Speakers during 2026-2027
Michelle Loughery
Nov 16, 2026: Join award-winning Canadian master muralist and creative infrastructure visionary Michelle Loughery for a special presentation exploring the power of public art, BC Heritage Corridors and Cultural Gateways, and the stories that connect our communities. Recipient of the 2005 BC Community Achievement Award and 2013 Okanagan Art Educator Award, Loughery has spent 32 years pioneering monumental murals, youth mentorship, cultural tourism, and community revitalization. Her visionary projects span British Columbia’s heritage mural corridors, the BC Legacy Highway, Art Route Canada, and America’s historic Route 66. Her initiatives have reportedly engaged more than 5,000 youth, and her early Route 66 contribution was documented in Rutgers University research on arts-based economic revitalization.
As creator of the Wayfinder Art Model and the Sunflower Project, Loughery champions cultural heritage, human rights, and the role of artists in designing lasting community infrastructure. Discover how BC’s heritage corridors, cultural gateways, and public art can connect our past, strengthen our communities, and inspire future generations.
Cindy Klassen
Oct 19, 2026: Cindy is the Volunteer Program Coordinator at the Archway Society for Domestic Peace. She provided a brief overview of the Society’s Christmas Hamper Project, to which CFUW Vernon contributes. Archway Society depends on support from community members and businesses to ensure the families and individuals that have accessed their services throughout the year have something to brighten their holiday season. Over the past few years, on average, 70 hampers have been distributed to its needy families.
Additionally at our October meeting, we watched excerpts from CFUW’s webinar An Evening with Zambian Novelist Mubanga Kalimamukwento and the SLF (Stephen Lewis Foundation), found on CFUW’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWMuiQpspKU). In the interview, Mubanga discusses her most recent novel, The Shipikisha Club, which shows how cultural and religious expectations in Zambia can trap women in cycles of silence and endurance, with situations exacerbated by the HIV epidemic. While set in Zambia and fictional in approach, the message conveyed is applicable in many locations worldwide.
Martha Jane Lewis
Sept 21, 2026: Martha Jane Lewis is presently Co-President of our sister club CFUW Kelowna. Prior to her retirement in 2016, she was a practicing lawyer and Executive Director of Seniors First BC. Martha Jane spoke about the many resources available to assist seniors with the various issues that can complicate their lives, and steps that can be taken to avoid problems. She gave handouts listing these and tips for accessing them. The issues include mental capacity, property and finances, health care, resources for family caregivers and which resource is available for which issue.
Danica Hennig
May 25, 2026: Danica Hennig, Support and Education Coordinator, First Link® North and Central Okanagan (Salmon Arm), Alzheimer Society of B.C. and Yukon presented on the theme, “Join us to learn more about dementia and explore simple strategies that can create a more supportive, inclusive and welcoming community for people affected by the disease.” Her presentation was most informative and enjoyable.
