Tuesday, we welcomed Marium Tolson-Murtty, who gave us a presentation about the Hour-A-Day Study Club. 

Marium is the current president of the club, which was founded in 1934 in Windsor.  Members must be descendants of those who came to Canada via the Underground Railroad.  The club was founded as a “mothers’ club” to mould the character of children and to nurture them to become the best possible citizens.  Members must study a topic of interest to them for at least one hour every day hence the name “Hour-A-Day Study Club.”  In 1946, a scholarship program was established with Winston Shreve as the first recipient.  Now in the 21st. Century, the club is quietly and modestly carrying on the original goals.  In the past 15 years, the club has given out $170,000 in scholarships and bursaries to local black students.
 

Satellite members have also adopted a new service project.  In discussions with Brentwood Recovery Home, it was determined that residents were not always prepared to live on their own, especially in the area of food preparation. Initially, we had looked into offering a series of cooking sessions involving simple recipes, meal planning and other useful information.  With the onset of Covid-19, that idea had to be put on hold, so an alternative was suggested.  The club agreed to sponsor the preparation of a handbook consisting of marketing/shopping ideas, basic cooking skills, easy references for measuring, substitutions, and kitchen staples as well as simple recipes.  Members are asked to submit recipes for inclusion in an easy reference binder, which will be made available to new alumni of Brentwood.