Well-known locally for its annual book-selling fundraiser, the St. John’s club of the Canadian Federation of University Women dates back over 80 years. Initiated locally by a small number of women, their club later joined the national CFUW group to support higher education for women and advocate for change. Today, with over 100 members, the women of CFUW St. John’s work to improve access to education and human rights for women and children.

Writing their own chapter

The Canadian Federation of University Women St. John’s club was founded in 1945. A teacher at Prince of Wales Collegiate, who had been part of the national CFUW group while living in Toronto, was inspired to create a group in St. John’s, N.L. After speaking with other educators, a group of 18 women assembled for a first meeting on November 8, 1945.

Initially, the group was called the University Women’s Club of St. John’s. Since Newfoundland was not yet part of Canada at the time, the women had to obtain approval from the British and the International Federations of University Women to join the Canadian organisation. Approval was granted, and CFUW St. John’s was born.

Building a brighter future

Since the beginning, CFUW St. John’s has supported the education of women through scholarships. Grace Hollett, chair of Public Relations with the CFUW St. John’s club and a board member of the national organisation, says the first scholarship was awarded to Olive Bugden the same year the St. John’s club was founded. The amount was $75, which would be the equivalent of about $1,200 today.

Other early accomplishments of the organisation included organising 15 women’s groups to raise money for the construction of Memorial Stadium in 1952, successfully lobbying for the establishment of the first two children’s libraries in the city in 1964 and creating a Saturday Head Start program to prepare kids for kindergarten in 1967.

Speaking of more recent activities, Janet O’Brien, president of CFUW St. John’s, says the organisation continues to offer scholarships for women in university, college and alternative education. At the elementary level, they have programs like Scientists in Schools, which provides teachers with resources to improve science programs. Plus, CFUW St. John’s has many outreach projects that support women’s health initiatives, long-term care, victims of domestic violence and more.

O’Brien says their club’s annual Great Big Book Sale has been happening since at least the 1980s and is their only major fundraiser. The initiative started small and has continuously grown over the past few decades. This year’s event concluded on March 28. Over 70,000 used books were donated to the cause, and CFUW raised at least $45,000 to fund its existing scholarships, as well as additional capital for outreach projects.

Today, CFUW St. John’s has 119 members and continues to collaborate with the national CFUW organisation, which dates back to 1914 and now has 88 clubs and over 6,700 members across the country.

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