Submitted by Jeanne Lambert
Bishop’s Mills Women’s Institute meeting was held in the community hall on May 10 and ten women were present, including two new members. Victor Desroches was the welcomed guest, and he showed his Movie-Maker memories from a trip to Ireland. His wife, Linda, our new President, introduced Victor. The scenes and videos were well organized and enjoyable. After the trip photos, Victor demonstrated how to use the software to make a movie from photos, and encouraged attendees to make their own movies with the Windows software.
Following up to the AGM meeting, Treasurer Liz Streight reported on the 464 hours of volunteering that was recorded through the fiscal year. This is a summation of the hours from our ten members and includes the events, such as the bake sale, the Christmas auction, and the movie night held in Summer, as well as other work and monthly meetings within the branch or district. The total of our monetary donations to local charities was over $1,775 for the fiscal year.
The Community Bake Sale was held on May 19, as part of Bishop’s Mills Day, and was another success thanks to the many generous donations from the community. A tremendous variety of pies, muffins, cakes, cookies, crisps, homemade bread, and pickling was all part of the many items on the sale table. At the end of the day, over $500 was raised to support the community hall.
The WI collaborates with the Bishop’s Mills Community Association and the United Church Women for this annual event. We would like to thank all of the people who participated in the sale, either by donating their baking, purchasing baking, or both!
The WI also had books from their Tweedsmuir History collection on display in the Community Hall. Curators, Jillian Wainwright and Susan Jenkins, were available to answer any questions about the stories and photos. The model of the village mill, made by Christopher and Tom Graham, was also available for anyone interested to see where the original mills were situated. Several members attended the Leeds and Grenville District Annual Meeting. This year it was held in Addison on May 5, with members from all across the county. Members reported on the speaker and the interesting program about finding genealogy information. We were very sorry to learn that the Phillipsville branch has disbanded.
The Bishop’s Mills Women’s Institute has been involved in the community since 1985, including documenting the history of the village, and encouraging positive change – sharing stories and building community. The Bishop’s Mills Women’s Institute holds monthly meetings, and welcomes new members interested in meeting their neighbours, sharing their ‘stories’, and getting involved in their community.
What’s next? The June 14 meeting will be held at the home of a member and will be our annual potluck meal.
For information about attending local meetings, or how to be kept informed about upcoming events in the village, please contact President Linda Desroches at 613-258 2115, or PRO Jeanne Lambert at jeanne.lambert828@gmail.com.
If you are interested in finding out more about WI, see the Provincial organization’s website: www.fwio.on.ca.
