Trefoil Guild: Keeping the Spirit Alive!
The provincial liaisons have been a solid team for years now and it is always bittersweet when we must thank and say farewell to those who are completing their term. Currently, we say thank you to Darlene Kent of British Columbia Council, Beverly Simpson and Glenda Metro of Alberta Council, Candace Gaudet of Ontario Council (in June), and Kathy DeGrasse of Nova Scotia Council. While farewells are difficult, they are also the start of new beginnings, and we welcome the new liaisons for these three provincial jurisdictions.
Trefoil Guild Guiding is more active than ever and if you think this might be a good opportunity for you to join in the fun and fellowship, visit the Trefoil Guild page or connect with your Provincial Liaison, who can answer your questions or connect you with a Trefoil Guild.
See below for a snapshot of what is happening with Trefoil Guilds in the different provinces.
~ Sharron Callahan, National Trefoil Guild Liaison
Alberta, Northwest Territories and Yukon
Beverly Simpson Headon/Glenda Metro, ANY Council Co-Trefoil Guild Liaison
A special thank you to Beverly Simpson and Glenda Metro for their dedication the past few years as the co-provincial liaisons for ANY Council, for advancing the interests of Trefoil Guild members. Enjoy the next stages of your Guiding journey. Welcome to the new ANY Council provincial liaison.
British Columbia
Darlene Kent, BC Trefoil Guild Liaison
As our Guiding year ends, Trefoil Guilds continue to meet socially, work together to assist Unit Guiders and, now that the weather is cooperating, they are getting outdoors to enjoy the spring.
This will be my last submission to Guidepost, my term as BC’s Trefoil Guild Provincial Liaison will end on May 28. It has been a pleasure and honour to meet, work with and laugh with my fellow Trefoil Guild Liaisons across Canada. I may be concluding my term but I will remain connected to Trefoil Guilds with my own guild. I look forward to reading future Guidepost stories and reading what everyone is up to. Wishing every Trefoil Guild member all the best on their Guiding adventures!
Grapevines Trefoil Guild – Surrey, BC
Headed to Camp Olave for some great fun with great friends. They completed a service project making dog toys for the SPCA.
Tillicum Trefoil Guild – Vernon, BC
Our guild at the Allan Brooks Nature Centre Society.
Boomers Trefoil Guild – Nanaimo, BC
We assembled 107 mini maracas camp hat crafts for an upcoming Pathfinder camp in May. Filling each egg with six small dried yellow peas. A test revealed that six was the perfect amount to get a good rattling sound. The eggshell halves were then snapped together and, voila, complete, 107 reasons to smile.
The LA Lakers Trefoil Guild recently enjoyed a night out for Greek food. We have plans to host the teddy bear clinic at Coquitlam's Teddy Bear festival. It has been on hold for three years and we are looking forward to playing teddy bear doctors on June 11.
COAST/SingANYway Trefoil Guild - April
In April several BC Guiders attended the Shuswap area for COAST (Come on and Sing Together). They enjoyed five days of singing with some Alberta members.
A few of them are Trefoil Guild members. A member’s husband came down, stayed in their RV and cooked for everyone.
A highlight of the event was when local Salmon Arm Pathfinders and Rangers joined us at COAST. The girls got to see a slice of Guiding they have never seen before. They realized that Guiding connects us in so many ways and they got to see our own Dorothy Lind receive her 65-year pin.
Kingswood Night Owl Trefoil Guild (KNOTs) – Victoria, BC
We had our annual games night where we invited other Southern Vancouver Island guilds to join us. Over 30 people played a variety of board games amid lots of laughter.
Manitoba
Sharon Romanow, MB Trefoil Guild Liaison
In April, one of our guilds bridged with Pathfinders and Rangers from two different districts to assemble grooming/toiletry kits for the local children’s hospital foundation. These kits help parents of sick children who are from out of town and find themselves without these necessities. The group worked together to complete 100 kits. Afterwards, the girls had plenty of questions and listened intently to the stories and experiences that our Trefoil Guilds had during their time as girl members.
New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island
Carmel Hambrook, NB/PEI Trefoil Guild Liaison
I attended the Ignite Conference in Saint John, NB in April and was happy to see so many Trefoil Guild members there. I am looking forward to meeting with everyone at our Provincial Gathering in June. I am also pleased to report that we have a new guild starting up in New Brunswick. What a great way to show that we are still keeping the spirit alive. Carmel Hambrook
The Purple Violet Trefoil Guild in Sackville, NB was formed in 2013 and the red cardiac bags came into being. Cardiac patients can become ill quickly and require transportation to the heart center in Saint John. The bags are made from red cotton material with a draw string to close. They contain items like a small note pad, pen, razor, lotions, comb and more to get the patient through a day or two. At the Sackville hospital, the bags are kept in the emergency department and are sent along with the patient as the ambulance departs. ~Audrey Hicks
Moncton Trefoil Guild: Our Trefoil Guild met in April for a short meeting over tea and sweets. We decided to continue to meet four times a year. Our numbers have declined drastically over the last few years. We are the oldest guild in Tidewater. Our ages are from late 70s to 101, so we are not very active. We just like to socialize. ~ Theresa M
Newfoundland and Labrador
Pat Burton, NL Trefoil Guild Liaison
Trefoil Guilds in NL are active and are busy helping other units with projects and year-end activities. Guild members attended the Provincial Annual Meeting at Manuel’s River Interpretation Centre. The big focus now for guilds is preparation for the Provincial Gathering which is only ten short days away. We now have 55 members registered and we are happy with that. We will have a big update on the gathering to share in the next edition.
Nova Scotia
Kathy DeGrasse, NS Trefoil Guild Liaison
Our provincial spring meeting was hosted by the Shoreside Trefoil Guild; a small, new guild in our province. I hope the members made new friends and that we will see them at our provincial camp and events in the future. We saw Guiding friends, remembered those who passed, played games and had a campfire with many new songs. Having a social day is a new format for us.
We offer a sincere thank you to Kathy DeGrasse for her work in the past few years as the Provincial Liaison for NS Council in advancing the interests of Trefoil Guild members. Enjoy the next stages of your Guiding journey, Kathy. We look forward to welcoming our new liaison.
Campfire at our Spring Trefoil Guild Provincial Meeting .
Ontario and Nunavut
Candace Gaudet, ON Trefoil Guild Liaison
A special thank you is extended to Candace Gaudet for her work in the past few years as the provincial liaison for ON Council and advancing the interests of Trefoil Guild members. Enjoy the next stages of your Guiding journey. We look forward to welcoming the new provincial liaison soon.
There are several upcoming trainings available to Trefoil Guild members including Spring Fling in Orleans on May 26-27. There will be TEAM training and DEI training. For Treasurers there is a year-end reconciliation training on several different days and times. Please check the Ontario Events Calendar.
The London Trefoil Guild celebrated birthdays.90 years for Beatrice Ross and 96 years for Mary Cauchi.
Oakville Trefoil Guild helping with milk bag mats.
Ganaraska Trefoil Guild getting crafty.
Purple Hat Trefoil Guild trying glass fusing.
Dorothy Crocker Trefoil Guild at Clean the Capital.
2nd Moira Trefoil Guild packing craft kits for units in their community.
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Trefoil Guild packaging personal items for Purses for Margaret.
Severn Shore Trefoil Guild held a very successful Circle of Friends event with 60 members from many areas of Ontario. It was a great day with laughter, yoga, a silent auction and the keynote speaker, Anne, reminding us to stay connected with our Guiding sisters who had an important influence in our lives. It was wonderful to meet face to face again.
Quebec
Ellen Gauthier/Angie Kruller, QC Trefoil Guild Liaison
In May, we will have a speaker from the Montreal General Hospital to educate us all about women’s heart health. She gave us lots of information about how we can take better care of our hearts and improve our overall health.
We are planning a special event which will be held at our provincial campsite. There will be a lot of fun outdoor activities and camp cooking.
On a little funny sidenote, one of our boxes of spring cookies made its way to England and was enjoyed by Margaret Davison’s Trefoil Guild. Ellen passed them to Hattie, Margaret’s daughter, to give to her mother’s Trefoil Guild in London. Our GGC cookies are enjoyed worldwide!
Saskatchewan
Lorraine Thibeault, SK Trefoil Guild Liaison
Trefoil Adventure Guild - Regina, SK: In late April, we enjoyed a tai chi demonstration from five instructors from the Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism, Regina branch. After the demonstration, we enjoy coffee and goodies.
On May 1, TAG members went to Moose Jaw to tour the tunnels of Moose Jaw. Two members did the Chicago Connection tour: Al Capone’s bootlegging organization and business in Moose Jaw. The rest of the group did the new Bunker 24. Bunker 24 tells of Canada emerging from the Great Depression, WWII and entering the Cold War. After the tour, we went for coffee and a bite to eat at Brown’s Social House.
1st Canadian Internet Trefoil Guild
Dana Weatherell, 1st Canadian Internet Trefoil Guild Liaison
Members of the 1st Canadian Internet Trefoil Guild continue to be active in their units and local Trefoil Guilds. Online we had a fun campfire where our web mom led us through many songs, some of which I had never heard before. It is fun to be able to sit around in your jammies and converse with your fellow Guilders from the comfort of your own home or wherever you may be.
Our spring newsletter is out and jam-packed with fun activities and ideas for those still in units. Our newsletter editor, Marg Wheeler, does an excellent job. We share our newsletter with our twinning guild in Australia. We are looking for someone to take on the position of liaising with them. They share their newsletter with us too. If this interests you, come join us. You can contact us at 1stCdnInternetTrefoilGuild@gmail.com.