Networking and partnering with community-based organisations and internationally
Our members participate in community events and give presentations to various clubs and organisations to bring awareness about SI Hamilton-Burlington, share information and establish collaborative linkages. In October 2018 and 2019 Maroussia Ahmed held an information booth on SI Hamilton-Burlington at the annual Gandhi Peace Festival.
In 2018, Pat McNeice visited our SI twin club in Fukuyama, Japan, and had friendly exchanges with our counterparts, especially with their leader, Noriko Grace Doi..
In February 2019 , Margaret McRrea and Theresa Randles gave a talk to the Rotary Club of Burlington at the Burlington library.
In 2019, Mary Anne Peters, Coordinator, Programs for Newcomers, Community Partnerships and Learning, and Zarema Mammadova, Newcomers Employment Advisor, Mohawk College, invited then President Theresa Randles to talk about our club.
In August 2019, SI Hamilton-Burlington organized a community information meeting in Maroussia’s home. A pot luck dinner was shared with invited community representatives:
- Sarah Wayland, a Senior Project Manager represented the Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council. She is is a respected researcher on diversity in Hamilton and region .http://www.hamiltonimmigration.ca/contact-us
- Rosemary Aswani, represented the Immigrant Working Center (formerly the Immigrant Women’s Centre) “IWC is a leader in providing settlement services in Hamilton, welcoming new Canadians and supporting their full social, civic and economic participation in their new city”.https://iwchamilton.ca/about/
- Leo Johnson and Joana Fejzaj represented Empowerment Squared “At Empowerment Squared, our commitment is to ensure that marginalized, newcomer, and refugee youth are given the opportunity to succeed in school regardless of their past experiences and family’s economic status”. https://empowermentsquared.org/about-us/
Maroussia Ahmed’s sent a letter to SI America (SIA) about anti-Black racism, which also affects women and girls, quoting Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison. Her letter was posted on the SIA Facebook.
Maya Angelou :
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud. Do not complain. Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution. I refuse to allow any man-made differences to separate me from any other human beings”. Toni Morrison: “There is no such thing as race. None. There is just a human race – scientifically, anthropologically. Racism is a construct, a social construct… it has a social function, racism”.
Maya Angelou
Participation at Local and International Conferences
Whenever possible, delegates from our club participate in local and international SI conferences
In July 2019, Millie Panton participated in the Kuala Lumpur Soroptimist Quadrennial International Convention . Upon her return, she shared gifts with our members and reported on her exciting experience.
The next international gathering of SI will take place in Dublin in 2022. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=431472817439536
In 2019, Past President Theresa attended the Leadership event at the Conestoga College in Kitchener-Waterloo
In 2020 , President Danielle McKirgan attended the ECR Spring conference via Zoom
In December 2018, Pat McNeice informed us that the money collected for the President’s Appeal, went towards the funding of the program Women, Water, Leadership, in Bulgaria, Malaysia and Kenya
In the Media…
In 2019, Pat McNeice sent the article published in the Hamilton Community Foundation Legacy on SI Hamilton-Burlington to the SI magazine “Best for Women”
“Best for Women serves as the organization’s fully digital e-newsletter and is the primary communication vehicle for members. It includes communication from leadership, things to know, Dream Program information and more! Each issue is sent to all members in their respective language.”
Published every year and distributed at the Festival, the Gandhi booklet included a write up about SI Hamilton-Burlington (Link)
In 2020, Danielle McKirgan’s letter to the editor was published in the Hamilton Spectator , emphasizing our contribution to the well- being of young mothers and their children in the Young Women Empowered program from the Good Shepherd Regina’s Place.
Awards and Citations
2019:
YWCA Women of Distinction Awards. SI Hamilton-Burlington was proud to be nominated .
A letter of congratulations sent by Mayor Eisenberger on the occasion of our club’s nomination was forwarded to Pat Mc Neice
“Close to 70 women are being recognized for their contributions to the community by the YWCA Hamilton. The 66 women and seven local businesses — in nine award categories — were honoured Thursday evening during a reception at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
“The Women of Distinction Awards are nationally recognized as one of the most prestigious awards for women. YWCAs from across Canada join in the celebration each year, honouring the achievements of women across the country,” the organization said in a press release.
https://www.thespec.com//news/hamilton-region/2019/01/24/hamilton-s-women-of-distinction-nominees-announced.html
On December 12 2019, Good Shepherd Chief Development Officer, Cathy Wellwood, presented a plaque to SI Hamilton-Burlington in recognition of its generous contributions over the years. President Theresa Randles gratefully accepted the plaque on behalf of the club.