Last meeting of Fordyce Branch of Women’s Institute until spring

With Covid-19 still with us, it is affecting organizations and businesses alike. The Fordyce branch of the Women’s Institute met outside in Davignon Park for September and October. The branch could not meet in its usual location, the basement of Emmanuel United Church, because the windows in the basement do not open.

For the two fall meetings the ladies brought lawn chairs and sat in a circle at the top end of Davignon Park. For their November meeting one of the members broached the Brome Hall in Brome to ask permission to meet there. The windows in the hall do open and fresh air circulates easily.

The first Wednesday of November the branch did meet in Brome. Although the branch will not be having its usual Christmas dinner, the branch gave one hundred dollars to Heroes’ Memorial School to support students who might find it hard to pay for the school Christmas dinner. Cookies were collected to distribute to youth homes in Cowansville. Money and toiletries and gifts were collected for the Horizon Pour Elle women’s shelter.

(When, after the meeting, the president, Norma Sherrer, went to deliver the collected items to the Women’s shelter, she was directed to bring everything to CAB.

(Centre d’action Benevole de Cowansville). They are supervising the distribution of articles to the women’s shelter. They were very happy with the donations Norma brought to them.)

Also at the meeting a thank you card was read from Evelyn Lewis, who was thrilled to have won the Woman of The Year Award from the Canadian Federation of Women’s Institutes. Evelyn was one of many candidates from across Canada and she was selected. With Evelyn’s resume it was not surprising that she was selected.

Plans were made for the Remembrance Day ceremony to be held at the Cairn in Dunham. Every year poppy wreaths are laid at the Cairn memorial on the main street in Dunham on Remembrance Day.

The meetings for December, January, and February were cancelled and it is hoped that a meeting will be able to be called for the month of March.

LOUISE SMITH The November meeting of the Fordyce Women’s Institute was held in Brome Hall while the hall was getting ready for its big sale.