Avante December Newsletter
TBarbara Bellingham Program Director Avante Women's Centre
he holiday season is upon us, and we’re sure your calendars are filling up with delightful activities, but we hope you will consider joining us for the handful of events we’re hosting this month.
Starting with Monday, December 4, our Coffee Break in Knowlton will be painting your own cheerful wooden holiday signs with Barb from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. All materials will be provided, but we ask for a $2 donation to cover costs. Please call the centre to reserve your spot.
On Tuesday, December 5, our entire team will be hosting a light lunch at the Sutton town hall from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. We are reaching out to a few more communities to explore the possibility of bringing activities closer to you. Please join us for a hearty bowl of soup and an opportunity to meet us, find out more about what we do, and have a chance to tell us about what you’d like to have us bring to Sutton.
December 6 marks the 28th anniversary of the massacre of 14 women at the École Polytechnique in Montreal. Since the mass shooting, this date has become a national day of commemoration and has served as a call for action on violence against women, with various events and vigils held across the country. From November 25 and December 6, the coalition of six women’s groups in Brome-missisquoi and Haute-yamaska will be promoting the White Ribbon Campaign, encouraging the general public to raise awareness of our intolerance of violence aimed at women by wearing a white ribbon. Avante will also commemorate the effort by inviting Angela Dery from Horizon Pour Elle to discuss the differences between an argument and verbal abuse. Particularly designed for women under 40, the session begins at 6 p.m.
Thursday, December 7 is a full day, starting with our monthly Soup Café from noon to 1 p.m. All women are welcome to join us for a free bowl of homemade soup and some delightful conversations. This will be followed by a “DIY” class from 1:30 to 3:30 in which Barb will walk you through the steps of making your own Christmas swag, complete with how to make a big fancy bow. Registration is required, along with a $2 donation.
Our last Tuesday activity will be our exciting Christmas party and toonie fair on December 12 at the St. James Anglican Church hall (40 rue du Pont). Welcoming all members and friends, this will be a potluck supper so please bring one of your favourite dishes to share, and don’t forget a couple of toonies to participate in our very popular drawings for a variety of donated items. If you have a treasure you could part with to include in the activity, all items are gratefully accepted that evening and represents an annual fundraiser for Avante. The more treasures we have, the more treasures you get!
Think you have the greatest cookie recipe ever? Kayla’s evening for women under 40 will be participating in “the great cookie challenge” on Wednesday, December 13. Bring in a batch of your favorite cookies, along with the recipe and challenge others to a taste test. The winning cookie will then be baked by the dozens to be distributed amongst our community with holiday spirit.
Kayla will also be visiting Knowlton the following day on December 14 at the Lac Brome Community Centre to meet more women under 40 who would like to join in Avante’s activities. She’d like to find out what you would like Kayla to bring to the Knowlton area. Drop in for a chat with her at 10 a.m.
Our last activity before closing for the holidays will be our monthly “Health Matters” held at the Cowansville CLSC on December 15. We hope you will find the time to be part of our video presentation of “The Changing Role of the Pharmacist.” You may not be aware of the details that developed through new regulations that give our pharmacists the ability to do much more for us with our own health care. Learn the facts and enjoy a light soup luncheon afterwards on December 15 starting at 10 a.m.
Avante Women’s Centre will be closed for the holidays from December 22 until January 8, 2018. Membership is $5 annually, renewable every September, and entitles you to regular reminders and updates about current activities in our community. We also publish three seasonal newsletters which include a threemonth calendar of events for you. Café Floral in Knowlton and the Bedford Pizzeria support us by giving a 15 per cent discount to card-carrying members of Avante. Our latest winter edition should be mailed out to our members sometime this month, so watch your snail mail for our upcoming news!
You can reach us at 450-248-0530, at www.avantewomenscentre.org, on our Facebook page, or at our location at 15 rue du Pont, Bedford, Quebec.