Friends of Grassroot Grannies
NEWSLETTER
We appreciate your interest in the Grassroot Grannies and the work we do to support the
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Canadian grannies
supporting
African grannies
Spring 2025 Issue
Hello, friends,
Our long awaited spring is finally here which has put a little zing in our step and has spurred us on to get busy with this year's fundraising activities with a renewed fervour. We look forward to seeing you at our events and appreciate the support you give us for our work for African grandmothers and their families.
Grassroot Grannies Upcoming Events
Our first big event is the Grassroot Grannies Plant Sale and Market Place on Saturday, May 10 from 8 a.m. to noon at our familiar location at 65 Knudsen Drive. This event has been our mainstay for 17 years and always heralds the start of spring we've been told. We believe its longevity is partly due to our love for flowers and our bonds of friendship
See the poster on the Events page for more information.
Grassroot Grannies Plant Sale in the News
The Ride To Turn The Tide Sept. 3rd and 4th
Two meetings have already taken place this year to plan our most lucrative fundraising event of the year. Our chair is Michele Dextras assisted by our outgoing chair Stella Val and a group of committed grannies. A two-day ride through the Ottawa Valley is being planned with a visit to a local school in Almonte to inform the younger generation of how we are helping African children. We are also looking for other cyclists who would like to participate in this fundraising venture.
RTTTT cyclists in Almonte, 2024
SLF Update
Grandmother groups across Canada have been asked to mobilize in the wake of the United States international aid freeze. This is a dire emergency which has halted all kinds of services for hundreds of thousands of orphaned and vulnerable children.
The goal is to protect decades of progress against AIDS and to sustain life saving HIV services. Some SLF partners in sub-Saharan Africa receive from 40 to 60% of their funding from the US Emergency Fund for AIDS relief.
Stephen Lewis himself recently said the SLF is facing a terrible crisis and our best contribution can be to attempt to replace the resources that Trump's executive order has removed. Read his full message here.
Members met on February 26 to explore ways we can support the SLF Emergency Fund. More ideas will be coming forward. One suggestion was to participate in the annual Stride to Turn the Tide event in June. One day will be proposed for granny groups to walk in solidarity and raise awareness of the funding situation. Making the event multi-generational involving grandchildren has been suggested.
The Quilt Campaign
The SLF has secured a booth at Quilt Canada in Mississauga to display the quilt from June 18-21 and at the same time to interest and recruit new members for a yet to be established grandmother's group in that region.
Read more information about the event here.
The Fifty-Five Plus magazine article highlights one of our original Grannies Maggie Armstrong who hails from Northern Ireland and is one of our most passionate gardeners. Maggie hosted our first and very successful plant sale and marketplaces in 2007 welcoming neighbours and friends including special African Grandmothers who stayed in Ottawa for the weekend. We raised $6,585 from this first venture and we have never stopped. Maggie hosted the event again in 2008 and since then different grannies have hosted the sale. Needless to say, you will always find Maggie at these events with her ever present smile, words of welcome and invaluable gardening tips. Click here to see full article.
Ottawa Gatineau Regional Grandmothers Network (O-GRGN) update
There will not be a Grannyfest this year although plans are underway for deciding when and where the
next one will be. Grannyfest brings people together from the different Granny groups in the region plus
key people from the SLF. There is a theme for the event, a keynote speaker and workshops to choose
from throughout the day.
Grandparents Day, Sept. 7
This year the walk will take place across the Adawe Pedestrian Bridge with a picnic planned in
Strathcona Park. A food truck will be on site and all granny groups in the region will be invited. The
purpose of the day is to raise awareness and donations.
In conclusion, your support and encouragement are always appreciated for the work we continue to do
for our African partners who really do depend on the Canadian grandmothers for hope and a
recognition of the challenges they face.
Karen Whiteside and Stella Val
Co-Chairs, Grassroot Grannies
Maggie Armstrong, Judy Laughton, and Judy Simser
Maggie Armstrong in the centre with African Grannies at the first plant sale.
Kanata-Carleton MPP Karen McCrimmon and Kanata North councillor Cathy Curry with the quilt in 2023.
