When we wanted to share the 32 years of history of Chapter T, 
Winnipeg, Manitoba, with our one reinstated and eight new sisters, we turned to the eight photo albums and the picture collection in the historian’s box. Upon careful examination, we found that our albums were in very poor condition. Faded pictures, duplicates and a tremendous excess of unnecessary material cluttered the existing history books. We needed to reorganize!
In 2007, we started with a program, “Introduction to Scrapbooking” presented by one of our own members. The chapter was challenged to examine a multitude of possibilities for displaying pictures and writing journal entries. As a result, the chapter decided to proceed with scrapbooking our past—to bring it alive!
Two scrapbooking sessions were held with the entire chapter involved. A small group of members became particularly interested and assumed responsibility for completing the project. They held eight additional mini-sessions, each two and
a half hours in length. The usual attendance was four to six members which was
a very workable number. These sisters made the decision to scrapbook only
the activities and achievements of the Chapter members and not those of extended family.
Among the materials in the historian’s box were all of the president’s letters. They were assembled in a separate acid-free album. The yearbooks were kept together in a plastic container, thus making these sets of items readily available for historical reference. Although some say a picture is worth a thousand words, we soon realized the need for accurate journaling to tell the story and precise labeling to identify those persons in the photos. Correctly dating each page was also a must. Faded and unidentifiable pictures and thank-you notes were discarded. Care was taken to use photo-safe materials to preserve our memories.
The conversations around the scrapbooking table were animated as the phrase “do you remember when?” was heard time and time again. 
Several long-time sisters were a priceless resource in identifying people in the photos. It was discovered that we had many duplicate pictures which were promptly eliminated, thus paring down the huge amount of material in our history books. Photos were cropped, journal entries appeared and pleasing pages were created as each sister brought her unique perspective to the task of scrapbooking.
We had many trips down memory lane during the productive mini-sessions. In two years, the eight original photo albums were
replaced by four attractive scrapbooks, with abundant room for more memories to be added. The total cost of the scrapbooking project to the chapter was approximately $200. However, as is often the case, many materials were donated by sisters.
Enthusiasm increased as we neared the finish line of our scrapbooking adventure. It has been a massive job and we have worked diligently. In the spring of 2009, the “new history books” were displayed to the entire chapter. For the scrapbookers, this endeavor has been a wonderful opportunity to bond with one another. We feel proud that our history books are preserved for future Chapter T P.E.O.s to enjoy. 
