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.year was a very busy and successful year ror the ROSE Program. We traveied the province to bring Leadership Training to all of the Branches. At the Provincial Board Meeting Monday, Januay 10, 2005 it was decided that if Branches, Districts, Areas or individuals would like to offer help in the way of a cash donation to the Tsunami disaster FWIO would use the same procedure used for the disaster in Manitoba. Cheques may be sent to the Provincial once made payable to "Red Cross" with a notation in the memo line Tsunami". The President will write a letter from FWIO and mail to Red Cross. Several mailings will be made rather than holding the cheques for along period. Red Cross offers a 10% administration fee which is the lowest fee available. ROSE (RURAL ONTARIO SHARING EDUCATION) PROGRAM . ANNUAL REPORT 15. WI members interested in continuing their education should log on to the FWIO website for more information. Remember you are never too young to learn g 'l "Iss: I I wantto tell you about the wonderful Tea that we enjoyed at Islandview Suites in Arnprior on January 15th. 'C:"': rrr- V Event Coordinators Susan McGregor and Sonja Campbell invited WI member to honour Bernice Noblett- a b, I tht ' _ " new resident at their complex. What a wonderful experience to hear how Bernice has made WI such an 'iff, ' y "" 'm"tr_ in; I important part of her life - from a small farm girl In the western provinces to a young housewife in tiii' . " i? C t Comtermere, and later Kars area - she told of her achievements (and there were many),and how WI held , ' bt: _', -f: BEE? such a special place in her heart and in her We. What a pleasure to meet her and to listen to the many , v ' ea A. , . memories WI members shared with her. We are very fortunate to have her living in our midst and if you have e ' a chance, please visit her to see what she has done to help the children in our country. You may be pleasantly surprised. Bernice is pictured above with her daughter Shirley Walker from Arnprior. We have been approached about including deaths in our newsletter. It has been discussed atthe executive level and we felt that the risk of missing someone would create hurt feelings. We hope that each branch would remember their deceased members by holding the WI memorial service at the funeral home and doing something special to make the memory last We would like to recognize Ethel Collins as she celebrates her 9(P birthday. Ethel, sharing her love of history, was the keeper of the District Tweedsmuir for many years. Congratulations Ethel on your special day!! High school students entering' post secondary education should contact their Guidance Dept r,.. application forms. Deadline is February 18h Enjoy this edition of your Newsletter and keep us informed of your news events. 'lil 'Is L51 WI SCHOLARSHIPS TSUNAMI RELIEF Hello M Members REVIREM/SOUTII DISTRICT WOMENS mm Delegates joined us for a celebratory banquet visited an information expo and attended several workshops. The evaluations indicate that this was a very successful event for Wl - one that you would like to see continue in the future. I am so pleased to hear of the sessions that have been inspired by the Forum, it shows us it was successful in developing collaborations. With the Trillium funding Women's Institutes were presented with the wonderful opportunity to change and expand the services of the ROSE Program, Through our ROSE Partners, Board of Directors and membership we were able to ake the bold step forward of expanding the program with the aim to not only meet the expectations of our members, but to ensure future success of this program Over the past two years we have; Through Area Training Workshops members had the opportunity to learn new information on ROSE and the duties of President Secretary and Treasurer. Tips, tools and resources were shared and new friends were made. At each new Area, we were welcomed by our membership with excitement and warm hospitality In August we celebrated the fifth anniversary of the ROSE Program at Georgian College with the "ROSES are Blooming" Forum. This two- day event brought two representatives from each District ROSE Partners, Provincial Board and special guests together to network and share information. NEH/SL1? TTER expanded from a health focused program to education focused, implemented a province- wide needs assessment developed and distributed new tools and resources, trained over 1000 members, established eight new partnerships, undertaken several evaluative studies, expanded the website and most importaMy educated thousands of people across the province on a wide variety of topics. As our funding draws to an end, we can be assured that the ROSE Program will continue to grow in the future providing new opportunities for Women's Institute to 'bloom" in their communities. As we look with great anticipation to 2005, I realize that we are in a position to continue to impact the educational services and materials available to communities across Ontario. Women's Institutes have committed to education for over 100 years. Through self- supporting education programs (like the ROSE Program) the philosophy that sparked the original Women's Institute movement still continues today. After traveling the province I know that the 9,000 members who make up this organization are as enthusiastic and committed as their predecessors were over 100 years ago. "Grant that we may realize that it is the little things that create differences; that in the big things of life we are one." Congratulations WI for all of our successes this past year! Please stay in touch in 2005, Julie Wheeler, ROSE Program Manager - January 2004 Joanne McDonald and Jo-Mme Camelon SEVEN"! ISSUE - JANUARYZWJ