IODE Canada

IODE War Memorial Scholarship

New Deadlines for Application
Letter of Intent Due
01 October 2019

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IODE Violet Downey Book 2019 Award

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2019 Short List books.
Past award winning books

IODE RCMP Community Service Award Presented at the National Annual Meeting

Echoes

Echoes is the official publication for IODE members across Canada. Published continually since 1902,
it is issued twice each year.

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IODE 100th Anniversary Grant
New Brunswick Social Pediatrics
Strengthening Families

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2019 Grant recipient

The Joys of Membership

By joining IODE,
you will become part of a growing community of women
who play an important role
in making a difference
in the lives of children, youth, and those in need.
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Welcome

IODE Canada is a national women's charitable organization. Women of all ages, from all walks of life and educational backgrounds, meet in local chapters for fun, friendship and community volunteerism.

Members volunteer with and for people, focusing on Children, Education and Community Services. Each IODE chapter has the independence to choose and support projects in their own community. If you have just a few hours to spare monthly, you can make a difference and form lifelong friendships.

IODE membership is many things to many people. It is this diversification that holds the interest of the members and attracts others to it. What other organization has so much to offer to so many and in such different age groups?

The main benefit of belonging to IODE is being part of a like-minded group of women who work together to improve the quality of life for those in need.

Heritage and Traditions

IODE is proud of its heritage and traditions. In 1900, Margaret Polson Murray of Montreal encouraged the formation of a federation of women to promote patriotism, loyalty and service to others.

The first chapter, Federation of the Daughters of the Empire, was formed in Fredericton, New Brunswick on 05 January 1900. Primary chapters were formed in quick succession across Canada as were junior chapters.

In 1901, the Federation was incorporated as Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire and Children of the Junior Branch. IODE was incorporated as a Canadian women's organization by a special act of the Parliament of Canada in 1917.

IODE Founder's Day Message 2019

Together for Tomorrow

Together For Tomorrow is the theme of our upcoming 2019 IODE Canada Annual Meeting, but it is also the title of a new program to help ensure the future of IODE.

Why is renewal and looking to the future important? Our Founder, Margaret Polson Murray, had a vision to create IODE, not just to answer current needs but to be a perpetual organization of women who addressed on-going needs of Canadians across the country. At that time, there were no groups for women with a national focus, although there were several organizations which assisted local needs. IODE was meant to bring together all Canadian women to address country-wide issues, as well as local ones. Clearly, Mrs. Murray’s vision developed one of the largest women’s organizations in Canada with a history now 119 years long. Today we proudly celebrate that vision and the accomplishments of not only ourselves in the past year, but also the tremendous accomplishments of our many predecessors, the thousands of women who have proudly worn the IODE badge since 1900. As well, let us pledge ourselves to continue to fulfill that vision forever.

How do we do that? We do that by continuing to do what each of us has done for many years – continue our membership in this fine organization, support our primary chapters in their many projects to help those in need, acknowledge the pledges our predecessors made to support the projects at the municipal, provincial and national levels of IODE, and continue to ensure that our projects are up to date with current trends. Certainly, each of us needs to encourage membership growth. While ladies do not like to admit to their age, we know that the many members who have served IODE loyally for 50, 60 and 70 years, will need to retire before long. We need to find women willing to carry on our work and let our honoured members retire in the knowledge that someone will pick up where they left off, who will not flag nor fail in maintaining the standards and service of their dedicated IODE predecessors.

It is clear that we have not been able to maintain the volume of membership enjoyed by IODE during the war years. Nonetheless, the sincerity of our members since then has not diminished. Our numbers may be fewer but our members are just as enthusiastic for our Mission as ever.

However, lower membership does have practical ramifications for our organization. We are able to gather fewer membership fees and so have decreased revenue. While your Board of Directors has made positive efforts to decrease our expenses – and continue to do so – an alternate revenue stream has been suggested. It is clear that our members feel that our current fee structure should be maintained. A fee increase would seriously impair many members’ ability to remain in IODE. The new Together For Tomorrow program has been initiated to alleviate the administrative costs of IODE Canada and thereby ensure that we continue to have a healthy organizational structure. Please consider the material being sent to you and support it if you are able. We know that all IODE members strive to continue to serve the vision of Mrs. Murray and continue to help those in need … forever.

Today, reflect on the proud history of IODE, take pride in the work that you do with your chapter and pledge to maintain a strong IODE. Together we accomplish so much more than we can individually. Together we support each other, uplift each other and encourage each other. In IODE, let us strive to always be there for each other and for Canada.

Bonnie Rees
National President
13 February 2019

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IODE Today

Under the jurisdiction of the National Chapter of Canada IODE are provincial, municipal and primary chapters across Canada. With approximately 3,000 members across Canada in more than 200 chapters, the IODE tradition of serving children, youth and those in need continues. The name IODE was officially adopted in the 1970's. IODE Canada is a federally chartered charitable organization.

IODE Canada and our members across Canada undertake an extensive variety of charitable and philanthropic projects every year. These include financial assistance and contributions of time and effort to students, educational institutions, hospitals, the under-privileged and those in need.

IODE War Memorial Scholarship

100 Years of the IODE War Memorial Scholarship

The National Chapter of Canada IODE initiated War Memorial Doctoral Scholarships in 1918 to commemorate Canadians who sacrificed their lives for peace and freedom. Initially, bursaries were granted to children of men and women who lost their lives or who were permanently disabled while fighting for Canada. Since the first scholarships were awarded in 1921, IODE War Memorial Scholars have made important contributions to Canada and the world in medicine, science, business, politics and academia.

As World War I ended, The National Chapter of Canada initiated a living memorial to 60,000 Canadians whose lives were sacrificed. This War Memorial, approved at the 1918 Annual Meeting in Montreal, provided bursaries for university studies in Canada to children of men killed or permanently disabled in the Great War.

Immediately, a campaign to raise $500,000 began and by 1920 the first bursaries were awarded.

Each province was assigned one award of $250 a year for four years (later increased to $300). Where there was no candidate, the bursary went to another province.

In 1929, the War Memorial Fund of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire was enacted by special act (Bill 8) of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario.

The War Memorial Committee in each province chose candidates based on their school record, health and character, the war service of their father and the family’s financial circumstances. Both principal and interest of the Fund provided these bursaries until 1937. No awards were offered during the war years and bursaries ended in 1965. Scholarships based on academic excellence continued to be offered.

The War Memorial Post Graduate Scholarships began in 1921 for one college graduate from each province to spend one year at a British University. Among the first to hold this scholarship for 1922-1923 at King’s College, University of London, was Bertha M. Lawrence from Alberta.

The value of a scholarship was $1,400 until 1930 when it was raised to $1,600. Post Graduate Scholarship used only the Fund’s income. No awards were offered during the war years and when peace was finally declared, in 1946, the members of IODE decided to establish a Second War Memorial to honour the memory of forty some thousand men and women who lost their lives for Canada and in defense of freedom. The Post Graduate Scholarships from the two War Memorials Funds were originally offered in specific fields of study.

Today, there is no such restriction. Applicants must be Canadian citizens and in at least the second year of their doctoral program. Scholarships valued at $15,000 are now awarded to students attending Canadian or Commonwealth universities. A committee in the province of the candidate’s first degree makes selections and forwards nominations to the National Chapter where the final decisions are made. The National Selection Committee is comprised of five IODE members and three professors from different universities. The National Chapter of Canada IODE War Memorial Scholars have made important contributions to Canada and the world in medicine, science, business, politics and academia.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2020 - 2021 IODE War Memorial Scholarship. Complete information and application forms are available at www.IODE.ca.

Founded in 1900, IODE Canada is a national women's charitable organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals through education support, community service, and citizenship programs.