Realizing Potential. For All Women.
Our club holds four regularly scheduled activities. The business of the club is carried out at general meetings at which a speaker is featured. Our Outdoor Club group gets together weekly, the Coffee and Chat group bi-weekly and the Book Club monthly. Further details about each of these are set out below.
We hold monthly general meetings September through May, excluding December. These are held at the Schubert Centre, 3505 30th Ave, Vernon, BC, on the third Monday of every month from 10:30 am until noon unless the date is a statutory holiday. In this case, the meeting will be re-scheduled.
Our monthly meetings provide an opportunity for members to socialize with other members, further their own learning through informative speakers, and participate in club business. Reasonable fees are charged for each of speaker, coffee and muffin.
The speaker(s) and topic for our next meeting, as well as those from our previous meetings in this fiscal year, are set out below. This information will be updated when changes occur
Evan Berger, MA, RCC | Mental Health Clinician, Vernon, and the Interior Region Program Manager for the Take a Hike program will be presenting on this full-time alternative high school program. The Take a Hike Foundation “partners with school boards and districts to empower vulnerable youth with the skills and resilience they need to graduate high school, build healthy relationships, and achieve success – however they define it.” Within this alternate classroom structure are embeded a full-time mental health clinician, weekly land-based learning activities, and opportunities for community involvement.
January 20, 2025 – Alex Muir, Chair of the Metro Vancouver Chapter of Dying With Dignity Canada (DWDC) gave an informative presentation about the services this the national human-rights charity provides in its commitment to improving quality of dying and protecting end-of-life rights. Canada’s legislation addressing medical assistance in dying (MAiD) came into force in 2016, with DWDC advocating for assisted dying rules that respect the Canadian Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and providing support to adults suffering from a grievous and irremediable medical condition who wish to die on their own terms. Mr. Muir also provided the members with a detailed list of BC resources, many of which can be found at https://www.dyingwithdignity.ca/education-resources/british-columbia-support-directory/
November 18, 2024 – The featured presentation was on the services offered by the North Okanagan Hospice Society. The Society’s Executive Director Megan Cox, Community Program Manager Belinda Keel and Fund Development Office Kristin Ford attended, providing a powerpoint presentation and informational materials as well as answering numerous questions from the audience. There were a number of aspects of the Society’s work and that of Interior Health of which many of us were unaware until today and we appreciate the presentation.
As stated on its website, “When medical intervention can no longer add days to life, we strive to add more life to each day.” https://nohs.ca/
October 21, 2024: Janet Parkins and Jane Weixl with Climate Action Now! North Okanagan are our featured speakers. Their timely topic is, “Zero Carbon Step Code”, part of changes to the BC Building Code which requires most new construction in BC to be 20% more energy efficient than the base 2018 BC Building Code. The Information Bulletin from the Building and Safety Standards Branch of the BC government provides more information on this Code however our speakers will bring the human approach to the topic .
September 16, 2024 – Our featured speaker was Martin Friedrich, Executive Director of Vernon and District Immigrant and Community Services Society.
Martin spoke of the many services VDICSS has offered for newcomers, immigrants, refugees, and naturalized citizens, helping with settlement and integration into Canada and Vernon, British Columbia. Among other services, it provides language and employment services. For more information visit Home | Vernon & District Immigrant & Community Services Society (vdicss.org)
Additionally, we we heard from Mickie Materi of the Archway Society for Domestic Peace and some of the financial challenges the organization is currently facing. See archwaysociety.ca for information about this organization.
May 27, 2024 – Cindy Masters, our scheduled speaker, was unable to attend on this date. We are working to reschedule her speaking engagement. Cindy Masters is the Executive Director of Okanagan Village Housing Society. Cindy was born and raised in Vernon and is excited to be speaking about the work of the Okanagan Village Housing Society. This Society is a registered charity whose mandate is to develop a permanent inventory of managed, safe and comfortable rental housing at below market rate for the “forgotten population” of lower income workers, families, pensioners, and people with diverse abilities who are in need of help along their way to becoming or remaining long-term contributing citizens.”
More information regarding the Society can be found at https://okvillage.ca/.
Are you looking for good books; thoughtful, intelligent, stimulating discussion; fun and companionship? Our CFUW Vernon’s Libra Phillies Book Club meets regularly on the 4th Tuesday of the month and guests are welcome to attend a meeting or 2 before becoming members of CFUW Vernon.
Meetings are held at the homes of members, on a rotational basis, and times may vary. Book Club Members each choose a book for the month in which they are hosting. Books can be from any genre, and include fiction and non-fiction. Here is the current line-up.
2024:
Sept: The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese
Oct: tba, by Mike McCardell
Nov: The Storm We Made, by Vanessa Chan
Dec: Poverty By America, by Matthew Desmond
2025:
Mar: James, by Percival Everett
Apr: The Phoenix Crown, by Mike McCardell
May: tba, by Alice Munro
Jun: Seven Fallen Feathers, by Tanya Talaga
These sessions are held on alternate Fridays, 10:05 am until noon, currently in the Okanagan Room on the 2nd floor of the Okanagan Regional Library in Vernon. Get to know other members in an informal setting through self-moderated lively discussion of a topic decided in advance. Discussion topics are selected by a member who prepares a brief opening overview then discussion ensues.
Past topics include,
During the non-winter months, this group takes weekly hikes on various trails in and around Vernon, of which there are a significant number. There may also be a possibility of a swim. The activity occurs on Fridays, usually starting at 9:30 am in the warmer summer months and 10 am otherwise, at a location chosen by the group leader but suggestions for locations are always welcome.
With the arrival of snow, the Friday schedule is maintained but the group switches to snowshoeing. There are a number of snowshoe trails within Sovereign Provincial Park or Silver Star Mountain that the group frequents.
Whether hiking or snowshoeing, an effort is made to carpool to make getting to the chosen destination easier for the participants. Additionally, depending on schedules, at the conclusion of the activity, members stop somewhere for coffee.
In 2023, Greater Vernon received the title, “Trails Capital of BC”, an official mark obtained following a successful application by the Regional District of the North Okanagan and the Ribbons of Green Society under the Canadian Trademarks Act. The pictures below reflect only a few of many diverse trails that members of the “Hiking Club” have traversed. The titles reflect the general geographic location of the trails, although many of the them follow various portions of Vernon’s famous Grey Canal. Clicking on an image will generate an expanded view of it.