NEW GLASGOW – The Dr. Caroline Carmichael chapter of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire has received a royal thank you letter from England.
Chapter member Sharon Livingston wrote a letter to the Queen on behalf of the chapter in August and was hoping for a response.
“It was to congratulate her on her Diamond Jubilee and also to tell her about our tea we had in her honour,” Livingston said. “The funds that were raised were used to support our local Roots for Youth.”
On Nov. 5, the chapter received a response from the Queen’s secretary.
A portion of the letter read, “Her Majesty greatly appreciated your kind thoughts for her in this historic year. The Queen was pleased to hear how much you enjoyed the special luncheon, which you had in her honour. I am to thank you very much once again for writing as you did.”
The letter also thanked the chapter for the information they sent on Roots for Youth and photographs of those who attended the Queen Diamond Jubilee dressed in hats, gloves and skirts for the occasion.
Livingston said the women in the chapter were ecstatic to receive the royal response.
“We were hoping for a response and we were quite please and thrilled and everybody enjoyed seeing her letter… we felt quite special,” she said.
Chapter member Jeannie Johnston said the IODE was formed about 114 years ago to raise funds for services for women and children.
“Then, it became war time and so at that time they not only did some serving of the people that were actually fighting in the war, they would send stuff, but they would look after a lot of the families. They raised enough funds to buy a bomber during World War II,” Johnston said. “Since then, we’re a service group, we work and do fundraising in order to give money, in order to donate.”
Johnston added that the funds the chapter raises in Pictou County is donated to various local charities.
