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Morden Says: Put Emphasis On Fun and Fellowship By Lori Jamiesan Many surveys ofvolunteers show that most people join a group for a single reason - because someone in- vited them. Hilde Morden. Pro- gram Coâ€"ordinator for the Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario (FWlO), follows that same pattern. Her twenty-five year invol- vement in FWIO stems from a neighbor‘s invitation to join in a meeting at her house. Morden‘s still going to WI meet- ings. and has served as Branch and District Secretary, London Area President. and in 1975. as Provini- cial Secretary-Treasurer. She is also the inaugural FWIO Program Co-ordinator. a provincial office set up in 1987. She says that while there were job specifications when the Pro- gram Co-ordinator‘s role was designed. "they have changed a bit since then." Morden's approach to herjob is particularly her own. and her interest is most often with the potential benefit for individual members. "The branch still needs resources on a local level. because that’s where it‘s going to happen. Quality programs are going to bring people to a meeting. and W1 members aren’t as concerned about a formal program as they are about what that program. on GST or AIDS or free trade. can do for the people in their communities." Community action was behind the ‘call to green‘ put out to mem- bers at the t988 Ontario conference held in Kingston. A challenge for 100 environmentallyâ€"based com- munity projects has reaped aharvest of about 300 to date. and put Mor- den on the podium at 3. Recycling Council of Ontario conference to talk about the program‘s success. Morden acknowledges the onâ€" going changes in rural community SUUCIUTBS. and the new demands that this puts on mral organizations, including FWIO. "More and more women are working out of the home. and they are tired at night. and they really aren‘tgoing to go out again in the evening for a social time. because they've done that all day. You're not going to go to listen to the business â€" but you may go to hear a speaker, or a discussion on something that is of particular inter est to you." "If we emphasize that we offer. current information. fun and fellow4 ship to peOple for one houra month. for 10 meetings a year. we’ll get interest. and we‘re open to anyone. member or not. or someone who‘s farming or not." Morden‘s also happy to share her observations about the way groups work - she's seen many contribuâ€" tions through WI. and her involve ment in a lay ministry, as a member of the Niagara Escarpment Com- mittee. on the advisory council of Ridgetown College. and as one of the founding members of the On- tario Agricultural Hall of Fame at the Ontario Agricultural Museum in Milton. "You join an organization to satisfy your own ego - and if the group has a good program. and strong support. you forget yourself and get involved. If that doesn’t happen. the group wasn't very strong to begin with." The mix in a group is always there. she says. some wide-eyed opâ€" timists. some middleâ€"ofrtheâ€"road. and some more pessimistic, who keep the freeâ€"thinkers "on the ground." Morden credits parliamentary procedure with the support of meet- ings. and a chairman with the perâ€" sonality the group develops. "A good chairman doesn‘t run the meeting â€" she realizes that the meet- ing belongs to the members. and delegates to give every member a chance." "You’ve got to build group trust." she says. so that members feel their work is respected and appreciated, and their skills acknowledged. The length of time involved depends on the chairman, and on how skillfully she works with the committee mem- bers. Juggling her own personal agen- dais no small task. At times I have had as many as eight briefcases on the go. and Ijust grab the one for this meeting and offl go." "I live by the 'do‘s.‘ d is for delegate. o is for organize. and s is for the support of my family ~ there's nothing I accomplish alone. and if it weren‘t for my support people. I'd get nothing done.” Morden says she‘s motivated by a "great enthusiasm for life and for people. I have never met anybody who couldn‘t contribute to their en- vironment or to their life; they just have to be seen in the right light." She wants WI members to see themselves in the light of what they contribute to their communities. "If the FWIO were to disappear by the year 2000. what would our rural communities do? Who would replace the work and the caring that they do? We still have to raise our own self-esteem â€" and remember that what we do as an individual matters." Lori Jamiesori is a Resource Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agricul- ture and Food. Guelph. H & C December. January. February I991 7