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| > ~ GRACE PATTERSON WOMEN‘S INSTITUTE, THAMESFORD e ) __ 1945 â€" 1989 ]m 1019 a group of girls met in Ad:funs School House where they had been attendadâ€" ing Sunday gehool, and they formed a Cll.Ib.Wthh they namgd t.['he Grace Country Club in honour of MiSS Grace Patterson, a lgcal girl who was a missionary in India. The girls corresponded with Miss Patterson and among other projects, they adopted two orphans in her scheol.~ | The Club continuec.i to meet anc? work together until 1945 when the majority of members felt that a chzfmge in organization should be made. Interest in Miss Patterson and her werk was as alive as before, but there was a desire to become affiliated with a > countryâ€"wide @;p;g;anizatlol:n. Aftel.:' much thgught and discussion a meeting was held at the @ Home of Mrs. Barl AValentlnef a r_llece of Miss Patterson, and Mrs. J. D. Hossack of Embro, Ssecretary 6f Oxford North District, c01:1ducted the organization and installation of ofâ€" ficers. Officers elected at that meeting on October 9, 1945 were â€" President Mrs. Jack Shewan, Viee presidents Mrs. D.S. MacKay and Mrs. Jas. Calder, Secretaryâ€"Treasurer Mrs. George Sutherland. Forty members joined at this first meeting, the number increased to a high of seventy, but has decreased to the present membership of twentyâ€"nine. The name "Grace Patterson Women‘s Institue" was.ct.losen, and as the Grace Country Club had done, the new organization wvoted to send sufficient money to Miss Patterson to support and educate an Indian child of her choosing. We continued to donate money to a student until shortly after Miss Patterson‘s death in 1984. ‘ | We assisted in the support of two. foster children sponsored by Oxford North District umtil the early eighties when we began supporting Communiy Projects with Save the Childrea. At present these are in Jamaica and Kenya. For many years we filled up to ten handi=bags each year for Save the Children. For several years now we have participatâ€" ed in the Wistrict project of Sleeping Children Around the World. We donate money for two sleepimg kits, and what a joy to see the happy faces of childaren photographed with their blankets, pyjamas and other useful articles. One year we sent pencils to Jamaica. Besides creating a wonderful community spirit our branch assisted each month for many years with the preâ€"school Clinic sponsored by the Oxford Health Unit. Mrs. Walter Hutchison was very devoted to this project and to the wellâ€"being of the community children. Mrs. Hutchison was also responsible for convening the assembling of layettes for Unitarian Services each year. In 1978 Mrs. Hutchison was remembered with a gift in appreciation of her years of dedication to these worthwhile projects, and to the little ones. In 1977 the branch received a certificate from Unitarian Services for ten years of contributions. | _ BPhyllis Hossack Jansen was the first of many babies of Women‘s Institute memâ€" bers to receive a baby spoon from the Branch. In the early years each bride also reâ€" ceived a gmall gift. €ome interesting highlights from the early meetings â€" The first Roll Call was "How to pRewent household accidents", and two others shortly after were "l1 dozen cookies With the Fegilpe" and "Guess the weight of the one sitting on your right". _ The first Motto was "Look before you leap." The first collection amounted to $4.10. ‘Inm 1955 a trip to Detroit cost $4.40. Also in 1955 it was suggested that we have more Wartety in our lunches. In that same year was a debate "Grandmothers were better homem@kers than the women of toâ€"day". Vanilla was sold to buy a coffee urn. 1958 was the begilmmimg of current events at every meeting. The programs included much musical enter‘t@i@@@t 'aif‘@"-which the young people participated. Readings and recitations were e pfip_u.lar,,ir_fia_@@ simple demonstrations. In 1946 entertainment was a Grandmothers ‘ Chorus. f 33 There seened to be a great need for Lightning Cleaner which was sold at various times. played am{algi%% ‘members made articles from one yard of cloth. Thgsi wereel?::lsli:'tgésgo a meeting to &12%;19&96(3 off by Mrs. Arthur Young. In 1947 teenâ€"aged girls weg Pamibeg dauvg‘h:t',-‘é;r@;-*fl @‘g@less Ashplant speak about "relationships between mother gn fMany ladies rushed to" "Ehe annual meeting in 1950 the secretary wrote in thle minutes, s ~ cCO PGYy their fees as they did not want to be left out from a single meeting. We are §rateful to our members and to many community women who have given freely