2023 Past Events

FESTIVE DINNER DECEMBER 12

SPEAKER: MICHELLE HEAD KIM NOVEMBER 13

“Mastering Your Financial Health” was the theme of an extremely interesting talk given to UWC on November 13 by guest speaker, Michelle Head Kim, Vice-President and Portfolio Manager at Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc. Michelle, whose investment strategy was recently featured in a glowing profile in the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business, tailored her talk to directly address women and their financial concerns. Michelle’s presentation drew on her experience in the investment banking world as well as in starting and running her own financial consulting practice. The large audience of women in attendance was impressed by Michelle’s practical advice to women at all stages of their financial and investment journey and were entertained as well  by Michelle’s engaging personal anecdotes.  Michelle covered topics such as, “Where are we now and where are we going in 2023”, the “Spending/Saving Paradigm”, and “What is the ideal asset mix?” and answered many thoughtful questions from the audience. For those with any follow-up questions or concerns about financial planning or investment, Michelle has extended the invitation to reach out to her directly at: Michelle Head Kim, Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management, michelle.headkim@steinbergwealth.com; 416-700-5331. She has noted that she would be happy to send a copy of her Newsletter to anyone seeking up to date commentary on the banking and investment world.

FUNDRAISER FOR ROMERO HOUSE OCTOBER 11

We did it! The Romero House fundraiser was a huge success.

On the evening of October 11th the Faculty Club Wedgewood dining room filled to capacity as guests arrived to be greeted by a glass of Prosecco and wandered around the room meeting the founder of Romero House, Mary Jo Leddy and our esteemed key note speaker, Marie Henein. The silent auction table was crowded with excited bidders choosing which of the items they hoped to win and the room was a buzz with excitement and anticipation.

Our first speaker, Paula Gomez spoke of her experience as a refugee coming to Toronto and being helped by Romero House. For her, this was a lifesaver and she has gone on to give back to the refugee community over the many years she has lived in Canada.

Marie Henein followed with an account from her book on what it was like for her and her family to arrive from the Middle East in this new unfamiliar country. In the Q and A she spoke brilliantly about the state of our legal system and influences that are changing the system around the world.

The silent auction was then opened up once more and a flourish of final bids were made with the bidding closing at 8:45.

The executive director of Romero House, Francesca Allodi-Ross, caped off the evening with an inspiring talk about the incredible work done by her team at Romero House.

This event was a huge success as the room was filled to capacity and the silent auction prizes hit their mark and, in some cases, exceeded expectations.

Thank you to our sponsors CIBC The Krupica Financial Group, Park City Scooters and Landings Refugee and immigration Law. Also a huge thank you to the Fundraising Committee. It could not have been done without all of their focus and hard work.

SPECIAL SPEAKER AND DINNER EVENT SEPTEMBER 11

A special members’ event was held on September 11, starting the UWC fall season with a splash. Members old and new got together over complementary glasses of Prosecco to catch up and share news, then sat down to a delicious dinner in the Main Lounge of the Faculty Club.

Dinner was followed by a fascinating presentation by Ariel Siller, CEO of the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation, and Ariel’s colleague, Nina Jobanputra Shukla, the Foundation’s Director, Early Words. Members were interested to hear from Ariel and Nina about the current state of children’s literacy in Canada. As our speakers pointed out, the years from birth to age five form the most important period for the growth and development of a child’s brain. Activities that stimulate literacy in young children, such as reading with them, looking at picture books together, telling stories, singing and talking together, even just handling brightly coloured books and pages, can be fundamental in promoting brain development and laying the foundation for future success in life. It was particularly interesting to hear about the impressive programs set up by the Foundation to encourage literacy and learning among children in remote areas of Canada, and the ways in which the Foundation connects with health care providers to make books available to children and families as part of their routine health care.

A lively question and answer session followed Ariel’s and Nina’s presentation, with many members recounting how important books and reading have been to them and their families. The evening’s combination of a members’ get- together, a dinner and a fascinating guest talk was a great success, and something that we hope to repeat in the future.

speaker: Patricia wheeler july 10

On July 10th we hosted a very successful and well attended event with Dr. Patricia Wheeler. Through the use of film clips, her presentation highlighted the vital role that music plays alongside visuals to advance or dramatize a story. Through Dr. Wheeler's talk we discovered that music in a film can have many different functions such as conveying hidden emotions or creating an atmosphere of either lightheartedness or doom.  Thank you Dr. Wheeler for helping us develop a better appreciation of how integral music is to your enjoyment of movies.  

scholarship reception june 27

June 27 was certainly a most memorable evening. One hundred scholars, family members, school staff and UWC Toronto members gathered to celebrate and honour our current 2023 scholarship recipients and our first tranche of 2019 awardees, who will be graduating this year. What a delight to meet so many of our scholarship recipients, their families and supporters. It was exciting to renew connections with our 2019 recipients and to hear their many stories of success. The room was filled with so much joy and so many smiles.

Our 2023 recipients received their award, scholarship certificate and their Scholars Program certificate and pin. Our 2019 graduates received, through the Scholars Program, a one year membership to our club.

Jateya Grbic was our guest speaker representing our first scholarship recipients of 2019. Her message was a profound one, not just of thanks and gratitude for the support she has received over her four university years but also as a role model for our 2023 recipients.

Scholars, family, and supporters stayed on after the official program in order to mingle and meet our young women. It was a magical evening.

Your committee members who work on your behalf are also to be recognized: Sharon A, Marianne A, Lily C, Donna H, Susan F, Jane H, Susan L, Elizabeth M and Penny V.

book sale and social june 1

On June 1, the UWC hosted its second book sale together with the Heliconian Club. Over 90 people attended and we raised over $1500 for our Foundation. As well as looking for great summer reads, it was a lovely social evening on a hot summer night. Members brought lots of guests, especially book club friends. Thank you to everyone who donated books and helped out with this event.

On May 1, 2023 the University Women’s Club, our very own club, celebrated 120 years of storied history.

We celebrated the lives of the amazing women - pioneers and trailblazers - who came before us, our Club and its history. We had a lovely glass of bubbly, tea and sandwiches. Wendy welcomed the members. Chris and Susan pointed out the highlights in the birthday booklet (thanks to Ellen and Dorothy) with a few additional very interesting comments. It was also very entertaining to hear about the house the Club bought at 162 St. George St. in 1929!

More details and photos from the events can be found here.

SPEAKER: BARBARA SEAGRAM, WITH PATTI LEE | APRIL 17

SPEAKER: JACQUELINE GIBBONS | March 13

“Women, Wings and Wizardry” was the theme of the fascinating presentation made on March 13 by UWC guest speaker and fellow member, Jacqueline A. Gibbons. Jacqueline, an ethnographer, cultural sociologist and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology at York University, is the author of “Spread Your Wings: Icarus to 1912”, a richly illustrated study of humankind’s age old compulsion to conquer gravity and leave the confines of earth.

Jacqueline’s talk focussed in particular on women’s contributions to the history of flight, from their earliest appearances in mythic, folk and religious contexts, to their achievements as pioneering balloonists, aeronauts and aviatrices in the years before World War I. Jacqueline’s presentation, accompanied by images drawn from her book, was an intriguing glimpse into the complex urge of humans everywhere in every era to “spread their wings” and take flight.

- Pam H.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY | MARCH 8

We must individually and collectively take action now to preserve a liveable planet for future generations. This was the essence of Dr. Dianne Saxe’s message in her keynote speech at the IWD Luncheon event sponsored by four Toronto CFUW Clubs.

On March 8th, members and friends of six Toronto and area CFUW Clubs celebrated International Women’s Day together. This was the first in-person event in three years, and 78 women met in the Great Hall at St. Paul’s Bloor Street Church to hear Dr. Saxe speak about Women and their role in the Climate.

Dr. Saxe is a respected environmental lawyer, whose career has focused on energy and environmental issues at the provincial, corporate and national levels. She is currently a Toronto City Councillor.

The overarching theme of her presentation was her concern about the impact of climate change on her children and grandchildren. She provided facts to highlight the irreversible deterioration that has occurred, outlined basic steps that must be taken immediately to curtail the instability in weather patterns and the environment, and challenged the attendees to take a leadership role in educating women and girls, to increase political involvement and to collaborate with others to institute change.

Her evidence that Canada ranks as the worst polluter among major nations was sobering. Nonetheless, she offered a blueprint on what we as women can do to influence the environmental erosion.

Dr. Saxe emphasized that the involvement and importance of women’s voices in addressing the issues are significant. She offered a strong rallying cry to us all to personally initiate and collectively advocate for climate control measures and to spread knowledge and take action to ensure change happens.

- Moira H.

SPEAKER: LYDIA HATCHER | JANUARY 16, 2023

UWC’s 2023 Speaker Series got off to a great start on January 16 with an interesting and informative talk by Dr. Lydia Hatcher on “Medical Cannabis: What’s It All About?”.

Dr. Hatcher, who spoke to us on Zoom from her home in Newfoundland, has had a distinguished medical career for over 40 years in both Ontario and Newfoundland. Her current consulting practice is focussed on the treatment of chronic pain, particularly through the therapeutic use of medical cannabis for physical and mood disorders.

In her presentation, Dr. Hatcher outlined the differences between recreational and medical cannabis, supplied informative statistics and data about the effectiveness of medical cannabis, and explained the benefits, risks and concerns surrounding its use. She provided us with the basic scientific concepts and vocabulary used in discussing medical cannabis and helped demystify this fascinating topic.

- Pam H.