The IODE, a Canadian women's volunteer organization, was founded by Margaret Polson Murray in 1900, during the Boer War, in order to encourage public service, patriotism and loyalty to the Crown. Throughout the two world wars members raised considerable funds for medical and personal supplies for military personnel. Between and after the wars they directed much of their attention to the care of veterans and their families. Once a symbol of imperial unity, today the IODE is a national service organization which maintains projects in the areas of education, social service and citizenship.