Mountain Messages - Winter 2014

A newsletter for the Junior League of Charleston, West Virginia Winter 2014 Edition

Letter from the President

Moun t Messa ain ges

“The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach As I sit down on this cold, snowy Saturday afternoon watching the Mountaineer basketball game, I am encouraged to reflect on the Junior League of Charleston (well that and the deadline for my message is upon me and I don’t want to miss the game).

In This Issue

A lot has happened since our last newsletter in the fall. In September we approached a new League year with a bang! We had a wonderful turnout for the Cookbooks and Cocktails Provisional party, which was held at the McFarland Hubbard House on the East End. The JLC gained nine women from the fall class.

• Letter from the President

On October 13th the JLC hosted its 5th annual Pumpkins in the Park walk/run.

While the weather semi-cooperated, a little over 100 individuals came out to support the League. There was a nice turnout for the Children’s Fun Run and we even saw several Halloween costumes during the races!

• JLC 90th Anniversary Highlights

Two weeks later, on October 26 the League celebrated its 90 years of community volunteerism at the Clay Center’s Walker Theater. We were fortunate to host AJLI At-Large Director, Kathleen Demro during our weekend of festivities. A wonderful turnout of sustainers, actives, and even a provisional came out to commemorate the League and the accomplishments throughout the years.

• Winter Welcome

A wonderful group of sustainers spent several months going through the League’s archives and compiled AMAZING displays for the 90th! If you did not have the opportunity to attend, I encourage you to set up a time to come by the League’s office on Capitol Street and view these displays (and see the remodel of the office, too!)

• Meet the Board

As a kick-off to the Celebration, the Junior League of Charleston was featured in the West Virginia State Journal. Additionally, a group of sustainers and actives had the opportunity to sit down with the Charleston Gazette for an interview and a feature in Sunday’s Life & Style section!

I must say that after the 90th celebration was over, I was exhausted – to say the least! However, I felt very grateful to be a part of all the “happenings” during those few weeks in October. A major take away for me during those busy weeks and months were the community projects and achievements in the Kanawha Valley, and the stories of leadership, growth and friendship that the League has offered to so many women.

So often, we hear of failures – in our government, personal relationships, and careers. But, the Junior League of Charleston does not fall into that category of constant failure. Our League has had a solid foundation in the community for the past 90 years and continues to see community involvement, leadership, and life-long friendships. Thank you to all the women and community partners who have created an impact in the agencies and lives we serve. As we go into a new year, I am proud to say the League remains a growing force. I encourage you to follow our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages for updates – especially regarding our community project, Junior League on the Move and our new spring fundraiser, Women on the Move.

Happy New Year, Megan A. Alldridge President, Junior League of Charleston

• E-Award Winners

• Women on the Move • Join AJLI.org • JLC Provisional Class • 2014 Membership Dues • What is a “Placement” • Bridge Road Bistro/Backpack Buddies • Junior League on the Move

90th Anniversary Highlights Kortney Major, President-Elect

On Saturday, October 26, 2013 the Junior League of Charleston (JLC) celebrated 90 outstanding years serving the Charleston community and its citizens.

The evening celebration hosted two guest speakers, and displayed beautifully put-together JLC archives. Kathleen Demro, Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) At-Large Director, spoke about the importance of Junior League and voluntarism, and Past-President Donna Mallory entertained the crowd with stories of her days as an active member of JLC. The Walker Theater at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences was decorated flawlessly and truly was the perfect space for our celebration. Delicious recipes and refreshments from JLC cookbooks were provided by Embassy Suites, and were a smash hit!

After the guest speakers’ presentations and mingling amongst members, ladies continued the celebration at Vandalia Grille. The evening was a huge success and boasted over 75 attendees. Thank you to everyone for their hard work and dedication!

Winter Welcome Celebration Jenny Rada, Provisional Co-Chair Thank you to everyone who attended our January Winter Welcome Celebration to kick-off the start of our Spring Provisional Class. Despite the water crisis and cold weather, we had a wonderful turn out of Active and Sustainer members, as well as several potential Provisionals. Many thanks to Libby Stultz for hosting and providing the perfect venue for the event. We are looking forward to a great Spring Provisional Class!

If you know of any women interested in joining the League, we now have an electronic form on our website that they can complete with their contact information.

Check it out under “Join” at www.jlcharlestonwv.org.

Fall E-Award Winners Jenna Bowles, Director-At-Large

Congratulations to our Fall E-Award winners. These individuals have provided outstanding leadership and have served as a shining example for the Junior League of Charleston. We appreciate all that you have done to prepare for events, serve on committees, and provide communication and companionship.

• September 2013 - Meghann Caldwell, PIP Co-Chair • October 2013 – Katherine Mullins, PIP 5K Chair • November 2013 – Nicki Holly, Backpack Buddies coordination • December 2013 – Meagan Shelton, Partnership with Junior League of Huntington, WV

Meet the Board Bri Jackson & Allison Miller, Newsletter Editors Name: Tiffany Smith Gregory Hometown: Massapequa, NY Alma Mater: Ohio University, BA; MA Profession: Speech-Language Pathologist How long have you been in JLC: Four Years Role in JLC: Secretary 2012-2014; Previously held the position of Historian What do you hope to accomplish in JLC: As a member of JLC, my favorite activities are our volunteer activities related to health and wellness. Both are a big part of my life, so I enjoy sharing my passion with others and encouraging younger people to make healthy lifestyle choices. If I can help a handful of children/young adults make changes to their lifestyles, I will be ecstatic.

Why did you join JLC/Did someone get you involved; if so, who: I joined JLC upon moving to Charleston to meet other professional women and develop a social network in the area. I didn’t know anyone in Charleston when I moved here and have developed many wonderful friendships.

Favorite Food: NY pizza and chocolate Favorite Color: Green Favorite Movie: Troop Beverly Hills and Law Abiding Citizen

Women on the Move Liz Yeager, Women on the Move Co-Chair Regrouping last spring after Building Community Over Cocktails, our former spring fundraiser, it was clear to myself and the board that we needed to make a change in our fundraising efforts. This spring we are taking a leap of faith and doing something we have never done before: a women’s networking and empowering event, also known as the Junior League of Charleston’s Women on the Move. We want to create an arena where women can meet a successful, local, West Virginian and be inspired to follow their dreams.

I am pleased to say that we were able to secure Nikki Bowman, founder of New South Media, Inc. as our key note speaker. For those of you who do not know, she is responsible for the awesome WV Living, WV Weddings and many other magazines. Before moving back home to WV, she was affiliated with a League in Mississippi and attributes a lot of her success to what she learned during her time in the Junior League.

Lately, we have been having some issues regarding attendance and sponsorships for our events.

I am also happy to share that we are looking into getting continuing education credits as a way to drive companies to become sponsors and encourage more women to attend.

This is all new to the League, especially to me, but I have confidence that it will be successful. We have been working extremely hard to make this a great event and I could not be more excited!

Join AJLI.org Megan Alldridge, President If you have never been to the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) website, now is the time! Each member of the Junior League – sustainers and actives, alike – have access to this unlimited resource center. To access the website, go to www.ajli.org. For your personal login you may call Headquarters at 800.955.3248 and they will be able to guide you in getting connected.

Membership in the Junior League has so many benefits -- make sure you are not missing out!

JLC Provisional Class Laura Boone, Provisional Co-Chair The Fall Provisional Class chose to work with the children’s unit at Highland Hospital for its class project. The Hospital expressed a need to provide some holiday cheer to children that have to remain in its inpatient unit over the holidays. The Provisional Class brainstormed items they thought the children might enjoy and then assembled gift bags containing fleece blankets, snacks, games, and holiday novelties. Additionally, they secured a $50 donation from Walmart to help cover the project costs. The project culminated with the women delivering the gifts to Highland Hospital right before Christmas. They also took a tour of the facility and learned more about its mission and activities, which proved to be an eye opening experience for everyone in attendance.

We are thrilled to welcome these women as our new Active members and know that this project is just the first of many impressive ways they will help the Junior League of Charleston make an impact.

Welcome New Actives: Jennifer Chen Shelley Omer Anna Crislip Kassie Moore Leana Andrean Lee Ann Spurzem Erin Timony Maryanna Hall Brittany Ranson Stonestreet

Membership Dues Kathleen Simpson, Treasurer-Elect The deadline for Membership Dues is just around the corner. The deadline is March 1, 2014. Below is a breakdown of the payments by class. If you have any questions regarding your Membership Dues, please contact Kathleen Simpson at kathleen.simpson@ey.com or Christy Smith at csmith@castotech.com.

• $100 for actives • $85 for sustainers A $15 late fee will be applicable after March 1st. Thank you -- we are grateful for your membership and continued support of the Junior League of Charleston!

What is a “Placement”?

Kristin Moody, Placement Chair

As Junior League members, we want to keep an active, positive presence in the community and keep the Leagues internal operations running smoothly. We do this through our placement process. As a member in your first three years in the League, you will have both an in-and-out-of-League placement (unless you serve on the JLC’s Board). This will give you a chance to decide what you like most and where you want to focus your efforts as a League member. Beyond three years of membership, until you sustain, you will have only one placement.

What is a placement and how does that differ from a Committee/Council or Board position?

A placement is all encompassing, it can include being on an in-League council or committee, a Board position with one of our community partners or organizations, or serving on the JLC’s Board. Currently, some placements may automatically place you on a Council/Committee (for example the Newsletter Editor is on the Communications Council, and the Cookbook Coordinator is on the Ways & Means Council) But wait, wouldn’t that be three placements?

Maybe, however, don’t get discouraged or upset, most Councils and Committees are for advisory purposes or meetings that can generally be hashed out over email or on a telephone call.

Who is this person who keeps sending me emails saying they are my Placement Advisor?

This person can be a sounding board for you regarding your League experience. They may serve as a liaison between you and the Board; you can bring up any issues or questions you might have, and remain anonymous if you choose. Placement Advisors also serve as the nominating committee, so if you have interest in a Board position but are afraid to speak up, let them know! They also can provide additional information on the placement process and they care about your League experience.

Bridge Road Bistro & Backpack Buddies Tiffany Hoke, Community Vice President

The idea to partner with the Bistro food truck came to me after reading a story about refurbished school buses and food trucks used to deliver food to children in rural Tennessee and Kentucky. Chesapeake Elementary, our partner school for Backpack Buddies, has a student population of about 200 students and close to 70% of them are eligible for free or reduced lunch - a rate 15% higher than the average school in West Virginia. Active member Nicki Holly, who teaches Pre-K at the school, explained that they have tried food handouts at the school in the past, but the need to get to the school made it too difficult for some children. Nicki worked with the school counselor to identify three drop-off points that would be convenient and walkable to a large proportion of our 55 backpack recipients. The Bridge Road Bistro staff shared our enthusiasm for the idea and immediately committed to providing the food if we would provide the manpower. Ten of our Active members helped with preparing bagged lunches and delivering them, and we delivered dozens of bag lunches the Sunday before Christmas, along with supplemental Backpack Buddies bags to sustain the kids through Christmas break.

Thanks to the generosity of our members, we have been able to honor our commitment to Chesapeake Elementary every month so far. This commitment is even more important for the remainder of the year, as I am told the other Backpack Buddies source has been unreliable and the number of children the counselor has identified as being in need has increased by over 20%. We are constantly in search of new sources for grants and donations to help secure our stockpile. I would like to turn our focus this spring to seeking corporate donations from grocery stores and manufacturers of the foods we commonly use. If you have any questions or would like to get more involved, please contact me.

Junior League on the Move Tiffany Hoke, Community Vice President

Our signature project, Junior League on the Move, got off to a great start this fall! Twenty-one of our active members helped with the planning, development and leadership of the 6-week fitness and nutrition course which was taught at the Bob Burdette Center’s after school program at Calvary Baptist Church. Each week a handful of members led the kids through warm-up exercises from the Presidential fitness test, followed by exercises ranging from yoga to stretching to competitive play. We closed each session with a brief lesson on nutrition with topics including how to limit sugar and fat, the benefits of various vitamins and minerals, and making good choices when eating fast food. We even capped the course off by hosting a special Thanksgiving dinner for the children and demonstrating some of the substitutions we had discussed. We replaced canned beans, mashed potatoes and apple pie with fresh green beans, sweet potatoes and baked apples with frozen Greek yogurt. Several of the kids came back for seconds!

We have a challenge ahead this spring, as we will be leading the series again at Bob Burdette’s main site. This site hosts about 60 children each day, which is substantially more than our fall site. We were fortunate to receive a grant from the WVU extension office to buy some equipment and we will be meeting soon to review our curriculum. We will need all-hands-on-deck to make the program a success, but the kids look forward to our visits each week. I am confident if you come once, you will want to come every time! If you want to discuss how you can be involved with our spring session, or if you know someone outside the League who would enjoy being part of the project, please let me know!

Proposed Slate 2014-2015 Shana Clay, Nominating Chairperson Below is a list of the accepted slate for the Board of Directors for 2014-2015: President - Kortney Major Provisional Co-Chair - Jenny Rada President-Elect - Tiffany Hoke Provisional Co-Chair - Kassie Moore Secretary - Meghann Caldwell Placement Advisors Treasurer - Kathleen Simpson Christen Raynes Treasurer-Elect - Erica Barker Brandi Conroy Placement Chairperson - Laura Boone Lauren Palmer Membership VP - Kara Boehm Melody Gwilliam Community VP - Nicki Holly Tatem Grimm Communications VP - Maryanna Hall Jenna Bowles Ways and Means VP - Elizabeth Yeager Tara Markham Nominating Chairperson - Kristin Moody Lindsay Bolar Director-at-Large - Shana Clay

90th Anniversary Photos Robb Major, Charles Ryan Associates Thank you to Robb Major, Art Director at Charles Ryan Associates for taking some great photos during our 90th Anniversay Celebration! You can find the complete online gallery by visiting http://files.robbmajor.com/jlc90/gallery/. Thanks, Robb!