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Canadian Women’s Club of Chicago Newsletter
It was certainly a magnificent spring day for our April meeting in Bev Paonessa's high rise by Lake Michigan. What a view and what a perfect venue for the programme! Our presenter, Phyllis Kozlowski, has written a book about the Chicago River Architecture Tour. Unfortunately, it was not ready by our meeting so we did not see it but, judging by her background and entertaining stories, it will be fascinating. She shared her experiences and knowledge with us and whetted our appetite for more. I can't wait for summer to take an architectural tour in the city. Perhaps we can plan an outing to include lunch and a boat ride.
Be sure to visit the new club website. Many thanks to Paula Buns for doing such a great job of setting it up and getting it going. There are details about it elsewhere in this newsletter.
In May, our meeting will be downtown again at the residence of the Canadian Consul General, Georges Rioux. This is always a lovely event and I hope many members are able to attend. I look forward to seeing you there.
Happy Mothers Day!!
Carol
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Birthday wishes for May go to: Paula Buns, Joan Ridyard, Gail Thompson, Lesley D. Green, Carol Taylor, Eleanor Altman, and Vivi Martens.
17 new members have joined this year, bringing our total membership to 79.
Our winter must have been REALLY BAD. We've just heard that one of our members, Ellie Altman, isn't returning from Florida until the end of June!
GOOD NEWS
United Airlines is announcing new roundtrip DIRECT flights between Chicago O'Hare and Quebec City, starting on June 5. Here is what their website says: One of North America's only settlements, Quebec City's narrow streets and romantic cafes maintain a European feel perfect for lingering on a warm day. Daily service begins June 5.
This is a first! If you decide to visit Quebec City this summer for its 400th Anniversary, make sure you let me know. I would love to meet you there or/and help you plan your stay.
Lucie Dumas
FYI FOR EX-PATS FROM QUEBEC
This is the website where you can get a form to apply for a new Quebec birth certificate, which you need if you want a new Canadian passport: http://www.etatcivil.gouv.gc.ca You can fill it out online and pay by credit card. Very easy!
The following is an interesting excerpt from the Chicago Herald that Lucie found. It was originally published in the New York Times on March 24, 1895:
"There are 70,000 Canadians in Chicago, but the importance of the Maple Leaf contingent is not to be measured by numbers alone. It includes a very large proportion of noteworthy men, and stands for a high average of honesty and capacity. That it does not hold even a higher place in the public esteem is due to the timorous attitude of many of its members, who, fearing the bugbear of alleged anti-British prejudice, become reticent as to their nationality from the moment of their arrival, and quite often claim to be Americans. About 40,000 may be classed as of British descent, while the remainder are French from the historic Province of Quebec. Both nationalities add distinct and very desirable elements to our cosmopolitan make-up."
CHRISTMAS TREE COORDINATOR NEEDED
After many years, Joy Dudgeon is stepping down as our Christmas Tree Coordinator. The Canadian Women's Club is responsible for the Canadian Christmas Tree at the Museum of Science and Industry's "Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light" festival that runs from November to January each year, as well as other smaller trees at other locations. These trees are one of the more "public" things we do, which helps raise awareness of our Club. Joy has made a huge contribution to the Club by ensuring that all arrangements are made with the MSI, the decorations are cleaned, repaired, and stored; and volunteers are found to decorate and un-decorate the tree each year. We are very grateful to Joy for her hard work and commitment to making our tree one of the most beautiful there.
We need someone to step forward to continue this role. Because of the groundwork Joy has put in place, it will be an easy transition. Please consider taking this on, or contact Joy for more information. She would like to have her successor in place by June in order to attend the organizational meeting at MSI with her.
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE
The deadline for submitting articles to be included in the June newsletter is May 23, 2008. All articles should be emailed to Anne Rizzolo. Please put CWC on the subject line. Any questions, please call Anne.
NEXT YEAR'S BOARD IS TAKING SHAPE
I'm delighted (and more than a little relieved!) to announce that many wonderful women have come forward to serve on the CWC Board for the 2008-09 year. Some are continuing in their positions from this year, some current Board members are taking on new challenges, and I'm especially happy to have several new members joining the Board. Here they are:
I am very grateful to each and every one for volunteering their time and talents to our Club! And there's still room for more if you'd still like to get involved - just give me a call or email.
Michelle Gillis, Vice President
NEW CWC WEBSITE
Photos Coming Soon! Send Yours In -
If you haven't seen it yet,
check out the new Canadian Women's Club of Chicago website at
http://www.cwcchicago.com and add it to
your favorites list. We recently launched the redesigned site which, at the
present time, features a brief description of the club mission, information on
how to go about joining, a list of upcoming events, our board roster, and some
internet links of interest.
Paula Buns
STILL A CHILL
"Whether the weather will be fine Whether the weather be not We must weather the weather Whatever the weather Whether we like it or not"
Spring can be a very precarious season. The calendar officially kicks off the first day of spring on March 21st, but we all know from years of past experiences that it never arrives on that date. By the end of March, we are all anxious to discard our wooly wear and start sporting a new spring wardrobe, but winter has a way of hanging on and on and on. Even when we think spring may finally be here, old man winter tries to sneak in the back door.
I remember, as a young girl growing up in Toronto, that winter never seemed to end. It would go on for an interminable amount of time. Why, some years it could last well into the month of May. There is an old English adage that my mother used to recite to me "Ne'er cast a clout 'till May be out," and sometimes this weather "wisdom" proved to be the case. It didn't matter if the temperature rose to a balmy 50 degrees one day, the next day could be freezing cold, and perhaps we might even have snow. So I grew up observing this rule and even today continue to have this thought in the back of my mind.
This year some people have lamented that winter has been particularly harsh, both here in Chicago and especially north of the border. I, of course, love winter so no complaints from me. Whenever I talk to my friends in Canada they extolled what a horrendous winter they have endured and the colossal amount of snow that has accumulated - apparently more so than in previous years. Everyone has been asking the question, "When will winter end?"
Just a few weeks ago, almost the end of March, as I was walking along the lakefront, I thought I felt spring in the air. I could tell that the birds felt spring was near as well. They chirped loudly as if to let everyone know they had survived the winter. There were a few Canada geese on the grass, maybe just back from a trip down south, foraging for a few sprigs of green grass. Some mallards were bobbing up and down on the surface of the water but no ducklings in tow just yet. On the pathway the buoys were lined up and poised ready to be set in the water. It wouldn't be long before the boats would be brought out of dry dock and moored in their final summer resting place at Monroe Harbor. By all appearances spring was here.
And then just two weeks later, while out on this same route there was a complete about-face. I felt an icy chill blowing across Lake Michigan and had to brace myself against the wind and bury my face inside my parka to avoid the full force of the blast. I was compelled to walk faster in order to create a little warmth inside my ski jacket. I hear no red-winged blackbirds trilling in the trees this day and I certain saw no fat robins pecking in the ground for a worm or two. Gone from view were the many joggers and bike riders that only a few weeks earlier were out parading up and down Lake Shore Drive. Due to these adverse conditions, the only life I witnessed were the squirrels furtively searching for hidden food that they may have misplaced over the long winter siege.
The next day I ran into a neighbour on the elevator and he couldn't believe how cold it was. In fact, he told me he was still wearing his long johns when he walked his dog in the morning. As I exited the elevator he called after me and said, "Don't get rid of your ski jacket just yet." I replied, "Don't worry, I won't. My mother always told me, "Ne'er cast a clout 'till May be out!"
Susanna Doolin, April 2008
CONGRATULATIONS TO PATTI WILLIAN
The Winnetka Chamber of Commerce is honouring our own, Patti Willian, as Woman of the Year for her extraordinary service to the Winnetka community. Since 1965 Patti has been involved with the Hadley School for the Blind when she joined the Junior Auxiliary and served as editor of their Focus magazine. In 1974 she founded The Friends of Hadley, a group dedicated to meeting individual student's needs, and set up sponsored scholarships for parents of blind or visually impaired students to attend conferences for networking with other parents. As a steward for the school Patti played an integral part in guiding Hadley to becoming the largest school for the blind in the world. Patti received her nomination for this prestigious award from Charles Young, Executive Director of The Hadley School for the Blind.
Patti, along with seven other noteworthy recipients from the Winnetka area, is being presented her award at a luncheon/fashion show on Wednesday, April 30 at the Winnetka Community House. Twenty Canadian Women's Club members will be in attendance to support Patti for her exemplary service not only to the Hadley School but also to many other noteworthy organizations in Winnetka. Our sincere congratulations to Patti for all her dedication and service the Winnetka community. We are very proud of her achievements and honoured to include her as a member of our Canadian Women's Club.
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Copyright 2008 - Canadian Women's Club of Chicago Michelle Gillis, President Email: mail@cwcchicago.com |
