Saving more than 50 years of women’s history
Peterborough Public Library receives $1,000 thank-you cheque for safeguarding local records
The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Peterborough’s archives were housed by the Peterborough Public Library for many years and the women’s group is grateful.
“True to CFUW’s mission to support education and community, we donated $1,000 to the Peterborough Library in gratitude for housing our archives for over 50 years,” said Anne Cordon, CFUW’s publicity chair.
“CFUW Peterborough has been an active, committed club supporting women and girls since 1937. During much of our history, we have been lucky and appreciative to have the Peterborough library store our archives.”
The donation was made recently when CFUW president Carol Sproule presented the cheque to Jennifer Jones, the library’s CEO.
“The archives were stored (free of charge) at the old downtown library beginning in the early ’70s,” explained Sproule. “After the great flood, the library restored our documents at no cost to us. When the downtown library closed, the archives were moved to the de la Fosse library branch, where they remained until it was closed.”
The archives are now stored by the group’s archivist. A duplicate set of the files is located at Trent Valley archives and is accessible to the public, says Sproule.
“The archives include documents and artifacts related to the history of our club. This includes the minutes from meetings, membership records, awards and commendations received, as well as our charter from 1937, tapestries, an antique silver tea service, scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, etc.,” Sproule said.
“CFUW-FCFDU is a national, non-partisan, self-funded organization with 94 clubs across Canada and over 6,600 members,” explained Cordon. “Our mission is to achieve educational and economic equality and social justice through continuous learning and empowerment. Our vision is that women and girls are educated and empowered to make transformative change in the world.”
CFUW Peterborough meets at Knights of Columbus, 317 Hunter St. W., from September to May, on the fourth Thursday of the month, usually at 7 p.m., for a general meeting featuring an informative speaker. Interest groups meet throughout the month and allow members to explore a variety of interests.
The group welcomes new members. For information, visit cfuwpeterborough.ca or email cfuwpeterborough@gmail.com.
Empty Bowls
The 20th annual YWCA Empty Bowls event raised just under $20,000 in support of the YWCA’s Nourish Food Program, which provides fresh food at affordable costs to families experiencing hunger. Since its inception, the Empty Bowls fundraiser has helped raise over $210,000 for the YWCA.
“This year, more than ever, I’m encouraged and humbled by the number of people who support Empty Bowls with their generosity. The time devoted to making this event a success holds true this year more than ever,” says YWCA executive director Kim Dolan. “Twenty years is a remarkable milestone, especially given the challenges in recent years. It is a testament to the dedication of our community members who fired up their kilns, sharpened their chisels, showed up, donated, sponsored, volunteered and continued the legacy of Empty Bowls in Peterborough.”
The event saw close to 200 guests enjoying lunch provided by 15 local restaurants, and choosing a handcrafted ceramic or wooden bowl created by members of the Kawartha Potters Guild and Kawartha Woodturners Guild. Some participants also purchased extra bowls to take home.
The Nourish program distributes approximately 260 monthly food boxes to individuals and families in the Peterborough area, and offers educational workshops, food preparation skill building and community gardening. They also run a weekly market at Curve Lake First Nation, bringing high-quality produce from local farms to the community at affordable prices. For information, visit ywcapeterborough.org/food.
The YWCA Peterborough Haliburton extends a thank you to the event’s sponsors and participating restaurants. Those included presenting sponsor, Cornerstone Family Dentistry; location sponsor, The Venue; media sponsor, KawarthaNOW; and bowl partners, the Kawartha Potters Guild and Kawartha Woodturners Guild.
Restaurants included Ashburnham Ale House, the Black Horse Pub, By The Bridge, Fresh Dreams, Hanoi House, Hard Winter Bakery, La Hacienda, La Mesita, NAKA Japanese, Naked Chocolate, Revelstoke, Sam’s Place, St. Veronus, The Pin and The Venue.
The 20th annual YWCA Empty Bowls event raised just under $20,000 in support of the YWCA’s Nourish Food Program