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By NANCY SHEPPARD T-J Lifestyles Editor The women's institute movement, which startedin Ontario in 1890, has blossomed into a world-wide organi- zation today due to the work and com- mitment of women. , .June is women's institute month in Ontario -- a time to reflect on the his- tory of the movement and the role it continues to play in the St. Thomas area. formed in the Stonéy Creek, Ont. area by Erland Lee and his wife Janet, af- ter Mr. Lee heard Adelaide Hoodless, of St. George, 0nt., speak. Mrs. Hoodless' infant son had died as a result of drinking unpastuerized milk and she began a one-woman campaign for safer homes. She began in the Hamilton, Ont. area. "Mrs. Yieodless was considered a great sgeaker," said Betty Van Pat-- tar, pu lic relations officer for the - East Elgin District Women's Insti- tutes. "It was she who had the spark in her, speeches to motivate other women to form this organization to promote better homes and a better country." Mrs. Hoodless' crusade for the do- mestic sciences was a life-long one which she was extremely committed to. "Erland felt there was a need for a women's organization after hearing Mrs. Hoodless speak and he and his wife, Janet travelled the countryside in the Saltfleet Township area en- couraging women to attend a meet- ing. Those who attended eventually formed the first women's institute," said Mrs. Van Patter. / The Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario (FWIO) now owns the Lee home which is now a museum. Ontario is divided into districts which are comprised of various branches. There are currently 22 ac- tive branches in Elgin County with over 400 members. Elgin Count is divided into two dis- tricts -- E gin East, with nine branches, and Elgin West, with '13 The first women's institute was~ \J/ 8--512 THOMAS TIMES-JOURNAL. Thursday, June 8, 1989 Ontario women's e PROMOTES WOMEN - BettyvVan Patter,cpublic relations of- ficer for Elgin East District. Women's Institute, holds the lat- est poster for women's institutes in Ontario which promotes the organization. The movement started in Ontario in 1_8£fl has has sinced grown into' a worldWide organization. June is wom- en's institute month in Ontario. branches. St. Thomas serves as the cutoff between the two. , Mrs. Van Patter, who has been a m- (T-J Photo) stitute member for over 35 years, said the programming has changed over the years to keep up with the times. "We still focus on agriculture, Ca- nadian industries, citizenship and legislation, education and cultural af- fairs, family and consumer affairs and international affairs, but the pro- grams have all been updated," She said. fforts recognized Despite the many changes over the years, the objectives have always sta ed the same. They are to assist an encourage women to become more knowledgeable and responsible Citizens, to promote good family life skills, to promote leadership, and to identify and resolve needs in the com- munity. _ In keeping with the times, women's institutes in this area have em- phaSized the need for waste manage- ment and recycling and are now ex- tending that focus to include women and the environment. Another focus is rural childcare. Members spend countless volunteer hours, leading 4H clubs, working on copunty farm safety associations, working with rural fairs and agricul- ture in the classroom. "People have this image of a group of women sitting around sipping tea , all afternoon. Now there's nothing { wrong with that, but what they don't f realize is that we are usuall talking r about current affairs and t e needs within our oWn community," said Mrs. Van Patter. She admits the number of women actively involved with women's insti- tutes has dropped over the years as more women enter the workforce. "I understand by the time a woman finishes work, doing her housework, making su per and taking care of the children, s e may not feel like attend- ing a meeting. So if we're are going to get women to come to these meetings, the rogramming has. to be really goo ," she said. The majority of women involved in the women's institute organization are between the ages of 50 and 70 and most don't work outside the home. Women's institutes in Ontario have donated over $800,000 in the past year to a number of different causes -- quite an accomplishment, consid- ering the organization is not a money- making one. v . Each year, the branches in Elgin County present a scholorship award to a graduating high school student. This year's recipient is Stephanie Jenkins, 18, of Belmont. She will be presented with her award at the an- nual strawberry social to be held June 14 at the Elgin County Pioneer Musueum. ' A display on Women's Institutes can . be seen at the St. Thomas Public Li- brary throughout the month of June.