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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
I am pleased to serve REAL Women of Canada
as its National President and I would like to take this opportunity
to introduce myself to you.
My name is Laurie Geschke. I have been a member
of REAL Women of Canada since 1984. I have also been active
in our provincial Chapter, REAL Women of BC, since that time.
I have been married for 28 ½ years to Rob. We are the
parents of four children, ages 23, 21, 18, and 13. I worked
full time before having children. Since then, I have been
a full time mother by choice, except for several years working
to supplement our family income when Rob was unemployed. Fortunately,
we’ve come through those lean years and life is easier
for us now.
I have been educating our children at home
for the past 18 years, and now am only left with the "baby"
who is going into Grade 8 in September. Several of my interests
— books, learning styles, autism, education, history,
and languages — are related to what I do everyday. Other
interests include policy making, and business development
and cycles. These passions were kindled by my work experience,
which included serving three 3-year terms as an elected director
on a corporate board of a private corporation with assets
of almost $125 million in a government-regulated industry.
My other love and passion, which I hope to use as extensively
as possible as President of REAL Women, is my ability to speak
French. Je suis francophile, et si vous voudriez m’écrire
en français, vous êtes les bienvenues! Malgré
que je vis en Colombie Britannique, j’éspère
pouvoir mettre au courant de notre organisme toutes les femmes
qui pensent comme nous à travers le Canada.
I was talking to a friend the other day, a
woman I hadn’t seen for several years and who is a mother
of six and has been married to the same man for over 25 years.
We were comparing notes on how rude complete strangers have
been to us for our choice to deliberately have more than one
child and then to dare to bring them all out into public places
at the same time! What stories she had to tell! I was touched
greatly when she said that she appreciates REAL Women very
much (even though she is not a member), because she knows
that we are there working so that ALL women’s choices
will be treated equally under the law and for income tax purposes.
She knows that we are working toward a day when every woman
will be free to choose to remain at home to bear, nurture
and raise her children without impugning her reputation! As
I said on a radio interview several years ago, if that is
her choice, what is wrong with her making that choice?
Until next time.
Laurie Geschke
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