NEWS RELEASE
RETIRED WOMEN TEACHERS OF ONTARIO
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Some of our retired teachers remember children who felt safer at school than at home.
Some remember regularly serving breakfast in the classroom to those who were hungry long before Breakfast Clubs became the norm.
One remembers being shocked upon learning that one of her pupils had to stay home on the days when his mother washed his clothes because he had nothing else to wear to school.
Another remembers a child who had no “indoor shoes” as required at his school. The only shoes that fit him at the nearby thrift store were soccer shoes with rubber cleats. The child was so proud of those shoes and wore them for several days until shoes without cleats were found for him.
Another remembers a little boy in Grade 1 who could not recognize the different colours. His teacher worked patiently with him for many months and then, one day in spring, he named all of the colours correctly and his whole Grade 1 class burst into spontaneous applause.
These are only a few of the memories that retired teachers have, so it is no surprise that the goals of our organization, Retired Women Teachers of Ontario (RWTO), are caring for the young in our communities and sharing our compassion for all who are in need, in any way.
This past December, RWTO Orillia made a donation to the Orillia Youth Centre to let older children and youth in our community know that we are thinking of them as well as of younger children at Christmas.
Kevin Gangloff, of the Youth Centre, has assured us that 100% of our donation was used for the Youth Centre’s Christmas dinner and party.
Recently we had Dr. Si Lowry, co-chair of Mariposa House Hospice, and Sylvia Smith, a board member from the group, visit us to give us details of progress being made.
Our group organized no sponsored run, no competitive game, no fundraising activity of any kind. Yet when Dr. Lowry and Sylvia Smith left our meeting, they left with more than $1,200 in cheques!
We are indeed about caring and sharing, both in our community and in the wider world.
The 52 RWTO branches in Ontario have more than 5,000 members, all retired women teachers, and each branch chooses its own focus, whether it be books and bonnets for newborn babies, Buddy Benches for school playgrounds, interactive activities with seniors in nursing homes (such as playing board games, reading, gardening), or supplying a washroom for a third-world school so that menstruating girls do not have to stay home.
Orillia’s RWTO group includes members from as far away as Barrie to the south and Muskoka to the north.
If you are a retired teacher looking for fellowship, stimulating speakers and a sense of involvement, consider coming out to one of our meetings. You will be welcomed with friendship and warmth.
Call 705-325-3590 for more information.
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