Special projects

Eastern Townships Walks

CFUW Sherbrooke & District Walking Group proudly launched the Eastern Townships Walks 2011 Calendar at Townshippers’ Day in Danville on September 18, 2010. The calendar features photos, descriptions, maps and directions for twelve different areas. The public is encouraged to try these walks.








In March 2011, profits of $1700 from the sales of the Eastern Townships Walks 2011 calendar were donated to two local environmental organizations, the Johnville Bog and Forest Park and the St. Francis Valley Naturalist Club. Some members of the calendar committee attended the presentation.
















One-room Schoolhouse Project

A dedicated group of women interviewed over 50 teachers and students of one-room schoolhouses and produced a Days to Remember book, featuring biographies and memorabilia. Information and items such as teachers’ contracts, report cards and photographs have been archived in the Eastern Townships Research Centre of Bishop’s University. Grants were received from the Bélanger-Gardner Foundation, the Scowen Foundation, the Howick Foundation and the Townshippers’ Research & Cultural Foundation. Generous donations were made through a Townshippers’ Research and Cultural Foundation Partnership. Click here to read about the book launch in November, 2007. To see a list of the schools, click here.

Former teachers and students are invited to contribute their recollections and memorabilia to the Eastern Townships Research Centre or local historical societies. Click to download a teacher’s questionnaire or a student’s questionnaire.

During the early decades of the 1900’s, one-room schoolhouses dotted the rural landscape of the Eastern Townships. Days to Remember: One-room Schoolhouses in the Eastern Townships of Quebec offers a unique window into that world through recollections from teachers and students, touching and amusing anecdotes, evocative old photographs and reproductions of rare memorabilia.
Days to Remember is also a keepsake book for recording special dates. Profits from sales of the book are donated to maintain the One-room Schoolhouse Award for Elementary Education, which honours the former teachers of that era.
Click here for an order form and click here to read more about the book.

The profits from sales of Days to Remember: One-room Schoolhouses in the Eastern Townships of Quebec have endowed The One-room Schoolhouse Award for Elementary Education awarded to a student of Bishop’s University or University of Sherbrooke who intends to become an elementary school teacher. Sales continue and again at our AGM in May 2011, there will be further profits to go toward the scholarship. Books, which can be sold, have been donated to 5 Townships one-room schools that are being maintained by individuals or organizations. A recent initiative was to donate tapes of interviews of former teachers and students of one-room schools, and other related material to local historical societies. The Eastern Townships Resource Centre preserves the original tapes and information.


Grandmothers to Grandmothers

This initiative was inspired by the Stephen Lewis Foundation to assist grandmothers raising their orphaned grandchildren. Money is raised by a variety of methods, including organizing card parties and African dinners, sponsoring plays and making bags, scarves, jewelry and black angel ornaments, lovingly named in honour of an African child affected by HIV/AIDS. Over $40,000 has been collected in 4.5 years. A group member travelled with 39 other Grandmothers from across Canada to visit Swaziland in 2010. In addition, there is an advocacy group that is lobbying hard for a law that will be voted on shortly in the House of Commons. The law is Bill C-393, which is amending CAMR, Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime. This law, which is now at the third reading, is attempting to facilitate the export of generic medicines to countries that do not have a pharmaceutical industry.

Click here to donate to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Summer Market

The club holds a fund-raising market and silent auction annually in July or August to support the Public Speaking Contest and other club expenses, such as meetings. Articles sold include books, home-baked goods and household items. The date this year is August 26-27, 2011.

Dutch Exchange

A group of club members travelled to the Netherlands in May 2003. Members of the Dutch Federation (VVAO) were hosted by the club in August 2001 and September 2005. The most recent visit included a civic reception at Sherbrooke City Hall, a book reading by local historian Mary Jean Bean and visits to the Sherbrooke University Geriatric Institute and the Bombardier Museum and Art Gallery.

Several club members returned to the Netherlands in May 2009.

Spring Baskets

CFUW Sherbrooke & District distributes fruit baskets to several of the smaller seniors’ homes in the spring.

More information on any of these projects may be obtained from the President.




Updated: July 06 2011