Waterloo Community Spotlight: CFUW Kitchener-Waterloo
180 Degrees Consulting Waterloo connected with CFUW Kitchener-Waterloo’s executive committee; Anita Davis, Janice Reiner, Alison Watson, Tiiu Slankis and Sarah Gritzfeldt to discuss their organization’s various initiatives, mission and impact in the community.
What is CFUW Kitchener-Waterloo?
CFUW K-W (Canadian Federation of University Women) is an organization that allows for women to connect from all disciplines and ages and get involved with the community by supporting excellence in education, improvement of human rights, involvement in public affairs, and the status of women.
Right now, they are heavily focused on a campaign that raises awareness about the issues within long-term care homes and the aging population which has been put in the spotlight due to the pandemic. They write open letters to politicians and educate members on the issue through events and discussions.
What is their impact?
Every year, CFUW K-W organizes a Vigil on December 6th for National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. They also have an event called Open Closet where they give away donated clothing to community members in need.
For the past 50 years, CFUW K-W’s largest event is their Book Sale where members in the community drop off book donations. Usually, there are $30,000 worth of books that are sold for around $2 each which goes into funding scholarships for students.
How has the pandemic affected CFUW Kitchener-Waterloo?
At this time, meetings have moved online and the pandemic has impacted the in person activities and events.Their organization has been able to attract more members to get involved within the community because it is more accessible for everyone to join online meetings. Many members are enjoying this transition as this has opened up the opportunity to learn and use technology in their lives.
What can you do to help and why is it important?
CFUW K-W’s mission is to promote education, rights, and opportunities for women. They highly encourage women to come out and join the monthly general meetings. You can help spread the message on social media about their advocacy work and special events to raise awareness in the community. CFUW encourages all their members to advocate for topics they are passionate about! Find more information about their organization and how you can get involved in one of their initiatives or events here.
Thank you again to Anita Davis, Janice Reiner, Alison Watson, Tiiu Slankis and Sarah Gritzfeldt for their time and speaking to us for this campaign!
