Message from the President

Welcome to CFUW-Ottawa! I am delighted that you have taken the time to visit our website – there is much to explore on these pages, and I truly believe that CFUW offers something for every woman. So read on, browse, enjoy your visit, and find out what we have to offer YOU….

Who We Are

CFUW-Ottawa has a long and storied history, stretching back to 1910 when it formed as a university women’s club to provide a venue for women to gather and to promote the causes they were especially passionate about: education for women, securing the vote, and peace. In 1919, we became part of a newly formed national federation and a separate international federation as well – and we haven’t looked back since! We continue to advocate for issues of central importance to women and with over 500 members in our club (we are proud to be the largest club in the country!), there is a wealth of opportunities to meet new friends and pursue your passions with like-minded club members.

What We Offer

We provide our members with many avenues to learn, to act on issues that are important to them, and to have fun exploring interests with friends. We have a rich and vibrant Speakers’ Series featuring individuals who are at the top of their respective fields. We help deserving women pursue higher education, both locally and abroad, by providing scholarships at Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and Algonquin College while also helping Afghan women attain computer and internet access so they can study remotely in the safety of their homes. We have wonderful, entertaining fundraising events to support our award-winning scholarship program. We receive testimonials from students quite regularly telling us how important, and sometimes life changing, our scholarships have been for them. There is an opportunity to meet with many of the recipients at a special awards ceremony every March – an event open to all and not to be missed!

We also offer over 45 interest groups (once a member, you can join as many of these groups as you like!) that span everything from reading books, to cooking and dining out, to studying history and art; you can walk, hike, bike and sing with friends, wield cameras, power tools, and gardening shears, and raise your glasses in a toast with fellow club members. I hope you will explore all our interest group offerings on this site.

A Bit About Me

I was recently interviewed by the Chair of our Scholarship Trust Fund, Pamela Moss, and I am including a few excerpts from that interview here if you would like to know a bit more about me.

How long have you been associated with CFUW-Ottawa?

I was born and raised in Ottawa but left to pursue my academic career in the United States. I retired in 2016 so that I could return to Ottawa to help care for my aging parents. I joined CFUW-Ottawa the next year when I learned about it from a friend and realized how much it had to offer me. It is funny that I am living in the same house – and even have the same bedroom – as when I was a child!

What have you enjoyed most as a member of the club?

I love being able to explore issues and ideas with such a talented, insightful, and kind group of women. I have made many wonderful friends since I joined CFUW-Ottawa, and I love everything from fighting for women’s issues to sharing opinions on the latest crime fiction and singing alto with fellow members of our women’s choir, the MadriGals.

What do you like to do in your spare time, if you have any?

Well, I don’t have a lot of spare time right now as I care for my 95-year-old father full time. But I love to read, especially crime fiction, and I love to sing. I love music in general; I used to play the French horn quite seriously, but now I just sing – in three different choirs. I have in the past been an avid traveller, and I have spent a lot of time in Africa, but caregiving means that travel is not so feasible right now. I also love taking photographs and am especially proud of a series I took during the pandemic of a family of foxes in our neighbourhood.

What was your career?

I was a paleoanthropologist, which means I studied human evolution. I hold advanced degrees from Trent University, The George Washington University, and Harvard University. I love to teach, and I think those communication skills have been put to good use as the President of our club.

My area of specialty was the evolution of human diet and how what we ate shaped who we have become as a species. Most of my fieldwork was conducted in Africa, so don’t get me started on stories of the run-ins I have had with leopards, hyenas, lions, and especially hippos… or I might never stop…

Catherine Smith