Local IODE helping national organization celebrate 110 years

Local IODE members have always been willing to lend a hand to those in need and they will continue on that tradition this year, as the national organization gets set to commemorate 110 years of service.

The Lord Sackville Chapter IODE will help bring attention to the group's nation-wide anniversary campaign Target 2010 . . . and beyond, an initiative that will raise awareness and funds for projects relating to children and youth, poverty and homelessness, and seniors.

National IODE week is being celebrated this week (Feb. 7-13), and it is a time to honour all the women who have made a difference through their work with the IODE and who have played an important role in improving the quality of life of those in need. It's also hoped the week will raise awareness and attract new members to the local chapter.

Vivien Hicks, president of the local IODE chapter, says the volunteer organization has evolved over the years (as needs change) but the focus has always remained on three key priorities - education, community service and citizenship.

Hicks says she joined the Lord Sackville Chapter IODE more than a decade ago when she retired from her job and was looking for a way to volunteer in the community.

"I'm very supportive of their purpose. Their works in the schools, supporting women and children, education, poverty, citizenship, these are all important ideals," she says.

Hicks says the group would love to recruit more women to join up.

"We need new blood. It's not going to continue if we don't get some younger people to sign up," says Hicks, noting that the chapter currently has 30 members, although less than 20 of those are active members.

She says the IODE, officially known as the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, attracts women of all ages from all walks of life and educational backgrounds to enjoy fun, friendship and community volunteerism.

"It's an outlet for many talents . . . and it's an organization that's done a lot of good things over the years."

Although the Lord Sackville Chapter IODE doesn't go as far back as the national organization, it still has plenty of history. The local branch got its start back in 1914, at the onset of the First World War when there was an appeal for family and friends back home to help out where they could.

It didn't take long for people to join in the efforts. In fact, in the first year alone, membership grew from the original 12 founding members to more than 100.

The women came together and knitted socks and sewed hospital supplies such as pyjamas, hospital shirts, bed jackets, pillows, quilts, face cloths and more.

Funds for these supplies were raised in various ways in the early days - from garden parties to giant auctions and a lecture series, as well as a tea room.

Following the war, the local IODE members began shifting their focus to other projects.

In partnership with the town, the Lord Sackville chapter sponsored the community's first-ever VON nurse during the 1920s, an initiative that eventually grew to see the establishment of a VON board that took over the project.

It was also the local IODE that opened the doors to a children's library for the community in 1935. The library was located in a Mount Allison building and eventually grew to include over 3,000 books. When a regional library opened in Sackville in 1963, the IODE turned over their books but their education work continued in area schools.

Visits to the local schools by members of the IODE and education inspectors resulted in much-needed improvements in the 1940s and '50s, including indoor toilets, tightening of windows and doors, and even the installation of a furnace in Frosty Hollow school.

During WWII, the IODE once again pitched in, helping to send relief packages with medical supplies and socks, and other items such as books, magazines, gifts and cigarettes.

The Sackville IODE has also offered prizes and awards to kids over the years for Canadian history and patriotism essays. As well, it has provided scholarships and bursaries to high school students pursuing further education.

Currently, the Lord Sackville Chapter's adopted schools include Salem Elementary and Port Elgin Regional but the group also supports Marshview Middle School's breakfast program. The local IODE members also host many social activities throughout the year as well as other ongoing community projects.

The Lord Sackville Chapter IODE is but one of hundreds of chapters across the country which make up the membership of this national organization, which was founded in 1900 by Margaret Polson Murray of Montreal - who recognized a need for loyal support for Canadians departing to fight with the Empire forces in South Africa during the Boer War.

Murray encouraged the formation of a federation of women to promote patriotism, loyalty and service to others by sending telegrams to the mayors of Canada's major cities, urging them to call together the prominent women of their communities. The first chapter was formed in Fredericton, N.B. on Jan. 15, 1900.

Over its long history, thousands of IODE women and children have served Canadians and citizens of the world in times of great need. And as the IODE celebrates 110 years, chapters across Canada will again come together to share their time, talent and funds in an attempt to raise an ambitious $1 million.