Fonds - Aylmer Women's Institute fonds

Elgin County’s first Women’s Institute branch was formed in Aylmer in 1902. Elgin’s Institute branches have had a deep, positive effect on their respective communities. Under the motto “Home and Country” members engaged in efforts such as knitting hundreds of pairs of socks for local First World War soldiers, making tons of preserves for British and European families in both World Wars and leading the drive towards pasteurized milk in Ontario. They contributed to scholarships and held fundraisers for the local hospitals and the Elgin County Museum. Women came together under the banner of the Federated Women’s Institutes and worked tirelessly to make life better for their families, their neighbours and the world beyond.