The Story of the Alberta Women's Institute

              THE

STORY

OF

THE

ALBERTA

\VOME:\,'S

INSTITUTES

For years conveners of Citizenship, Legislation, etc, had advocated that WJ, members take an active interest in local, Provincial and Dominion affairs and become qualified for, and assume responsible positions on school boards, councils, etc. In the 1940 Alberta provincial elections, Mrs. C. R. Wood, Stony Plain, an active W.I. member was elected to the Legislative Assembly. She was at the time President of the local Branch and Provincial Secretary of the A.W.I. She was returned as lVI.L.A. in 1944, in 1948, and again in 1952-the first woman in Alberta to hold a seat in the Legislature for four successive terms. Throughout the four-year term of Mrs. Thompson, the war was at its height and A.W.I. Branches subordinated everything else to their war services. They contributed to a number of war funds, bought bonds and Savings Certificates, sent parcels of garden seeds and of food overseas and shipped tons of clothing through the Red Cross to Britain. From the Emergency War Fund, 2,500 jumbo knit sweaters were bought for survivors of torpedoed and shipwrecked vessels. Thousands of ditty bags and hundreds of leather, fur and felt jerkins were sent to the Merchant Seamen. Knitted articles and quilts were made by the thousands. Large contributions were made to the Jam Fund for British children. THE 1943 CONVENTION CANCELLED The 1943 convention was cancelled at the request of the Minister

of Transport, but the A.W.I. Council carried on the necessary work of the organization. Official visits of the provincial officers and constituency conferences were also cancelled during this time. Three distinguished women visited Alberta Women's Institutes during Mrs. Thompson's term of office. In 1943, Her Royal Highness, Princess Alice honored the Institutes when she visited Grande Prairie Branch. A display of Institute work from all over the province was arranged for the occasion. In 1942, Edna Jaques visited many Institutes and in 1944, Miss Elizabeth Christmas, general organizer of Women's Institutes in England and Wales, held meetings in Lethbridge, Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton. Mrs. George Machen, of Gordon W.I. suggested to Mrs. Thompson. in October 1944, that each W.I. member who wished to do so, give one dollar from her own Christmas money to be sent as a good cheer gift to women and children in the bombed areas of England. A circular letter to this effect was sent out and in a few weeks over $1,000 was collected and sent to W.I. headquarters in London and distributed from there. This practice was continued for several years. Mrs. E. E. Morton, the A.W.I. representative, with Mrs. M. L. Thompson, the provincial president, attended the F.W.I.C. Board meeting at Toronto in June 1943, where Alberta was honored bv having lVII'sE. E. Morton appointed the first federated war work convener.
-26-