Meetings
Location: W.A. Edwards Family Centre
333 4th Avenue North, Saskatoon
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Feel welcome to attend a meeting and participate in CFUW Saskatoon’s activities.
General Meeting
Monday, April 1, 2024
7:30 p.m.
W.A. Edwards Family Centre
Resolutions
Spring Banquet
Monday, May 6, 2024
Reception 5:30 p.m.
Dinner 6:00 p.m.
Location and Speaker T.B.A.
Annual General Meeting
Monday, June 3, 2024
7:30 p.m.
W.A. Edwards Family Centre
Past Events
General Meeting
Monday, March 4, 2024
7:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting due to the extreme weather event
International Women’s Day Event
Guest Speakers:
Sharon Okeeweehow, Ramlah Iqbal, and Nahia Nalwooga
A Panel Discussion on Equality Issues for Women
in their own country and in Canada
Sharon Okeeweehow is a retired counsellor and social worker who has worked for the provincial government for over twenty years.
Ramlah Iqbal works at the Saskatoon Open Door Society and is the team lead for the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.
Nahia Nalwooga is a registered nurse with a Master of Nursing degree and is presently faculty in the collaborative program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
Please email saskatooncfuw@gmail.com to acquire the passcode for the Zoom Meeting.
General Meeting
Monday, February 5, 2024
7:30 p.m.
W. A. Edwards Family Centre
Guest Speaker: Alexandra Popoff,
Scholar and Author of Literary Biographies
Alexandra Popoff holds two graduate degrees in literature from the University of Toronto and University of Saskatchewan. She lectured at University of Saskatchewan in Russian literature and history before turning to literary biography.
Alexandra Popoff has published four biographies: Sophia Tolstoy: A Biography; The Wives: The Women Behind Russia’s Literary Giants; Tolstoy’s False Disciple: the Untold Story of Leo Tolstoy and Vladimir Chertkov; and Vasily Grossman and the Soviet Century. Her fifth biography, Ayn Rand, is published this year by Yale University Press (Jewish Lives). Alexandra’s current writing project focuses on Putin’s aggression in Czechia and Ukraine.
Alexandra was born in Moscow, Russia and began her career as a journalist working in Moscow. She lives in Saskatoon.
January Luncheon
Saturday, January 6, 2024
11:30 a.m.
Mano’s Restaurant
1820 8th Street East, Saskatoon, SK
Guest Speaker: dee Hobsbawn-Smith,
Poet Laureate
dee Hobsbawn-Smith is the tenth Poet Laureate of Saskatchewan. Her literary work includes not only poetry but essays, short stories, a novel, non-fiction and five food books. Her career in the food industry as a chef and a slow food and local food advocate has influenced many of her writings. Her work has been shared locally, nationally, and internationally and has received many awards. Notably, Bread & Water: a book of essays was a winner of the Saskatchewan Book Awards Non-Fiction Award and Taste Canada’s Gold Medal for Culinary Narrative.
Tickets for this luncheon are available for $40 per person.
Christmas Social
Monday, December 4, 2023
7:30 p.m.
W. A. Edwards Family Centre
Music will be provided by Darcie Lich, B.A. Music in Music Education. She is currently the coordinator of Religious Education Services (Latin Rite) and Fine Arts Education for Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools.
Christmas treats will be shared.
Bring a favourite sweet or savoury that you enjoy during this season!
General Meeting
Monday, November 6, 2023
YWCA Guest Speaker
Cara Bahr, B.A., B. Comm, CPA, CMA
Chief Executive Officer for YWCA Saskatoon
In 2022, the YWCA Saskatoon Crisis Shelter & Residence turned away a staggering 2,699 women, 1,385 children, and 169 youth who needed a safe place to stay. We do not know where these women go. The YWCA’s 54 rooms are always full — the longest a room is empty is how long it takes to clean it.
The homelessness crisis in our community further affects women and children. This is the reality for so many in our city — and the number is growing.
The YWCA Saskatoon has embarked on a Capital Campaign to address the needs in the community and to continue to help more women and children on a path to hope, health and healing.
Cara Bahr is passionate about YWCA’s mission to advance the well-being of women, girls, and their families.
Mammoth Book Sale
Wednesday, October 11 & Thursday, October 12, 2023
Saskatoon Shrine Club Hall, Masonic Temple
For more info, visit the Book Sale tab.
Scholarship Reception
Monday, October 2, 2023
Please visit the Scholarship Tab to learn about the scholarships and bursaries that are awarded and see the Scholarship Recipients.
Open House
Sunday, September 10, 2023
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
General Meeting
Monday, June 5, 2023
7:00 p.m.
W.A. Edwards Family Centre
333 Fourth Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK
General Meeting
Monday, April 3, 2023
7:00 p.m.
W.A. Edwards Family Centre
333 Fourth Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK
Resolutions
General Meeting
Monday, March 6, 2023
7:00 p.m.
W.A. Edwards Family Centre
333 Fourth Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK
International Women’s Day Celebration
A Panel Discussion with Three Immigrant Women
Farkhonda Tahery
Afghanistan
Farkhonda has been in Saskatoon since September, 2021. She worked with the Saskatoon Open Door Society as a Community Development Worker in 2022. She is currently a graduate student, studying for her Master of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan. Farkhonda has a sociology and research management background from back home and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Kabul University. She worked for a think tank and later for a research consultancy after graduation. She is passionate about women’s education and was involved, back home, in cultural exchange programs for youth.
Farkhonda and her husband arrived in Saskatoon with the first group of 26 refugees who fled from the Taliban in Afghanistan, first going to Mexico. Since her arrival, there have been two more Afghanistan groups, each with 200 people, coming to Saskatoon via Mexico. The Taliban are not allowing women to be educated. There is no hope for women to participate in society.
Rodeen Omar
Syria
After moving to many places since the civil war in Syria in 2011, Rodeen arrived in Saskatoon in 2017. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Syria and is now doing graduate studies for a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration at the University of Saskatchewan. She works as a settlement worker in schools through the Saskatoon Open Door Society. She is a proud Canadian.
Anastasia Misan
Ukraine
Anastasia is from the city of Novomoskovsk. Anastasia graduated from the University of Dnipro as an interpreter and then from the University of Ukraine in Kharkiv in Psychology. She speaks English, French, Georgian, Norwegian, Rumanian, Ukrainian, and Russian. She was inspired to learn English after she saw Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter series!
Because of heavy fighting, Anastasia and her younger broother left Ukraine and her family in April, 2022 with one suitcase between them. They first went to Dinipro in Ukraine, then to Warsaw, Istanbul, an airport in Germany, and finally to Calgary before coming to Saskatoon.
Anastasia loves to journal and play music (piano, guitar, bandura), and enjoys acting. After some difficulty obtaining a job, she now works at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada. Her brother, Ihor, is in Grade 12 at Bethlehem Collegiate.
Please feel welcome to attend this event.
Meetings have been occurring as Zoom Meetings, but, as of Fall, 2022., in-person meetings are now being arranged.
in-person attendance is encouraged. However, the meetings have been Hybrid Meetings that make a Zoom Link available.
Click here for the Zoom meeting.
General Meeting
Monday, February 6, 2023
7:00 p.m.
W.A. Edwards Family Centre
333 Fourth Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK
Guest Speaker: Kaitlyn Harvey
“What is the Role of Women and Education in a Rapidly-Changing Climate?”
In-person attendance is encouraged, but, for those unable to be present, a Zoom link is provided. Click here.
For women who view themselves as caregivers, teachers, and role models for the next generation, should knowledge of our planet’s changing reality and future risks influence how we see ourselves and our roles in society? If so, how?
Kaitlyn Harvey is a Metis lawyer from Prince Albert, SK and is a partner at Harvey Law in Saskatoon, SK. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography with Great Distinction and a Juris Doctorate degree and has spent several years researching climate-related constitutional and administrative obligations of governments in a Master of Laws program at the University of Manitoba.
January Author Luncheon
Saturday, January 14, 2023
11:30 a.m.
Park Town Hotel
924 Spadina Crescent East, Saskatoon, SK
Featuring: Sharon Butala
”One Writer’s Career”
This is an in-person event open to the public.
Luncheon tickets are $40.00 per person.
Ticket purchases may be made by calling 306-652-7708.
Sharon Butala was born, raised and educated in Saskatchewan and moved to Calgary in 2008 to be near her grandchildren. She has published twenty-one books of prose, both fiction and nonfiction and in spring 2023 will publish her ninth novel, Leaving Wisdom. She has received the Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence, the W.O. Mitchell/City of Calgary Award, the Marian Engel Award, several Saskatchewan Book Awards and many others and has been shortlisted for the top prizes in Canada. Her 1994 memoir, The Perfection of the Morning, was on the bestseller list for a year. She is an Officer in the Order of Canada, is invested in the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and has three Honorary Doctorates and continues to write, speak, and teach and mentor around the country.
Christmas Social
Monday, December 5, 2022
7:00 p.m.
W.A. Edwards Family Centre
333 Fourth Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK
Featuring: Musical entertainment by
Helen Pridmore via Zoom
The event is a hybrid evening so those who are unable to attend in person may access the Zoom link. Click here for the link to join us on Zoom.
Please bring your favourite savory or sweet Christmas treat to share.
There will be an opportunity to reveal your worst or best Christmas memory.
Helen Pridmore enjoys a career focused on contemporary scored music, experimental music and improvisation. As a soprano soloist she has performed at Carnegie Hall (with the American Symphony Orchestra), at venues in Europe, USA, Mexico, and Japan, and from coast to coast across Canada.
With degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, University of Toronto, and the Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester), Helen has taught at several universities in the USA and Canada. She is currently a freelance musician, active as a soloist, chamber musician, and composer. Recent and upcoming performances include events in Seattle, Vancouver, Fredericton, Saskatoon, and Yellowknife.
General Meeting
Monday, November 7, 2022
7:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Guest Speaker: Janna Sampson
Director of Strategy & Planning at Saskatoon Public Library
“Saskatoon’s New Library”
Please note that this month’s meeting is not an in-person meeting. Click here to access this presentation on November 7.
Please join us for this informative presentation.
Awards Evening
Monday, October 3, 2022
7:00 p.m.
W. A. Edwards Family Centre
333 Fourth Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK
At the Awards Evening, students who have received scholarships and bursaries from CFUW Saskatoon present their interesting projects. It is a rewarding evening for all.
This is an in-person event. However, a Zoom option is available if you are unable to attend in person. Click here to access the event on October 3.
September Open House - Welcome Event
Sunday, September 11, 2022
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Venue: W. A. Edwards Family Centre
333 Fourth Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK
Annual General Meeting
Monday, May 2, 2022
Zoom Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Speakers:
Savelia Curniski
Savelia Curniski will be presenting on Nashi, a Safe House in Western Ukraine protecting girls from human trafficking. The 17 girls have now been safely moved from Maple Leaf House in Ukraine to Poland for their safety from the war in Ukraine. The safe house in Ukraine is now being used to house refugees fleeing from the war in Eastern Ukraine.
Oleysa Hursky
Olesya Hursky and her husband Rostyk have established the charity Stream of Hopes, a nonprofit charity which helps disadvantaged children and orphans in Ukraine. Stream of Hopes is also currently sending Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine out of a warehouse in Saskatoon.
General Meeting
Resolutions
Monday, April 4, 2022
7:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
General Meeting
International Women’s Day Celebration
Monday, March 7, 2022
7:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Speakers:
Stephanie Dyck
Program Director for MCC projects in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq,
MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) Manitoba
Maysoun Darweesh
Migration and Resettlement Coordinator, MCC Manitoba
General Meeting
Affordable Housing Program
Monday, February 7, 2022
7:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Speakers:
Laverne Szejvolt, Director of Operations
Laverne was a founding Board member of Quint. Her career with Quint began in 1997 when she helped to develop and oversee the Affordable Housing Program. She is currently the Director of Operations providing guidance to Quint’s programs. A community leader and activist, Laverne has been involved for more than 35 years in many local community development initiatives.
Holly Lucas, Affordable Housing Program Manager
Holly joined Quint’s Housing Team in 2018 taking over as program manager last year. She worked in the nursing field for 20 years. She has spent the last 20 years working with homelessness, working with and managing a downtown shelter, before being hired at Quint Development Corporation.
January Luncheon
Saturday, January 8, 2022
11:30 a.m.
Zoom Meeting
Guest Speaker: Amy Jo Ehman, Author
“Writing Life: Stories Worth Telling”
Amy Jo Ehman is a former journalist (CBC Radio/TV and Star-Phoenix) turned author with five books to her credit, so far. Her titles are, in order of appearance: Prairie Feast: A Writer’s Journey Home for Dinner, Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens, Saskatoon: A History, Evolution of the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan and Thelma: A Life in Pictures. She grew up on a family farm at Craik and lives in Saskatoon.
Christmas Social on Zoom
Monday, December 6, 2021
7:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Member Show-and-Tell about a favourite Christmas ornament.
Musical entertainment provided by Deborah Buck and her student, Nora.
General Meeting
Monday, November 1, 2021
7:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Speaker: Patricia Atkinson
“Afghanistan, a Failed State”
Patricia Atkinson is a former Saskatchewan provincial parliamentarian, senior cabinet minister and political party leader with exceptional experience in governance, public policy development and implementation gained during 25 years of successful public life and service. She is the longest serving woman parliamentarian in her province’s history.
Since leaving elected office in 2011, Ms. Atkinson has worked internationally and nationally with parliamentarians, public servants, political party activists and candidates. She has worked in transitional and post-conflict democracies in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya and Ukraine.
Ms. Atkinson has practical and unique expertise in the areas of parliamentary strengthening and governance, capacity building in civil society and political party strengthening, public policy analysis and implementation, gender inclusion in public policy development and budgeting, and financial and human resource management.
Virtual Awards Evening
Monday, October 4, 2021
7:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Virtual Open House
Sunday, September 12, 2021
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Speakers: Margaret Hendry and Melissa Cote “Recalling the Past and Looking to the Future”
Margaret Hendry, our club archivist, will highlight briefly our work over the years in Saskatoon, Canada, and the world. Melissa Cote, Director of Indigenous Initiatives for Saskatoon, will speak briefly about her work.
Non-members: Please contact Linda Hiebert for a Zoom Link.
Annual General Meeting
Monday, May 31, 2021
7:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Speaker: Tracy Muggli,
Executive Director at St. Paul’s Hospital
”Hospital Leadership in a Pandemic:
An Inside View”
Tracy has 33 years’ experience in health and social service sectors. She is a former Director with Mental Health and Addiction Services and a former Manager with Client Patient Access Services, Saskatchewan Health Authority.
She is a board member with the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, St. Peter’s College in Muenster, and a former board member of several community organizations, including Saskatoon Open Door Society, Saskatchewan Intercultural Association, and the Saskatoon Community Foundation where she helped initiate the Community Fund for Reconciliation. Her interest and support for newcomers in our community was also demonstrated in her role as a founding Coordinator of the Newcomer Information Centre in Saskatoon in 2009. Tracy also co-chaired the national CFUW conference in 2013.
Tracy has been the recipient of multiple leadership awards including a Distinguished Service award from the Canadian Association of Social Workers, Distinguished Service- Saskatchewan Psychiatric Association, the Chief of Police Award for Community Service, and the Saskatoon Police Services Badge Award.
She lives in Saskatoon with her son Ayden and enjoys all the Saskatoon has to offer in the theatre, live music, festival and restaurant scenes, as well as the natural beauty of our community walking and cycling trails.
General Meeting
Monday, April 12, 2021
7:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Resolutions 2021
General Meeting - International Women's Day
Monday, March 8, 2021
7:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Speaker: Marie-Pierre Bilodeau
Marie-Pierre Bilodeau has worked in Africa and transformed the lives of women through agriculture in West Africa.
After twelve successful years creating and managing her “Organically Grown, Ethically Sewn” eco-clothing brand called Rabbit & Empee, Marie-Pierre realized that her efforts to find sustainability, regeneration and fulfillment fell short of the life she aspired to live. She studied permaculture and earned her PDC (Permaculture Design Certificate) at Seven Ravens Permaculture Academy on Salt Spring Island in Canada and her hands-on training was done in East Africa where she continues to work today. She is the founder of REFARMERS.org, an international organization that uses small-scale regenerative food growing to catalyze positive social and environmental change. Refarmers is based on the unceded, traditional, ancestral land of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations also known as Vancouver, Canada.
The focus of Refarmers is on the 12 permaculture principles, "Use Small and Slow Solutions."
General Meeting
Monday, February 1, 2021
7:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Speaker: Mairin Loewen, City Councillor
Mairin Loewen was first elected to Council in 2011, and was re-elected in 2012 and 2016. She grew up in Ward 7 and attended school there before moving to Ottawa to attend University. Mairin has a B.A. in Political Science (Carleton University) and a M.A. in Political Studies (University of Saskatchewan). Mairin has worked for the Province of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Medical Association, and the University of Saskatchewan.
Mairin is a co-founder and active volunteer with Girls Rock Saskatoon, and has also volunteered with CFCR Community Radio, the Open Door Society, and the Heart of the City Piano Program. In her spare time she likes playing music and sports. Mairin lives in Ward 7 with her partner and son.
Virtual Author's Presentation
Saturday, January 9, 2021
1:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Speaker: Merle Massie
Merle Massie is an author, farmer and historian trained at the University of Saskatcewan, specializing in Western Canadian history. By day, she works in university research administration; on evenings and weekends, she can be found reading and writing, baking or enjoying the outdoors. Ms. Massie will speak about her most recent book A Radiant Life: The Honourable Sylvia Fedoruk, Scientist, Sports Icon and Stateswoman, which dives into the life and career of the remarkable University of Saskatchewan alumnus. Published by University of Regina Press, the book is the first to access Fedoruk’s personal and professional archive. Fedoruk’s finds are a fabulous record of a life of public excellence and personal pain.
Christmas Social
Monday, December 7, 2020
7:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
This is an opportunity for members to star in the Christmas Social by sharing their talents, memories, traditions, stories, or poems in short presentations. Share a memory or tradition that means Christmas to you. In this "New Normal," we want to share the joy! Bring those memories to the surface and volunteer to make this a joyful evening.
General Meeting
Monday, November 2, 2020
7:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Speaker: Lori Steward
Lori is passionate about helping newcomers to Saskatoon achieve full and successful lives. She began her journey at Global Gathering Place (GGP) in 2006 as a volunteer in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes. Since then, she has held a variety of positions and is now the Refugee and Immigrant Health and Care Coordination Manager. Her team provides one-on-one case coordination and life skills support to the most vulnerable clients.
Awards Evening
Monday, October 5, 2020
7:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting
Due to Covid-19 restrictions for large gatherings, the Awards Evening which traditionally is held at W.A. Edwards Family Centre is a Zoom celebration of the 2020 scholarship and bursary recipients. Members have the opportunity to meet the recipients and learn of their studies, goals, and aspirations.
September Virtual Membership Welcome
Sunday, September 13, 2020
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Zoom "Open House"
Speaker: Donna Jean Gerrier:
Honour the Masterpiece that you have been Created to Fulfill and Be
Donna Jean's presentation is based on her book, Eggs on the Wall... for the love of Family.
"Donna Jean Gerrier shares her heartwarming story about choice and change. She made a life-altering decision when she relocated from Toronto to care for her elderly parents in the small prairie town where she grew up. The love of family surmounted her fulfilling career as a speech language pathologist as well as her study and performance of classical opera," as quoted on the book's back cover.
