Organization Communique #1

Contributed by: Barbara Dowding

Dear League Sisters,

Thank you for your patience as we work our way around the unusual situation of working without an Organization Chairperson on the Provincial level. For the time being we are going to share the duties the best we can.

Membership: Dodie B., recently “retired” from the provincial executive has generously agreed to take care of the membership side of this committee. Dodie will be working on a membership initiative and will communicate with you directly. We are grateful to Dodie for her help and look forward to working with her to attain our goal of 10,000 members. Wouldn’t it be awesome to reach that number by our 60th anniversary as a province in Victoria, 2007??? The national goal is 100,000 – we can help!

Dodie will be reminding us of the importance of keeping members up to date with their memberships and getting the fees in well in advance of the February 28 deadline. This is critical as each level depends on its per capita to function. We’re hoping to continue to focus on those members who have not renewed first by identifying who’s missing from our councils and secondly by making a call or a visit to find out why.

Development Fund: Elaine A., provincial treasurer, will look after the Development Fund applications. She works with a committee but ultimately gives out the money, so I am grateful to Elaine for adding this to her already full portfolio.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Development fund money will no longer be available at the provincial level for workshops. It was agreed at the provincial post convention meeting to discontinue this part of the development fund, partly because it was so underused and restrictive, but largely because the National Development Fund is available, easier to access, and offers better funding.

There is good news – more funds will be available for getting our members to provincial conventions. The last two years have seen an amazing increase in the number of applications and we’ve been sorry to have turned some down and in many cases given only a small portion of the costs. An ad hoc committee, struck at the post convention meeting, consisting of Pat B., Carol P., Elaine A. and myself are working on the new application form. It will be presented at the midterm meeting in October for approval with an application deadline of March 15, 2007.

Annual Reports: Doreen G., provincial secretary, has agreed to add this time-consuming duty to her already full list of jobs and will be sending out the annual report forms with instructions and direction. The forms have been revised after much discussion and consternation concerning what is being reported. An ad hoc committee was struck at the provincial post convention meeting to address this issue and find a way to improve. Doreen G., Pat D. and Agnes G. have worked through summer holidays to complete this task. Please do everything in your power to get this message to all your parishes. The suggestions in Doreen’s memo make it realistic to expect 100% reporting with your encouragement and follow up. You will notice more emphasis on success stories and things that are different and make a difference.

Promotional Video: Salt and Light TV were working on a promotional video at the National Convention in Halifax. It will be about 20 minutes, intended for use when giving talks on the CWL at parishes and to groups. Our hope to develop a provincial DVD will go on hold now until we see what this looks like. I’ve pre-ordered some and will keep you up to date on that. The cost will be something like $6.00 so every council should be able to get a copy. If anyone is interested in pre-ordering, go to the Salt and Light website www.saltandlighttv.org.

Over 800 people registered for the National Convention in Halifax. The CWL is alive and very well. We need to get the message out about who we are and what we do. Bishop Smith, national spiritual advisor, reminded us that there are some tough times coming for the Church in Canada and to never underestimate the value of what we do. We ARE the Church. We need to stand tall, reflect our optimism for the truth and be ready to be counted and speak up for what we believe. It’s always easier to do this with support – CWL is that support!

Organization job description: I encourage each of you to review the roles and responsibilities for your level. They can be found on the National CWL website www.cwl.ca. This might assist you in the direction you feel will work best for your diocese.

Welcome back to Lorrilee J. (Kamloops), Susan S. (Prince George), Evelyn R. (Vancouver) and Nicole G. (Whitehorse), who have had a year’s experience already and are doing a terrific job. Congratulations, also, to Alice H. (Nelson) on your new position – thanks for saying “yes”. Victoria doesn’t have anyone for Organization at this time, so please send your copies or information to the president, Agnes G.

I encourage you to share communiques – we can always learn from one another. Keep up to date – check the CWL websites www.cwl.ca and www.cwl.bc.ca for updates and do not hesitate, ever, to call me if there is anything I can do to help you.

Organization is much more than membership. It is education, leadership and opportunities to affirm our League sisters in their overall development and individual growth. As we each seek to find our own place, we must take responsibility for the many gifts we’ve been given. In your efforts to bring out the best in others, you will be amazed at the results in your own life.

The national organization chairperson and president elect is Danielle McNeill-Hessian. Look for lots of great things to come from Danielle. We are all looking forward to the next two years with Lorette Noble, our President, and her new officers. The future is bright indeed. Lorette has chosen for her theme beginning January 2007: Love One Another. How perfect is that?

And lastly, in her final report to the National Convention as Organization Chairperson, Lorette reminded us about the importance of associate members. We often forget that women who are not Catholic are more than welcome to become members of the CWL. Think, too, of the wives of Catholic men in your parish who might share our interests in the world and society, who might find our League the place they can belong and make a difference. As Lorette said, “Ask them to come and see!”

So, September looms! I thank you for your efforts and look forward to a great year of CWL animation and enthusiasm. Use dialogue and workshops, brainstorming and small group discussions to get people talking and thinking out loud. And don’t forget to pray!

Teach, Evangelize, Animate and Motivate!

PS: Watch for more information on a pilot project for a Catholic Girls League coming soon!

Barb D.