Last year’s appeal to the membership of the British Columbia Women’s Institute to raise funds for their organization was successful, so the group is trying it again this year.
In 2002, BCWI members raised $9,270 for the group’s operations. President Joan Holthe said the appeal was needed because the provincial government, in budget cuts, eliminated its annual grant to the group.
The money was raised in a variety of events and Holthe said it would be up to each of the 14 districts to be creative for this year’s appeal. She said the provincial office was also planning a fundraising project for the year.
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“We have ambitious fundraising in place next year. We should be all right as long as we don’t have a drastic drop in membership.”
Annual individual fees for BCWI were not raised this year for the 1,044 members, Holthe said, because of an increase in the Canadian WI dues.
She said the BCWI’s annual meeting held March 22 in Victoria also set a focus for 2003. It will be seniors issues such as recognizing abuse, consumer tips and wills and estates.
“Everybody knows a senior or is a senior.”
Holthe said the BCWI even talked about opening up its own retirement home for members.
The meeting also included a discussion of Canada’s rights to its water under free trade and the amount that agriculture is apportioned. The BCWI supports Canadian control over its water.
The next annual meeting will be held in April 2004 in the Kamloops area. At that meeting there will be reports from some of the B.C. delegates attending the Associated Country Women of the World meeting in Tasmania in March 2004.
