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Special Programs and Projects A Note to P.R.O.s The purpose of this special Programs and Projects section is to give Public- Relations Officers (1 spot in Hattie and Country where they can tell all the Institutes of the Province about anything done in their own Institute which might offer a suggestion to other branches. A: we have explained in previous issues. we cannot give space to routine reports of meetingsâ€"unless the program is so original or outstanding as to give an idea to other Institutes. A particularly good subject for a topic, discussion, debate, motto or roll call would be welcome. Some years ago it was decided that we could not report anniversary celebrations. These are of interest mainly in the local community where the participants are known and of course P.R.0.s will see that they get into the local papers. And please note that to produce an illustra- tion we require a photograph. not the negative: and that we cannot make a cat from a colored picture or from a slide. Perhaps the best way to see the sort of tttaterial we need for this section is to look at the topics in this and previous issues. Then, as P.R.0. for your branch or district or area. if you have a story that should be told, do, please, send it alongâ€"Editor. Making Friends in 3 Mental Hospital By Mrs. Robert Hurley ‘ ‘ 7E HAVE BEEN fortunate in this district to have a new Ontario Hos» pital, located in Sydenham township. on the outskirts of Owen Sound. I can look out my kitchen window and see the many buildings, which at night look like a city itself. Shortly after it was opened, a branch of the Mental Health Association was started in Owen Sound. Some of the Women appeared on T.V. telling of their hopes for volunteer services and so on. I felt, as our Bothwell's Corners Women’s Institute was so close, posaibly we. could help in some waY- The members were all interested when I brought it Up at our next meeting, and we offered our services for January and February, 1964 to staff the canteen. Here we sell chocolate bars, SUMMER I 965 Cigarettes, coffee, pop, and so on. It is open from one to four each afternoon, so it takes a lot of help. Most Ontario Hospital canteens are staffed by paid civil servants, but they seem to feel now. that people coming in from the outside World help the patients greatly, they feel they are not completely shut off and forgotten, and it does give outsiders an education in mental health. Our women were so enthusiastic, we fell others in Grey North District might be interested, As I am P.R.O. for Grey North, I got permission from the President to write letters to the P.R.O.s in the sixteen branches and explain the new project. I am most happy to say that all branches are cooperating one hundred per cent and we have taken responsibility for Tuesday after- noons up to the end of the year. At our Board Meeting last fall it was unanimously decided to carry this project on as long as there is a need, From now on the year‘s service will be set up at the District Annual. Rather than load all this onto future P.R.O.s, we have set up a convencrship for this service. I am heading it this year, as this is my last year as P.R.O. I have written to all the other Districts in Grey County. West Grey Institutes are almost all working and some in the other Districts have started, although some are quite a dis- tance from the hospital. The Mental Health Association members are really amazed at the interest the Institute have taken. I was asked to come on their Board and was presented with a pin in recog- nition for the part I played in organizing the Institutes. As I told them it is never too hard to organize Institutes for any worthwhile project, they are all energetic women. I have recently been on our Institute radio program and there I outlined all the volunteer services where we could help. Twice a month there is an afternoon tea at the hospital and once a month a bingo. There is no money involved in either; they are just for the enter- tainment of the patients. It is really a morale booster for the women to get all dressed up for a tea, just as they did when they were in the outside world. We have what we call the “Peacock Shop," and it is stocked with better type dresses, hats, jewellery, etc. These articles are given to the patients when they visit the shop, just as though they went into a shop downtown to pick out a dress. The govern- ment, of course, supplies their clothes, but there are just ordinary print dresses for the women and they don’t feel like attending a tea or bingo in these dresses. People around Owen Sound keep the shop pretty well stocked with good used clothing. Of course we do not leave 23