Woman’s Group

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The Woman’s Group from Valois United Church hosted the annual rummage sale, raising money for the institution which supports various charitable organizations and families in need.

The outdoor set-up resembled a large garage sale as various items donated by community members were placed on tables and on the front lawn, including furniture, home accessories and decor items, plants, items for cars and much more. The indoor set up included a full room of clothing donations very neatly organized by size on rows of tables with walking space in between for shoppers to browse. In another room, a quilt and sewn goods station was set up on the left-side table with a toy section set up to the right. Facing the entrance was a bake sale where shoppers could grab goodies on the go or a loaf of home-made bread. 

All the items for sale were donated by local community members and parishioners to benefit the church and the charitable initiatives that it supports. All unsold items were donated to Renaissance. 

Valois Church has become a popular community hub for local residents and West Islanders searching for social activities over the years. On the same day of the rummage sale, Les Concerts Valois was hosted at the church in the evening featuring Ella Wilhelm on the keyboard singing soprano and Judy Hung on the violin, violoncello da spalla and piano. The rummage sale event hosts and volunteers took very much pride in speaking with The Suburban about the dozens of annual events that take place as well as new event ideas that are cooked up by members of the multiple groups involved with the church.

As Parishioner Jamie Dixson joyfully served visitors to his table, welcoming them to visit both the indoor and outdoor sale, The Suburban spoke to Paul Findlay who serves as the church’s Head of Board of Trustees. “This is more than just a church, this is a centre for the community. We used to do a yard sale and a rummage sale, but this year we decided to combine the two. We have many events all year long. Our goal is to interact with the community and be of service to people. These events contribute to our community outreach efforts,” Findlay explained. 

Claire Charpentier, a member of the Valois United Church Woman’s Group, emphasized the impact on recycling, reducing and reusing that events such as the rummage sale contribute to. “While contributing to the three ‘Rs’, we also give community members the opportunity to come in and get items at a reduced price while helping others get rid of unwanted items that others may need. We also gain a sense of belonging (as church members) to do good work together that helps to keep our church going. It’s so nice to see people who return each year along with new people coming in,” Charpentier explained to The Suburban. 

According to Charpentier, some students with community work hours to complete take advantage of the church’s many opportunities throughout the year to volunteers at the events that it hosts. “We have people of all ages, from seven to 97,” Charpentier said to The Suburban while chuckling.