion and the rejection of Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminism.  CFUW Nepean brought this to the attention of national, who became a signatory as well.

In October, CFUW Nepean executive decided that the issue of single use plastics in the environment was  sufficiently concerning that a resolution about banning them should be proposed to National.  The submitted intent was accepted by National, a resolution was researched and prepared, and submitted before the deadline in January.  Suggested amendments from five clubs were considered, changes made, and resolution re-submitted.  Comments of approval have been received from several clubs.

Resolutions from other CFUW clubs were forwarded by National. These  were examined by teams of CFUW Nepean members, and amendments sent to the clubs involved.

Outreach, active throughout the year, distributed knitted items, toiletries, pjs, and Tim Horton cards in December to Cornerstone, Interval House, and the Elizabeth Fry Society.  In the spring, further contributions such as diapers, were made to Interval House.

CFUW Nepean joined CFUW Ottawa in the Walk to Kabul, a virtual walk to express concern for the treatment of girls and women in Afghanistan.  Ten members, joined by family and friends, walked 3991.8 kilometers.

The EAC (Environment Action Committee) , a new CFUW Nepean initiative, meets the first and third Thursdays of each month to discuss  possible club action to benefit the environment.  The Green Grapevine informs members about products which can help replace and reduce plastic use.

CFUW Nepean supported Days for Girls Nepean in their work of supplying reusable menstrual supplies where needed.

In June, CFUW Nepean will assist in the distribution of 15,000 saplings.

Advocacy Committee  Marcia Armstrong, Susan Russell, Marilyn Letts, Joan Conrod


ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES FOR 2017-2018

  • Many thanks to Ena Gwen Jones who continued as acting Chair for the Advocacy Committee.
  • CFUW Nepean donated personal care items in December and baby diapers in May to Interval House.
  • Household necessities were donated to Syrian and Colombian refugee families.
  • As a Canada 150 project, contributed household items to Cornerstone who provide safe, affordable housing and the right supports for women making the transition from a crisis to a better life.
  • Financial donations were made to a library in Ghana.
  • CFUW Nepean members assisted at the Barrhaven Food Cupboard in November.
  • President, Marlene Sylvester, wrote letters to local MPs to repeal the Canada/United States Safe Third Country Agreement thereby opening Canada’s doors for refugees.
  • CFUW Nepean Scholarship Trust Fund has donated $6,000.00 in scholarships in 2018. Algonquin College received three $1000.00 Scholarships for Nursing students and two $1000 Scholarships for Information Technology students. A special $1000 scholarship was provided to a resident of Cornerstone Housing for Women. To date scholarships totaling $29,200 have been awarded. Two Fundraisers were held in 2017-2018.
  • International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 10, 2018 at the Woodroffe United Church with the presentation of the play ‘Women Vote Indirect’ by Joan Conrad. The play was a new look at the Fathers of Confederation as viewed by the women in their lives. This is a joint effort between CFUW Nepean, CFUW Ottawa and CFUW Kanata. The Nepean portion of the proceeds go towards the 2018 Scholarship for Cornerstone.

ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES FOR 2016-2017

  • Ena Gwen Jones was acting Chair for the Advocacy Committee.
  • CFUW Nepean donated personal care items in December and baby diapers in May to Interval House.
  • Household necessities were donated to Syrian refugees.
  • As a Canada 150 project, contributed to Cornerstone who provide safe, affordable housing and the right supports for women making the transition from a crisis to a better life.
  • Financial donations were made to Project TEMBO to support their providing education for girls in Tanzania.
  • Pat Amundrud organized volunteers to work at the Ottawa Food Bank on April 18, 2017. CFUW Nepean assisted at the Jockvale Food Bank.
  • President, Marlene Sylvester, wrote letters to local MPs to repeal the Canada/United States Safe Third Country Agreement thereby opening Canada’s doors for refugees.
  • CFUW Nepean Scholarship Trust Fund has donated $4000.00 to Algonquin College for four $1000.00 Scholarships to students in the Nursing Program. To date scholarships totaling $23,200 have been awarded. Two Fundraisers were held in 2016-2017.
  • International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 8, 2017 at the Ben Franklin Centre with the theme ‘NORTHERN FOOTSTEPS’. This featured France Rivet enchanting us with her book ‘In the Footsteps of Abraham Ulikrab’ along with music by Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year award winners Twin Flames. This is a joint effort between CFUW Nepean, CFUW Ottawa and CFUW Kanata and provided funds that go towards the 2019 Scholarships.

ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES 2015-2016

  • Ena Gwen Jones was the chair of the Advocacy Standing Committee.
  • CFUW Nepean donated toiletries to Interval House in December 2015 and Diapers, Diaper Wipes in May 2016.
  • FAMSAC (Emergency Food Program looked after by Bells Corners United, Knox United, St Martin de Porres RC and Christ Church Anglican) Start Up is slow by CFUW Nepean.
  • Metro sponsored program of collected stickers based on purchases and exchanges for cutlery (Suggestion of Mary Kathryn Mowatt) will be donated to the refugee project organized by FAMSAC.
  • Volunteers from CFUW Nepean, organized by Pat Amundrud, sorted and packed donated food for the Ottawa Food Bank.
  • President, Sharon Carew, wrote CFUW template letters to MP’s.
  • CFUW Nepean Scholarship Trust Fund continues to be very active. Two Fund Raisers were held last year and Scholarships were presented to students in Algonquin College.
  • International Women’s Day, held on March 8th at the Ben Franklin Centre, was a joint effort by CFUW Nepean, CFUW Ottawa and CFUW Nepean. It was very successful and CFUW Nepean receives $790.00 for a Scholarship that will be presented in 2019.

ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES 2014-2015

  • CFUW Nepean is a small club of nearly 40 members.
  • The Barrhaven Food Centre asked our members to complete a survey. Many members completed the survey in January 2015 and many of our members already volunteer at the Food Centre.
  • One of our members is contacting The LINC Program to volunteer with it. This is a language instruction program for newcomers to Canada. It is a Conversation Circle at the South Point Community Centre.
  • Letter Writing Campaign occurred during January 2015. Members agreed to write letters to MPs and MPPs around the CFUW 2014 Resolutions. The president wrote letters based on the templates sent out from CFUW on the results of the CFUW 2014 Resolutions.
  • The CFUW Nepean Scholarship Trust Fund is very active. CFUW Nepean members have increased the Fund Raising greatly during the last two years. Last year the Mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, was our guest speaker at our Spring Scholarship Trust Luncheon. This year our speaker was Hally Siddons from the Ottawa CFUW club. We are now organizing several Fund Raisers per year and instead of giving two $1000.00 scholarships per year to Nursing Students at Algonquin College, we are donating three $1200.00 per year for a total of $3600.00.
  • At least once a year, we donate toiletries to a Shelter For Women.
  • On October 31st, several of our members volunteered at the Ottawa Food Bank.
  • International Women’s Day – CFUW Nepean worked with Kanata and Ottawa CFUW and the Ottawa Council of Women to organize and hold a successful IWD Event on March 2, 2015.Our theme was Speaking Truth to History and our guest speaker Dr. Greta Kroeker certainly made us think about our History and background as women.
  • Rewritten Constitution – In our newly revised constitution (May 31, 2015), CFUW Nepean members have placed ADVOCACY as one of the Standing Committees.