Groups Celebrate Rural Women's Achievements this Month

source: Farm and Food Report

It is often said that rural women are the ties that bind the fabric of rural communities in Saskatchewan. This contribution is now being recognized, as March has been proclaimed Rural Women’s Month in the province since last year.

Julie Gregson is Executive Director of Partners for Rural Family Support, a non-profit community-based organization located in Humboldt, serving a rural area encompassing 25 towns and villages as well as rural municipalities with an overall population of approximately 40,000.

“Our Board of Directors, along with volunteers and staff, are hosting a gala fundraising evening honouring rural women in our area,” Gregson says. “The Rural Women’s Achievement Awards will be held on March 12, 2005. This evening will be dedicated to rural women, who will be recognized for their outstanding contributions and achievements in several community-focused categories.”

These are: arts and culture; education; business; volunteer work; agriculture; sports; and rural woman of the year. Gregson feels this event — in its third year —is a must for rural communities.

“Families that are isolated from towns and cities face challenges in terms of access to services and support. Women, especially, are particularly affected when issues of family violence arise — and there are also children who have witnessed domestic violence who might not get the support they need if it wasn’t for women’s intervention. The geographical isolation just compounds the problems. We felt it was necessary to acknowledge the contribution of rural women to community and society.”

Rural women have had, and continue to have, a significant impact on the development of health care, education and social services in Saskatchewan. Rural women serve as volunteers and leaders in their communities and, in many cases, are also one-half of most of the farm operations in the province.

Gregson echoes the comments made by many when she points out how we are all indebted to the extraordinary accomplishments of Saskatchewan's rural women since homesteading days.

With the same spirit, Whitewood’s Women’s Network is putting on a Spring Breakaway: Bringing Balance Into Your Life event on March 19.

It will be an opportunity for women to take part in breakaway sessions that will include hands-on activities designed to help women learn something new about themselves and to celebrate their own achievements.

Monica Buddeke is one of the organizers.

“Women find it difficult to take time off for themselves. Because we live in smaller communities, your business networking opportunities are not the same as in larger centres. Plus, in smaller centres, community organizations find it harder to sustain themselves. We try to bring everyone together — church groups, Toastmasters, and everyone.”

Buddeke believes every small contribution made by women to sustaining communities matters.

“As we celebrate Saskatchewan’s Centennial year in 2005, we should be reminded that women are the backbone of the province, often working behind the scenes. They are the ones volunteering their time and skills for school, family and community events. If it wasn’t for women’s contribution, you wouldn’t have the same kind of community spirit today.”

To attend the Rural Women’s Achievement Awards in Humbolt on March 12, call 1-866-682-4135.

To register for the Whitewood Spring Breakaway, call (306) 735-4242 before March 12.

For more information, contact:

Julie Gregson
Partners for Rural Family Support
(306) 682-4135
www.partnersrfs.ca

Monica Buddeke
Whitewood Women’s Network
(306) 735-4233

Bed and Breakfast Operators are 2005 Centennial Ambassadors

source: Farm and Food Report

The 2005 Saskatchewan Centennial will be close to the hearts of Saskatchewan Country Vacations Association members when they hold their Annual Conference and General Meeting in Regina on March 11 and 12.

Bryan Tudor is Executive Director of the association.

“People who stay at bed and breakfast establishments often make a conscious choice for a more intimate experience because they seek more of a community immersion holiday, where they get to meet local inhabitants.”

Tudor expects that the 2005 Saskatchewan Centennial celebrations will bring an increased flow of visitors to our province, or will at least encourage residents to travel more widely within the province than they normally would.

“In many ways, our members are privileged ambassadors by virtue of the fact that they actually live in the communities where their businesses operate, and they tend to have more of an in-depth knowledge of local attractions, recreational and leisure resources that are located along roads less traveled,” says Tudor. “They know where the trails are.”

This is why the Annual Conference will feature workshops that will leave operators better equipped to cater to the needs of their guests this year. Organizers have invited representatives of the crafts and cultural industries to explore the ways businesses with compatible interests can help each other in terms of staging the best possible visitor experiences.

“Bed and breakfasts are like any other businesses,” explains Tudor. “Their success often hinges on the partnerships or alliances they develop. For example, a guest may want to take home an authentic piece of memorabilia, so much is to be gained by pointing him or her in the direction of the nearest crafts store. The reverse is also true. A local potter or a community theatre company may attract additional visitors if they are in a position to recommend to a person from out of town a comfortable place to stay the night.”

The whole objective, after all, is to entice visitors to spend an extra night in the local community, thereby generating more revenue locally.

But the business of country vacations may not be everyone’s cup of tea, according to Bryan Tudor.

“Opening your house to strangers may not be as glamorous as everyone expects. Bed and breakfast operators must commit to activities like bookkeeping, cleaning and cooking. Managing how your family will deal with the partial loss of privacy can be a little stressful as well. I guess one of the main determinants in entering the industry is asking yourself if you like people enough to do this.”

To address those more delicate issues, the conference has set aside a session to help newcomers come to grips with what it takes to start and run a successful bed and breakfast operation.

“Typical operators tend to be people in their 50s whose children have grown up and left home. They will have a bigger house than they need; perhaps they will be self-employed, semi-retired, or will have retired relatively early. It is interesting to note that there is a fairly high turnover rate in the industry. People try it for a few years, and often move on to something else. But there is always new blood coming in.”

When asked how he got involved in the industry, Bryan Tudor answers candidly: “I retired from the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool some time ago. I was looking for a part-time job that would allow me to stay in touch with rural life and rural people — I found it.”

Although not every member of the association operates in a rural setting, it could be said that they all strive to extend the same kind of hospitality one finds in rural communities. It seems bed and breakfast operators are Saskatchewan ambassadors indeed.

For information on the SCVA Annual Conference, visit: http://www.scva.ca/


For more information, contact:

Bryan Tudor
Saskatchewan Country Vacations Association
(306) 731-2646