Women's Club looks back, proudly
About the article
This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from October 1988.
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Some $6,000 was donated to the Red Cross towards purchase of an ambulance, $500 donations were made to the Hurricane Relief Fund, the NCSS and the Special Olympics fund and other donations were given to CASA, the National Trust, the Girl Guides and to the Gail Aiken Muscle Therapy Wing. In addition the club purchased a tape recorder for help in speech therapy along with TV and Video Recorder.
"When I first settled to compose this speech I thought that it would not be long since we are such a young club, but a review of our records showed that we have been a very active club and therefore this speech is going to be longer than I thought," said Mrs. Rankin.
Projects undertaken during the last year included setting up a toy library for the children's ward at the hospital, selling CASA T shirts, volunteering blood to the blood bank and helping as Kiwanis rebuilt a house in North Side. Much "enthusiasm and preparation" went into the design of a vocational training programme for the women's prison, said Mrs. Rankin, but "unfortunately our offer of help was refused by the prison service. A later review of the prison services highlighted the need for this type of programme and we have been informed that the Education Department will be organising this. "As long as it gets done it does not matter who does it," she said.
Fundraising efforts included a masked ball, a fireworks cruise, a cake and cookie sale and a champagne brunch.
The club is a corporate member of CASA and donated money to help fund the Parent to Parent programme.
Under the guidance of Mrs. Iris Haye, who was chosen as Kiwanianne of the year, the club also gave gardening help to needy people.
Mrs. Haye was "the person who attends as regularly as she can, helps with all projects and attends them, thinks always of others and how she can help them and is always smiling," said Mrs. Rankin.
During the year the Kiwaniannes were offered the choice of joining the Kiwanis (male) club, but "unanimously" chose to remain separate. "Thanks very much boys but we want to stay girls. This way we give the best of both to Kiwanis International. We do our own work in our club and also help Kiwanis with theirs," from page 10 said Mrs. Rankin.
The incoming officers for this year are: President, Margaret Byles, Vice President, Beth Dinan, Secretary, Mary Rankin, Treasurer, Maria Alberga, Assistant Secretary Fleurange Bennet, Membership Valmalee Bush, PR and Meetings, Barbara Lovie, Immediate Past President Mary C. Rankin.
