After organizing in 1960, the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Grande Prairie (see file 0032.08.06.397 in the Campbell family fonds) officially held its charter meeting on March 18, 1961. The group consisted of women from the area who were employed in various professions. The club operated as part of a larger organization, the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women, founded in 1930. The organization was global, with many countries having their own federations. The club aimed to develop professional leadership and business skills among women. Their specific purposes included encouraging women to participate in all levels of government and to improve economic and social conditions for women. Projects outlined by the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women in 1962 included:
enactment and implementation of federal and provincial laws providing equal pay for equal work, repeal policies and laws that discriminate against women, elimination of unfair and unrealistic disabilities in taxation, wages, salaries, career opportunities, job levels, and employment benefits (such as hospital, pension, and retirement plans) which discourage women from taking employment, and penalize and dishearten them when they do.
On a provincial scale, the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Grande Prairie supported joint projects with other clubs in Alberta. The Daily Herald Tribune reported in 1961 that, “members have shared with sister clubs throughout the province in aiding non-white women university students achieve goals in education, and at the international level, are helping finance the education of Arab girls at Ramallah, Jordan.” Additionally, Christmas cards and calendars were sold annually in aid of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Grande Prairie was also active on a local level. The club held workshops and invited guest speakers on topics such as automation and women’s legal rights. The club also provided an annual music lesson bursary for two girls in the area. They fundraised for the projects through activities such as rummage sales, draws, and bake sales. In 1962, the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Grande Prairie collaborated with the Rotary Club of Grande Prairie to host a “Careers Preview Afternoon,” where guest speakers would present about their careers in front of the children. The Business and Professional Women’s Club arranged the schedule for the girls while the Rotary Club arranged the program for the boys. The girls’ schedule included the professions of journalism, nursing, x-ray technician, and bookkeeping. The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Grande Prairie supported plans for developments in the community, like childcare and mental health facilities. In 1966, the club urged health officials in Alberta to implement a mobile cervical cancer screening unit by writing letters in support of the project.
Through purposeful projects, the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Grande Prairie contributed to women’s issues from the international to the local level. Though there is no longer a Business and Professional Women’s Club in Grande Prairie, the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women is still operational in Canada.