Woodmore Women’s Institute a place to play, learn and serve communities

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This article was published 24/06/2024 (404 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Women have been getting together to love, live and laugh in the Woodmore area since 1934, when the first women’s organization was called LO-LI-LA’S. Women from the area are now celebrating 79 years of community under the Woodmore Women’s Institute (WI) banner, founded Nov. 22, 1945.

Deb Melosky is the secretary for the group, and provided its history, present and future, encouraging women from all over southeastern Manitoba to join them in their expanded community programming and making new friends.

Melosky joined Woodmore WI 15 years ago for the same reason many others do: she wanted to meet people.

“My husband and I moved out of Winnipeg and built a house and moved out here, and I knew absolutely nobody. So it was a way to meet some women in the area and get involved in the community,” she explained.

Some of the 21 members of varying ages are relatively new to the area or travel from as far as Winnipeg. Others have been in the group for up to 50 years.

Some joined after their Manitoba Women’s Institute chapter closed. Ridgeville, Green Ridge, Emerson, Arnaud, Dominion City, Morris, and Tolstoi have closed over the years.

But Woodmore is going stronger than ever, thanks to keeping a closeknit circle of literal knitters, crocheters, and movie buffs. There is even a group who just enjoy going out for lunch. These groups each meet monthly, plus there are other gatherings like the recent regional picnic at Roseau River Park.

Any meeting held in communities across the RM of Emerson-Franklin like an AGM, speaker session or business meeting is used as a good excuse to have fun.

“It used to be all work and no play kind of thing, so now we’ve come up with some social activities, too,” said Melosky.

While they have fun doing it, that work in giving back to the community is an integral part of the WI.

Their next event is June 27 on the Prairie Shore Trail east of Tolstoi, part of a tall grass prairie reserve. Botanist, author and Prairie Shore Botanicals business owner Laura Reeves will be guiding people and finding some nature they can eat.

This is a seasonal wellness walk that started in the spring on the Crow Wing Trail and over the Senkiw Bridge. The third walk in the fall will be on a southern portion of the Crow Wing from Fort Dufferin to Emerson. The winter walk will be at the Roseau River Park for some snowshoeing in February.

The wellness walks are funded Southern Health through Healthy Together Now, a program meant to combat chronic disease. Southern Health also partnered with Woodmore WI on food security for the last decade.

They have four workshops through the year on food and gardening, with two more to go in 2024. The next one is on preserving, with participants making sauerkraut. The last one of the year is on seed saving. Workshops are open to all, including men and children.

There is also a children’s gardening project.

“We provide them with seeds, plants, planting instructions, and mentoring over the summer,” said Melosky.

One of the teachers at Roseau Valley School in Dominion City is helping out.

“He visits them twice during the summer and checks out their garden, answers any questions, gives some advice.

“And then what we do in the fall, mid-September, then all the children who participated, we have a windup. And that is a cooking class where we use vegetables. So we’ve done veggie tacos, pizzas, quesadillas. It’s hands-on and the kids love it,” said Melosky.

Woodmore also gives out a scholarship each year, alternating between Shevchenko School in Vita and Roseau Valley School in Dominion City. Local 4H benefits too, getting funding and help for things like trophies.

Charities are a beneficiary of the WI. Fundraising this year went to a park bench in Dominion City, the Vita food bank, and the Arnaud Community Fund.

It is a continuing tradition of helping the community that started with the first closeknit Woodmore WI members nearly 80 years ago. Their first project was to organize a Sunday School. They helped the Young People’s Club buy signet rings for the war veterans, and did sewing and knitting for the Red Cross. They sent donations to the Cancer Fund, Cemetery Fund, and bought a stove for the old Woodmore Hall.

The next chance to sign up for the kids gardening project will be next spring, but there is plenty more to do with the WI for all interested.

Anyone who wishes to register for a Wellness Walk Plus or get more info on other events and activities by the Woodmore Women’s Institute can email wellnesswalkplus@gmail.com or join their Facebook group. They can also show up at an event to see what they think and ask any board member how to sign up to be a member.