Mark your calendars. BB&B 2027 is on October 30 & 31

Last Drop off dates and location:

Wednesday September 17, 1:30 pm
Gathering at Willow Ridge Community Centre 680 Acadia Drive SE.

Saturday October 3, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Marda Loop Communities Centre parking lot, 3130 – 16 St. SW

Please ensure that items are tagged with the name of the item, makers’ name or initials, product content, size & washing instructions if applicable. Tags will be available at the drop-off locations.

The Home Décor section would appreciate topping up of donations received so far with pairs or single placemats, microwave bowl cozies, mug rugs, small table mats, jar grippers/openers, pet themed items, pillows, etc. These are some of the items currently in short supply!! Thanks to all of our dedicated makers & donors!!

Volunteer Sign Up:

Volunteer sign-up starts on October 1. Details in the October Enews. Please consider helping at this fundraising event. This year you can wear your Hallowe’en attire on Saturday.

Shopping:

Friday, October 30 from 1:00 to 7:00 pm:   Starting on  October 1st @ 8:00 am, shoppers can pre-purchase timed tickets at BB&B webpage. Tickets are $5 each for a time spot from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm. At 5:00 pm we will welcome walk-in customers. $5 will be added to walk-in customers at check out.

Saturday, October 31 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm: Shopping is walk-in for all customers. $5 will be added at check out.

Posters are available HERE – please print some and share with family and friends, and post in your community.

Mark these important dates:   

Sale set up: Saturday April 24 to Thursday April 29, 2027  
Sale Days: Friday April 30 to Sunday May 2, 2027 
Final Clean up: Monday May 3, 2027 
Planning Committee Meetings will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 at Westhills ATB  starting on Tuesday   Sept  15, 2026, then the second Tuesday of each month starting in January 12 2027;  (Feb 9,  March 9, April 13, May 1,)

It has been a busy summer for donation pick up and drop off. We had donations starting on the Monday clean up in 2026. At last count we already have over 200 bins of assorted notions, crafts, books, patterns, yarn, fabric and hard goods waiting for the 2027 sale.  It has been a busy summer for the sorting committee.  

As always storage areas are still needed.  If you have space in a spare room at your house for storage of full boxes for the sale, please contact us at  message@ujamaagrandmas.com.  Apple boxes to store and make the shelves for the sale are also always needed. Local grocery stores are a good place to ask in the produce department for any apple boxes that they might be able to give to us. 

Why do we have the sale? 

The F&Y sale was originally started as a way to collect fabric donations to help create items for the BB&B sale and to raise funds for the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF).  Yarnies, Bagettes, Sew Day and other handcraft committees have access to supplies to create the many fabulous items sold at BB&B.  That has not changed but we also help over 35 local charities get needed items at the end of the sale.  We also support Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to protect our environment by keep textiles, notions and crafts out of the landfill.

We work together with Ujamaa Grandmas members and others to create a positive volunteer experience for people to enjoy.  We have fun while working together.

This has been called the best sale around as we keep our prices low to help many customers who might not be able to afford regular price or want to try a new craft at an affordable price.  So, mark the dates and come and join us to help raise funds for Grandmothers in Africa through the SLF.  Come and have fun. 

Thank you, Dawn Bolger

After a very successful year – 12 shows around the province – we have re-branded to Vested Interest: Climate Change Walking Art and dropped the term “Fashion Show” as some males thought it was only for females.  Now guys are attending and loving it!

We are looking forward to another busy year, especially after flooding in the East, all the extreme fires in B.C., Europe, Africa and the U.S. and enduring all the smoke here in Calgary.  Polls show Canadians are now very concerned about Climate Change.

We need more help in presenting Vested Interest!  A very small team has been involved in all our shows but we desperately need more volunteers.  The hosting group provides models and a few extra volunteers but we provide the Stage Manager and often a Wardrobe Mistress.  These team members make the show run much more smoothly.  

When a Vested Interest show is booked, we simply put out a call for specific volunteers and you respond if you are available and keen.  This is a very flexible volunteer commitment nor is it a heavy-duty time commitment!

If you are interested there are two opportunities to see what Vested Interest is all about:

• We are doing a SHORT presentation at the September Monthly Gathering.
• Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners (CALL) is hosting Vested Interest as a Special Program on Friday afternoon, September 18th at Varsity Presbyterian Church.  Admission for CALL non-members is $5. Refreshments are included.

Vested Interest has evolved and improved since we did the Ujamaa show last November – come and see for yourself!  

Ellen Monaghan

Why focus on HIV? Is it still an issue? Haven’t things improved?
The HIV epidemic continues to affect the lives of people across sub-Saharan Africa, but there have been significant improvements. In sub-Saharan Africa in 2003, which was the height of the epidemic, 3.2 million people newly acquired HIV that year.  Twenty years later that number has fallen by 80% to an annual total of 660,000. In 2003, 2.3 million people in the region died of AIDS-related illnesses. Since that time, the number of deaths has fallen by 83%. In 2023, there were 380,000 deaths.  This decrease in deaths is largely due to the increase in access to anti-retroviral treatment. More and more people are on ARVs and are virally suppressed, meaning they cannot pass on the virus.
Today over 80% of people living with HIV are on treatment. The UNAIDS report in 2003 didn’t even contain figures for how many people were on treatment at that time because it was so rare. While we have more and more tests and medicines to prevent and treat HIV, what continues to drive the HIV epidemic is inequities. Inequities driven by racism, colonialism, gender inequality, homophobia and transphobia. Realizing human rights for all is the ultimate key to ending AIDS. When we dig into the numbers mentioned earlier, we see that the progress of the last 2 years has not been equal. For instance, teenage girls and young women, men who have sex with men, trans people, and sex workers are all more likely to be living with HIV because of the discrimination they face. And this inequality is what the SLF’s partners — community ed organizations — are working diligently to address.

I’m pleased to share the detailed program for our 20th Anniversary Celebration, taking place October 5–7. Please find the full program details at the link below:

20th Anniversary Celebration – Program Details

Please take a moment to share with your group members to review the program and the activities planned for the celebration.

Looking forward to celebrating this special milestone together!

Thushika Rajendrakumar (she/her)hA, Development Officer – Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, Stephen Lewis Foundation

E: trajendrakumar@stephenlewisfoundation.org

The Didsbury/ Carstairs Grandmothers for Grandmothers Mountainview group held a very successful Tea in the Garden event at a beautiful country garden in July.  Several carloads of Calgary Ujamaa members attended, toured the garden and enjoyed tea and shortcake in the shade.  Think about joining us next year!

There are Alberta regional groups in RedDeer, Carstairs, Canmore, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge plus Edmonton and Stoney Plain.

Ujamaa also has available at gatherings postcards from the Foundation to MPs encouraging Canadian leadership on global health.  

Space and time are still available so consider attending the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Stephen Lewis Foundation grandmothers movement in Ottawa on October 5-7th.  Several of us are attending and it should be an excellent 3-day event with members from across the country plus some African grandmother leaders.  I have now been to two national gatherings and found them inspiring and thought provoking.  Registration is through the website Home – Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign Canada Celebration or by contacting the Stephen Lewis Foundation at 1-888-203-9990.

If you have any questions, I can be contacted via message@ujamaa.com.

Anne Taylor

Further to the email you received on July 12th announcing Ujamaa Grandmas new membership database, this is a reminder to sign up at https://ujamaagrandmas.getcommunal.com/memberships in order to retain your membership.
If the $20 fee is a barrier and you wish to remain a member, please write to membership@ujamaagrandmas.com.
For any questions or support, please write to message@ujamaagrandmas.com.
Steps to follow when signing up:

1. Go to https://ujamaagrandmas.getcommunal.com/memberships
2. Click “Select Membership”
3. Enter your name, email address, phone number, and choose your own password
   Note: Your Communal account has been created
4. Complete the Registration Form (i.e. how did you hear about us, where do you live)
5. Select the Annual Membership plan (click button)
6. Complete the Membership Form (i.e. member and past volunteer information)
7. Select your volunteer interests and hit complete
8. Go to checkout to pay the $20 annual fee
9. Your membership is complete. Login to your account (top right-hand corner) at any time to update your information or purchase your membership.
   Note: Do not sign-up or create another Communal account. Only one membership can be assigned per email address.
   This video link provides an overview of the membership purchase flow: https://www.loom.com/share/eb0525a2b55b466295283432d15423fa