July Meeting

Our next meeting is

Tuesday, July 29th
9:30 am

Viv's place:

18 First Ave.Wellington, Ont.

See you there!!

Advocay Project

A very important petition has been organized by the Grandmothers Campaign.
The petition is probably the most important advocacy activity that grandmothers across Canada will be undertaking this year.
It is our responsibility to find venues for collecting signatures.
It is the hope to get so many signatures and so much attention when they're presented on or around International Women's Day next year that the pressure to our Government will really be applied.
Each group must send in the petitions as a "group"--- there are even more rules, but I will not bore/ overwhelm you. I will be the main repository of the petitions.

Filled petition sheets will be gathered at every monthly meeting.

Below are all the documents you need to start gathering signatures.

Canadian citizens of all ages can sign the petition!!

If you wish addtional information I invite you to visit the Grandmothers website directly by clicking here.

Click on the icon on the far right of each document toolbar to open a larger file in a new window. You can then print your own copies.

The Petition - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: The Petition

Signature Sheet - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Signature Sheet

Petition Background 1 - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Petition Background 1

Petition Background 2 - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Petition Background 2

5 Years On

The latest edition of Grassroots is now available and celebrates 5 years of the SLF.

Taking the time to go through these pages will inspire.

Make A Difference

Prime Minister Stephen Harper left for the G8 meeting in Japan on Thursday, but not before he was presented with thousands of wishes from Canadians that he do his part to fight global poverty...
Click here to learn more and make a difference at the G8.

Grassroots Magazine

If you have not had a chance to visit the Stephen Lewis Foundation web site you may have missed exploring the magazine, Grassroots.

Click on the cover and find out more on what's happening at the foundaton.

Scrabble Fundraiser?

Good Words for Africa

Click on the picture above to learn more about this idea for a Grannies benefit.

Should the Mbuyas get involved with this one?

Maybe we could get the Grannies from Belleville and Brighton and where-ever-else involved in a group effort?

The more the merrier...

Sounds like fun!?!

What do you think?

SLF June Events

The Stephen Lewis Foundation collects information on HIV/AIDS events ranging from speeches to fundraisers to airing of documentaries on HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa. Click here for a list of June events.
One thing that caught my eye is the Washi Bazaar - celebrating traditional Japanese paper being held June 8th, in Toronto.
The image above is a Washi Paper Cutout created by Toronto artist Barbara Klunder.
Not only can we fill our personal date book with wonderful events but-- maybe--the listings will inspire an event of our own. Take a look!

Quilt Raffle Tickets!

Greta's quilt is G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!

Now we need to get those tickets flying!!!

If you have yet to get yours, please contact:

Roz: soulspirit@sympatico.ca

Bonnie: bsaveall@hotmail.com

Aids and Africa Video

Toronto Star reporter Debra Black recently went to South Africa and Swaziland to report on two Canadian grandmothers who were part of a 12-member delegation with the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Their mission: to study the impact of AIDS.

Just click on the > in the middle of the video screen to start.

Hello Grannies!

Now that you know we have a blog and are letting me know you are visiting I would like to point out something.....

Below this and every post is the word "comments". If you click on that, a pop up will appear where you can leave a comment that all visitors to our blog can see. If you do not have a Google ID. just click "anonymous".

This is a great way to share ideas and update others on what is what....

May 27th Meeting-- IMPORTANT!

The quilt raffle tickets for

"Ain't I a Woman?"

are now being printed.

They'll be ready to be handed out at the next meeting.

Hope to see a good turnout to pick up your tickets and to hear the update re the Sept. 14 event.

Next meeting:

May 27, 9:30 a.m.

at Bonnie's home - 250 Mowbray Rd (off Cty Rd 10) Picton - 613 476 5925

Directions from Picton: follow County Rd. 10 heading towards Cherry Valley. Go past Michael's Family Restaurant at the corner of Cty Rd. 10 and Cty Rd. 1. The next left is the road that goes up to Camp Picton and the airport. Don't turn there. The next road on the left is Mowbray Rd. It's at the top of a rise just past the trailer court. Turn there. It looks like the driveway to a farm because it is a dirt/gravel road between Pat Mowbray's house and his garages. Follow around the large curve until you come to the first home on your right (just over 1km). That's us at #250 Mowbray. There's a 'hidden driveway' sign just before you get to us. We are the hidden driveway. There's a turn-around spot in the driveway and you can also park on the grass if it hasn't been raining prior to the meeting.

If you can't come to the meeting please e-mail:

Roz: soulspirit@sympatico.ca

Bonnie: bsaveall@hotmail.com

about how we can meet - our time is tight like yours, but one of us will try and meet you somewhere -

we need to sell tickets!!

September 14th event update

The following is an update from Susan Radecki :

This is what I know so far about the event at Picton United Church on Sun. Sept. 14th. We have a granny named Sue Cousineau from the Ottawa area . She can stay with me the night before. She will speak during the church service for 15 min. Then the ladies (and perhaps men) of the church will provide a lunch.

After the lunch we will take over. We can have the sanctuary for free. I will ask the Bay of Quinte Sweet Adelines to sing and I should know on Mon. night about that. I also belong to the county drumming circle if you want to ask them to perform. We were also thinking that Sue Cousineau should be given another opportunity to speak at this time , and perhaps Wilma as well .
All suggestions are welcome.

Sue Cousineau Information
Chelsea, Quebec

Sue is chair and founding member of the Grassroot Grannies, a granny group formed in 2006 from the Kanata – Ottawa region. In May 2007, Sue and her group members hosted three South African grandmothers from GAPA (Grandmothers Against Poverty and AIDS) at their Mother’s day fundraising event and potluck dinner. She was also a member of organizing committee for the September 2007 Grandparents Solidarity March in Ottawa.

Throughout her 30-year professional career, she has been a high school teacher, university professor, senior project manager with the federal government, and the Executive Director of the Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD). Sue has also served as the Director of the Commonwealth Sport Development Program (CSDP), an international development program of the Commonwealth Games of Canada, operating in Africa and the Eastern Caribbean. She has worked and traveled extensively throughout Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean including 15 years of experience leading cycling tours in Europe. Sue is a mother of two and a granny of a 2½ year old granddaughter and an 11 month old grandson.

Sue will visit Reach One Touch One Ministries (ROTOM) in Uganda; Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust in South Africa; and will then travel on to Swaziland for a series of workshops and the International Women’s Day Grandmothers Rally and Celebration.

June 19th Speaker's Workshop

The Quinte Grannies Group is planning a

Speakers' Bureau Workshop

with Mary Anna Beer on the evening of

Thursday June 19th

-- venue not yet confirmed but in Belleville area--

They plan to begin with a potluck supper.

They would be very pleased if interested members of our group would join them for the evening. Mary Anna would be happy to see you.

The workshop is not solely for those who wish to give "formal" talks about the organization but also for those who are responding to questions from the public at fund-raising events.

Please contact Judith at 613 962 6022

Kingston Event!

Let's support our Kingston friends at their concert on

May 25 at 7:30 p.m

Sydenham Street United Church

Tickets for sale in Kingston at

The Church Book Room

Novel Idea

Tara Natural Foods

Renaissance Music

and at the door.

$15 for adults $10 for students

or call Barb Fletcher at 613-546-4785

Barb writes:

As to our motivation for doing these concerts, we, like you, have been moved by the dire situation created by HIV/AIDS in Africa and by the heroic struggle of African grandmothers to raise their grandchildren on their own.

The food crisis that is spreading in the world only makes these women's struggle worse. We thus support the work of the Stephen Lewis Foundation from which 90% of the funds raised go to grassroots projects particularly in sub-saharan Africa. This year we are also supporting the work of a Kingston physician, Dr. Karen Yeates who, likewise motivated, has co-founded the Prevention Through Empowerment project, an initiative in Tanzania which has created the Pamoja Tunaweza (Swahili for 'together we can') WOMEN'S CENTRE IN TANZANIA. She has just returned from Tanzania and can report 'from the ground'.