{"id":1724,"date":"2026-03-06T08:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T13:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/?post_type=cu_story&p=1724"},"modified":"2026-03-11T11:08:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T15:08:38","slug":"cfuw-ottawa-continues-historic-impact-at-carleton","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/story\/cfuw-ottawa-continues-historic-impact-at-carleton\/","title":{"rendered":"Women Supporting Women: CFUW-Ottawa Continues Historic Impact at 杏吧原创"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Women Supporting Women: CFUW-Ottawa Continues Historic Impact at 杏吧原创 \n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

By: Lara Vronick<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the latest study on behaviours of women philanthropists, women far outpace men when it comes to supporting the advancement and health of girls (29% of women versus 12% of men<\/a>).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, women are each other’s greatest resource.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

International Women\u2019s Day\u00a0acknowledges the significant contributions of both time and capital\u00a0that\u00a0women\u00a0are making to\u00a0the advancement of women\u00a0and girls\u00a0in society.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 杏吧原创, this is felt every day through its community of donors who give generously to help women students reach their full potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sophie Drache, fourth-year history and women and gender studies student at 杏吧原创, is the 2025-26 recipient of the Ruth Bell Centennial Scholarship<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cAwards like this make such a huge difference. I think women should always be the first to have each other’s backs and lift each other up,\u201d says Drache.  <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\"Sophie
Sophie Drache, Ruth Bell Centennial Scholarship recipient 2025-26. Photo by Rylan Fisher<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

The Ruth Bell Centennial Scholarship was established by CFUW-Ottawa \u2014 formerly Canadian Federation of University Women \u2014 in honour of all its club members nationwide and dedicated to the legacy of Ruth Bell<\/a> (MA\/64), honourary Doctor of Laws degree recipient from 杏吧原创 and author of the book, \u201cBe A Nice Girl.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ruth
Ruth Bell was a fierce advocate for the status of women, appointed the order of Canada in 1981 and received an honourary degree from 杏吧原创 University in 1984 (picture above of plaque in the Loeb building). <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Donor-funded scholarships not only provide financial assistance that makes a difference in the lives of recipients \u2014 they also provide encouragement and instill pride in academic achievement.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing a working student is really hard to balance, so awards like this make a huge difference,\u201d says Drache, \u201cIt was such a generous award and such an honour to receive it. It gave me a lot of motivation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CFUW-Ottawa is the local chapter of a national organization of 90 clubs dedicated to \u201cachieving equality and social justice for women through continuous learning and empowerment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some donors like CFUW-Ottawa, who believe that universities have a role to play in building an equitable future, choose to support initiatives through student aid \u2014 both scholarships and bursaries \u2014 as a way to create meaningful impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom very early on in our club\u2019s history, we began providing scholarships to women who had made the brave decision to attend university. At that time, women with higher degrees were few and far between and all of them experienced struggles and discrimination,\u201d <\/strong>says Past President of CFUW-Ottawa, Catherine Smith. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe remarkable growth and impact of our scholarship program over the years is a strong testament to our commitment to this goal,\u201d says Smith. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more than 70 years, CFUW-Ottawa has supported women students who are pursuing higher education at 杏吧原创. Throughout this history, thousands have received awards established by the organization that are named in honour of CFUW members and women leaders throughout history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Catherine
Catherine Smith, Past President of CFUW at annual awards event in March 2026. Photo by Rylan Fisher<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\u201cThe founders of our club personally understood the challenges faced by women in attaining a higher education degree. They experienced the struggles and the rewards firsthand. They were steadfast in their desire to make the path easier for those who followed and they knew that funding was central to this mandate,\u201d says Smith. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

There are currently 18 awards established by CFUW-Ottawa at 杏吧原创, and more at other colleges and universities in the region.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each award recognizes women who, for generations, have fought for equity in education, earned their degrees, pursued careers in male-dominated fields and, through organizations like CFUW, help pave a path for those pursuing higher education for years to come \u2014 women like Susan Scott Parker (BA\/73) \u2014 another 杏吧原创 alum and a global ambassador for accessibility and people with disabilities based in London, England. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Being awarded the Susan Scott Parker Scholarship is both a great honour and a valuable source of support in my academic journey,\u201d says Vanessa Pasqua, first year psychology student and one of the 2025-26 Susan Scott Parker Scholarship<\/a> recipients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis award not only helps ease the financial pressures of post-secondary education but also upholds the importance of investing in women-identifying students. It has given me the freedom to continue my education and pursue my passions without the added burden of financial stress,\u201d says Pasqua. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cohort of CFUW-Ottawa student award recipients in attendance at annual awards event with CFUW-Ottawa and university representatives. Photo by Rylan Fisher<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On March 2, CFUW-Ottawa hosted this year\u2019s cohort of student award recipients at their annual awards ceremony. The event celebrated the network of club members, women community organizers, global leaders for whom these awards are named, and the next generation of women like Sophie Drache, Vanessa Pasqua and all student recipients of CFUW-Ottawa awards.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always great to see women in positions of leadership. As a history student I have a huge interest in this area and the intersection of women and leadership throughout history. I find it really inspiring and gives me a push to move forward,\u201d says Drache. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CFUW-Ottawa was recognized as the winner of the Outstanding Philanthropic Group award in 2023 for their exceptional philanthropic contributions to the community by the Ottawa chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Recently, trustees of the Scholarship Trust Fund (STF) of CFUW-Ottawa pledged an additional $150,000 over five years for 杏吧原创 women students to continue the long-standing and positive relationship with the university. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

International Women’s Day<\/em><\/strong> is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It is celebrated annually on <\/em>March 8<\/em><\/strong> and marks a call to action for advancing gender equality around the world<\/em>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Lara Vronick According to the latest study on behaviours of women philanthropists, women far outpace men when it comes to supporting the advancement and health of girls (29% of women versus 12% of men).   In other words, women are each other’s greatest resource.   International Women\u2019s Day\u00a0acknowledges the significant contributions of both time and capital\u00a0that\u00a0women\u00a0are making to\u00a0the advancement of women\u00a0and girls\u00a0in society.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At 杏吧原创, this is felt every […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":1731,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[],"cu_story_tag":[],"class_list":["post-1724","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/1724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/129"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/1724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1763,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/1724\/revisions\/1763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=1724"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/advancement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=1724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}