EHC Member Serves As Delegate To Assoc. Country Women Of The World Conf.

OTTAWA, Ontario — Member of the Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council gained a global perspective on her volunteer efforts as delegate to the Associated Country Women of the World 31st Triennial World Conference. The conference took place in Ottawa, Ontario, from April 26-May 1.  Karen Bell Fox has been a member of an EHC club in Cleveland County since 1996. She attended the conference in her capacity as president of the National Volunteer Outreach Network, or NVON, of which Arkansas EHC is a member organization.  During the Opening Ceremony, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe welcomed delegates to a capital that he affectionately calls a rural city and a city of kindness. He informed us that over 75% of Ottawa (the capital of Canada) is considered rural. An emotional and powerful address on Indigenous reconciliation and the enduring history, rights and resilience of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation was delivered by Professor Claudette Commanda, Chancellor of the University of Ottawa.  She is also Elder of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation. The Associated Country Women of the World, or ACWW, is an international organization that focuses on issues impacting rural women. Arkansas EHC is a member organization of ACWW, which includes groups from 82 countries around the world.  “Arkansas Extension Homemakers have opportunities to participate on local, county, state, national and international levels,” said Laura Hendrix, extension professor of personal finance and EHC adviser for the Division of Agriculture. “ACWW broadens our horizons and joins forces of women from around the globe.”  The organization, founded in 1929, has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is also a partner of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO.  ACWW members vote on policy resolutions that encourage memb...