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| LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION: | Fonds |
| No.: | PR2784 |
| TITLE: | Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) |
| CREATOR: | Young Women's Christian Association Hostess House fonds |
| DATE RANGE: | 1942 |
| EXTENT: | 0.05 m of textual records, 18 photographs |
| ADMINISTRATIVE |
| HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | The Young Women's Christian Association Hostess House in Claresholm on the R.C.A.F. station (at No. 15 S.F.T.S.) was the first one in Alberta. It contained a large living room, two bedrooms, an office and a kitchen. Its opening in June 1942 marked the beginning of several such houses to be built at air force and military camps. It was the one of the thirty three such centers operating throughout Canada through the Y.W.C.A. War Services in Toronto.
The Hostess House in Claresholm offered hospitality and a touch of home to men of the R.C.A.F., their wives, mothers and friends; it was the scene of several air force weddings. Its canteen was always opened and the House during its first year was visited by an average of 1 000 persons per week. The Auxiliary Services under the Canadian Department of Defence placed the responsibility of running such Houses to the Y.W.C.A. because of its past experience in hospitality.
The functions of the House were: To take care of the relatives of the men in training in case of accident or illness; to supply a meeting place for the men and women of the Station and their spouses in home-like atmosphere; to hold special events such as weddings.
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| CUSTODIAL HISTORY: | The fonds was deposited at the Provincial Archives of Alberta in 1984 by a donor on behalf of Anna Greig who was the first Hostess at the Claresholm Hostess House |
| SCOPE AND CONTENT: | The fonds consists of correspondence, newspaper articles and photographs. |
| LANGUAGE NOTE: | The material is in English. |