N i n e t y W. I. m e m b e r s a t t e nd
d i s t r i c t m e e t i n g in L o u g h e ed
CP Staff Reporters / 99?
Lougheed
On February 18, members of the
Alberta Women's Institute stood up and
were recognized in the Alberta
Legislature, President Elect, Maxean
Brigley told the 90 plus members who
attended the district three conference and
workshop held in Lougheed last week.
" It was a proud day," says Brigley,
who admits she didn't expect a letter to
Agriculture Minister Ed Stelmach would
get her this far.
She wrote the MLA to request that the
government declare February 19,
Founders' Day, as W. I. Day in Alberta.
She was told that the government doesn't
make declarations anymore but was given
three options to get the recognition she
sought for the organization. She chose to
have Stelmach give a one minute speech
on the Women's Institute in the
Legislature followed by a one minute
rebuttal from the opposition.
Twenty- two women, including all but
one past president, stood and received a
very warm and welcome response in the
form of applause from the members of
the legislature, said Brigley. And though,
it wasn't on Founders' Day, she pointed
out, it was just the day before.
Ironically, however, all of this comes
as the W. I. is experiencing dwindling
numbers causing some branches to rest or
even close.
The Lougheed W. I., founded in 1916,
is currently comprised of 15 members.
" Membership is as low as it's ever been,"
says President Hazel Skoberg, who has
been an active member of the
organization since joining in 1945.
Despite being low in numbers, the
local W. I. chapter continues to make a
positive difference in the surrounding
community. According to Skoberg,
recent quilting projects have raised money
for renovations to the Lougheed
Community Hall and a new playground
for the Lougheed School. Earlier this
year, with the cooperation of the Village
of Lougheed, the W. I. designed and
installed a granite cremain memorial in
the Lougheed Cemetery.
In Brigley's address at the district three
conference, she stressed the importance of
developing a focus for the W. I. if the
organization is to continue the tens of
thousands of volunteer hours members
contribute to their communities.
" Last year you reported 19,200 hours,"
she said, " but I think it's more like 24 to
30 thousand hours." If a dollar figure was
put on the work this group does, it would
be worth over $ 240,000, she pointed out.
Brigley challenged members to look at
the W. I.' s objectives and ponder them,
determine if they are okay as they are or
if they need revising in order to make the
organization stronger.
L TO R: MAXEAN B R I G L E Y , MARCELLA BACSO, E I L E E N FEDDERSON
P u t t o t h e c h a l l e n g e : PRESIDENT ELECT OF THE ALBERTA WOMEN'S INSTITUTE,
Alberta Women's Institutes - Collective Memory
