2024 Past Events
international women’s day | march 8
INSPIRING CHANGE, A Celebration of Women’s Power
On March 8th, at an International Women’s Day luncheon, Prof. Mayo Moran inspired nearly 100 participants with the experiences of three Canadian “ordinary” women, and how they effectively advanced unprecedented cases against formidable odds.
In the beautiful Wedgewood room at the Faculty Club, the Trinity College Provost shared the cases of Angelique Lyn Lavallee (Manitoba), Karen Marciano (Kitchener) and Leilani Marietta Muir (Alberta).
Lavallee was eventually set free after murdering her abusive partner; Marciano, after years of litigation, won her battle against her father, whom she accused of childhood sexual abuse; and Muir was vindicated after the Alberta government sterilized her against her knowledge when she was in her teens. Through their tenacity and convictions, the women overturned laws that disadvantaged women in three key areas. The ground-breaking victories influenced similar disadvantageous laws around the world.
The magnificent International Women’s Day event fostered meaningful connections, highlighting the importance of collective action and solidarity when advancing gender equality. Surrounded by daffodils and enjoying a delicious lunch, guests vivaciously celebrated women's accomplishments while sparking conversations about continuing to strive for positive change.
Professor Mayo Moran is Provost and Vice-Chancellor of Trinity College, Professor of Law and former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. Her work is at the intersection of private and public law and focuses on the role of law in redressing historic injustice. Provost Moran has published and lectured extensively on private law, comparative constitutional law, and legal and feminist theory. Her book, The Problem of the Past and How to Fix It, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press. She is also a co-organizer of “The Restitution Dialogues”, a series of transnational conversations about cultural loss and return. She teaches across public and private law including a popular course called “Ten Cases that Changed the World”.
A particular thank you goes to Prof. Mayo Moran, the guests who took part in the event, the staff at the Faculty Club for their impeccable service and great food, and the organizing committee, namely Deborah Maw, Paula Barber, Susan Gibson, Marian Beck Archbold, Wendy McCallum, Moira Hudgin and Lily Contento, for their commitment and hard work.
SPEAKERS’ SERIES: joanna poblocka & samantha mercanti | february 12
On Monday, February 12, members attended another outstanding UWC speaker event at the Faculty Club.
Joanna Poblocka, Senior Development Officer for the Toronto based Institute for Advancements in Mental Health (IAM) and Samantha Mercanti, author of Embracing Schizophrenia: My Story of Struggle, Strength, Resilience and Hope provided us with their unique perspectives on mental health issues affecting individuals and their families. Joanna introduced us to the recovery, counselling and education programs offered by IAM in its mission to support people with mental illness and to initiate changes in society leading to better mental health. Samantha then spoke movingly about her own struggles with schizophrenia. With courage and grace, Samantha described the onset of her illness when she was a teenager and the incredible ups and downs of her journey to recovery. Samantha emphasized the loving support of her family throughout her struggles, and illustrated her talk with a number of photographs and slides which showed just how important her close family was to her.
Samantha has turned her experience into a fascinating and moving book, Embracing Schizophrenia, copies of which she brought along to show interested members. Joanna’s and Samantha’s presentations left members with new insight into mental health issues as well as hope for the many ways in which individuals who suffer from mental health challenges can find support and recovery.
bingo night | february 6
Our Bingo event at The Harbord House was a huge success in terms of both fund-raising and fun-raising. Twenty six ladies joined us for the evening, which included playing Bingo, winning prizes, some drinks, dinner, and a lot of laughter and socializing.
Not only did we raise over $390, to be applied towards building a toilet for a female-headed family in Cambodia, but we also had a ton of fun! Thank you to everyone for their very kind donations, our Cambodia Outhouse/Piggy Bank/Collection Box, was stuffed full!!!
The prize table was over-flowing with a wide assortment of very interesting items. The winners, and there were many, had a very difficult time making their selections. All donations of prizes were very appreciated. Please hold on to any little treasures you find around the house, for our next Bingo event.
With all the laughter through-out the evening, it is pretty clear that Bingo will become a fairly regular event on our calendar. We will do to it again in the fall.
learn bridge in a day | february 1
On Feb 1 at 9:00am, 24 UWC and FC members entered the Upper Dining Room as “non-bridge players”, and exited at 3:00pm as “ Bridge Players”! An amazing accomplishment!
Our “Learn Bridge in a Day” event was a huge success as 24 individuals were introduced to the wonderful game of bridge. This was a very special class that is rarely offered in Toronto. We were very fortunate that award-winning teacher Josée Hammill agreed to prepare and teach the course. She patiently answered everyone’s “what if” questions and explained the basics of bridge.
These individuals are now at the beginning of what will hopefully become a lifelong bridge journey of learning, playing and socializing.
out and about: toronto reference library | january 30
On January 30, a group visited the TD Gallery at the Toronto Reference Library to see a wonderful exhibit featuring items from the Osborne Collection of Children’s Literature. We saw beautiful original illustrations, first editions, manuscripts and much more. The exhibit space is small and manageable, the curator gave a very informative talk and it is all FREE. This is the third time our group has visited this gallery. After, we enjoyed a social visit at a nearby cafe.
SPEAKER SERIES: LAURYN OATES | JANUARY 15
On January 15 we had an opportunity to further raise our awareness about the plight of Afghan women under the Taliban regime. Dr. Lauryn Oates, the Executive Director of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan), shared her deep knowledge of the situation, particularly the far-reaching and dire implications of the Taliban ban on young women’s education.
The CW4WAfghan, a thriving network across Canada, is doing incredible work to help Afghan women fight for basic rights. Among other things, the organization is now providing thousands of Afghan girls access to education from their homes. CW4WAfghan’s virtual education tools such as library resources, courses platforms and a live teaching site are giving these brave young women hope for their future.
The UWC knows the value of education, we applaud Dr. Oates and this amazing organization for their mission.