Community Outreach – Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW St. John’s)

Locally

CFUW St. John’s Community Outreach Projects

Our Club has engaged in community outreach for many years. In 2016 we established a formal Outreach Committee, which focuses on providing grants that support the work of local not-for-profit organizations. We are very proud of the dedicated and thoughtful work of our Outreach Committee.

Outreach grants are funded by our annual Great Big Book Sale. It takes nearly a month for our members to collect, sort, and prepare the sale tables. We are grateful to the incredible support we receive from the public. Thousands of good quality books are donated and hundreds of people attend the sale. Our sale proceeds have grown annually, helping us fund an ever increasing number of Community Outreach projects, Scholarships, and Bursaries.

Thanks to the unprecedented success of our 2026 sale, our Outreach budget for 2026-2027 is $23,400. Committee members are reviewing funding requests and recommendations carefully, and will make donations throughout the year. We will provide updates about this year’s successful organizations & projects.

Community needs are forever changing and expanding. Since our outreach grant program began, we have supported a diverse range of organizations and projects, including: food banks, school backpack programs, after school tutoring, community literacy programs, Special Olympics, Stella’s Circle, Thrive, Choices for Youth, gardening programs, Home Again Furniture Bank, St. John’s Women’s Centre, Alzheimer’s Society, and so many more.

Our longest standing project is the monthly New Beginnings Baskets for Iris Kirby House, a shelter for women and children who have experienced domestic violence. When residents leave the shelter, they are given New Beginnings Baskets filled with basic household items to help set up their new homes. We have a separate budget line for the baskets, and our members regularly donate items throughout the year.

Nationally

National Scholarships
Ecole Polytechnique Scholarship
Alice B Wilson Scholarship

Advocacy
Our Issues and Resolutions committee supports and acts upon resolutions adopted at our National AGM by writing letters to politicians on issues of concern and seeking public support.