ELLEN MACPHAIL: Moving ahead with fall events

The PEIWI board and branches are gingerly entering into the fall with operational plans to continue meeting virtually and/or in person as comfort levels and restrictions permits for both meetings and events.   

Through implementing health directives from the province, the provincial board has been able to develop three events for October, including a recently postponed convention meeting, a fall workshop on cultural diversity and an international virtual fundraising walk.  As details are being finalized for each event, this column will draw attention to the efforts of an international walk. 

Each year women worldwide celebrate the Associated Country Women of the World's (ACWW) international network by joining together to Walk the World. The P.E.I. Women’s Institute, as a member of ACWW, has expanded its annual ACWW Women Walk the World event to also bring awareness to world-wide food security efforts in an upcoming fundraising virtual walk on Oct. 17.     

Virtual walks are encouraged to take place on Oct. 17 across Prince Edward Island to coincide with the work of ACWW, plus to commemorate three International Days in October. The ACWW Walk the World event will bring further awareness on three UN recognized occasions: International Day of Rural Women; the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and World Food Day.   

Those walking can choose their own location while assisting in raising funds for ACWW by donating online at acww.org.uk/peiwi.html.  

Participants are invited to submit pictures and utilize the slogan and promotion for the event of #WillWalkForFood” to the PEIWI office. As this walk is worldwide, the walks will be real, and the globe will be connected virtually to bring attention to global food security. 

ACWW was founded in 1929 to amplify voices of rural women. Officials from ACWW stated “money raised will go to further develop ACWW’s aims of raising the standard of living for rural women and their families by amplifying their voices, challenging the inequalities they face, and supporting educational opportunities for women and girls”. Further information on ACWW is available at acww.org.

Details on other board events such as the convention meeting and the annual Island Product Cooking Contest workshop on Cultural Diversity will be announced soon.    

In lighter WI summer news, an online winner was recently announced in connection to this year’s cancelled provincial exhibition. Annually at the Handcraft, Horticulture and Arts Show of Old

Home Week, one segment of special awards is sponsored by the company, Bernardin, involving their products. This year’s Country Fair Baking Contests included an online sharing of a WI produced video of past shows, and an online prize package was offered with over 4,000 vying for the $100 prize package of flour-based coupons. The winner was Karen Doyle of Summerside.  

The Helen Herring Scholarship application deadline is Sept. 30. For a complete list of scholarships, go to peiwi.ca or Facebook.com/PEIWomensInstitute.

This article is prepared by Ellen MacPhail, executive director for the PEIWI, and appears in the Guardian on the second Friday of every month. For more information on anything in the column or to join a WI branch, please visit peiwi.ca or contact the provincial office at 9020368-4860 or [email protected].