A newsletter for the Junior League of Charleston, West Virginia Fall 2013 Edition
Letter from the President
Moun t Messa ain ges
“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer Junior Leagues across the world have been springing to action with passion and energy for decades. Each League focuses on matters close to their respective community’s heart. The Junior League of Charleston is no different. The newly elected Board of Directors met for a daylong Retreat back in June to discuss matters close to our heart – specifically our community impact in the Kanawha Valley and upcoming fundraisers for the 2013-2014 League year. Community VP, Tiffany Hoke and her Council have made tremendous strides and progress with the Junior League on the Move program by partnering with the West Side’s Bob Burdette Center. A grant was awarded to Bob Burdette that has allowed the League and the Center to build a wonderful program for the children who attend Bob Burdette. Please look for more information from Tiffany and the Community Council. The active membership will host our 5th Annual Pumpkins in the Park, Sunday, October 13, with some exciting changes including an emphasis on the popular 5K run/walk. We have teamed up with Tri-State Racer who is providing timing bibs and all data collection for participants. This is a huge help to the membership!! Hosted on a Sunday this year, the League hopes to draw in a more diverse crowd. A costume contest will also be part of the race. The walk/run begins at 2pm, followed by a Kid’s Fun Run at 3pm. We hope to see everyone at the Capitol on the 13th! During the weekend of the 90th Anniversary celebration, the League will be hosting a representative from the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) who will be conducting a governance visit. Both AJLI and the JLC are thrilled about the upcoming visit. AJLI At-Large Director, Kathleen Demro will be arriving in our fair city the day before the 90th celebration and will be meeting with Actives and Sustainers during her three-day visit. Please look inside this newsletter for more information on Kathleen’s visit. With the anticipation of the 90th celebration in a few weeks and the start of a new League year, I have had the pleasure of speaking to several media outlets to discuss the JLC, the impact we have had in our community, and all the wonderful leaders from our League; who over the years have shaped not only the Junior League, but the Kanawha Valley into a magnificent city to call home! I hope to see everyone at the Clay Center on October 26th to celebrate the Junior League of Charleston’s 90 incredible years! Best Wishes, Megan A. Alldridge President, Junior League of Charleston
In This Issue • Letter from the President • JLC 90th Anniversary Celebration • Cookbooks and Cocktails • We Want You Back • Meet the Board • JLC Christmas Dinner • Sponsor Spotlight • Pumpkins in the Park • Backpack Buddies
90th Anniversary Celebration Kortney Major, President-Elect The leaves are beginning to change colors, and the weather is cooling down. Fall is just around the corner and fall means it’s time to celebrate the Junior League of Charleston’s (JLC) 90th birthday! On October 26, JLC will celebrate 90 successful years of fundraising efforts and community support in the greater Kanawha Valley. The evening celebration will host two guest speakers, as well as display JLC archives thoughtfully put together by Active and Sustainer members. JLC members have been diligently working to ensure the evening will be successful and fun! The celebration will be held Saturday, October 26, 2013 at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences’ Walker Theater from 5:00-7:30pm. Delicious recipes and refreshments from JLC cookbooks will be provided by Embassy Suites. Dress is festive attire. Tickets are $50 each and include two drink tickets. To RSVP, please contact Sustainer Libby Beury at Ebeury@aol.com or 304.342.6912.
Cookbooks and Cocktails Jenny Rada, Provisional Co-Chair On August 22, more than 50 Sustainers, Actives and potential Provisionals enjoyed an evening of “Cookbooks & Cocktails.” The event was held at the historic MacFarland Hubbard House on Kanawha Boulevard. The weather held up during the event, allowing everyone to enjoy the outdoor terrace as well as the beautiful rooms within the house. Guests were able to sample a number of delicious dishes from the Junior League cookbooks. “Cookbooks & Cocktails” provided an opportunity for the nineteen potential Provisionals in attendance to learn more about membership in the League and our mission of promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community. We look forward to the participation of these women as Provisional members during Fall 2013. JLC President Megan Alldridge and President-Elect Kortney Major
We Want You Back Tara Martin Markham, Membership Vice President The Junior League of Charleston has launched the “We Want You Back” campaign to invite resigned Sustainers and Members back into the League. The goal of the Membership Council is to identify why members have resigned and update them on the progress of the League since their departure. The campaign will include phone calls, League updates via mail and information on the website. Please contact Tara Markham at taramartinm@gmail.com for more information or to help with the effort.
Meet the Board Bri Jackson & Allison Miller, Newsletter Editors
Name: Lindsay Rotella Hometown: Winfield, West Virginia Alma Mater: West Virginia Wesleyan, BA and West Virginia University, MS Profession: Public Relations, Terrell Ellis & Associates How long have you been in JLC: This is my first active year in the Junior League. I joined as a provisional just over a year ago. Role in JLC: I am the Communications Vice President and the Chair of the Publicity/Sponsorship Committee for Pumpkins in the Park Why did you join JLC/Did someone get you involved; if so, who: I joined the JLC because I was very interested in community service opportunities. I wanted to get involved in ways to help those that needed assistance and help make my community a positive place. I also wanted to network and meet more young professionals in the Charleston area. My husband and I live in Putnam County but I have worked in the Charleston area since moving back after college and I was eager to get to know more people through a positive organization. I was also influenced to join by two of my great friends from college -- Erica Smith Barker and Taran Parsons Wolford. What do you hope to accomplish in JLC: I hope to accomplish some great community projects, I hope to strengthen my skills as a PR professional, and I hope to make some lifelong friendships with JLC members! Favorite color: I love the color orange! Favorite movie: This is always a difficult question because I have so many favorites and they range from very silly movies to serious ones. I enjoy classics like Shawshank Redemption to silly movies like The Grinch with Jim Carrey. Favorite food: I love all types of food except seafood -- I could eat Mexican almost every night, but my mother-inlaw also makes some GREAT Italian dishes!
Junior League Christmas Dinner Bri Jackson & Allison Miller, Newsletter Editors The JLC Annual Sip & Shop Christmas Party will be Thursday, December 5 at Geraniums and Eggplant at 1011 Bridge Road. This fun event is a great opportunity to meet the new JLC members fresh out of their provisional time, as well as a time to meet Sustainers and other Active members. Last year’s Sip and Shop was the most attended membership event of the year! Join us for an evening of private shopping, refreshments and festive fun. The dress is festive casual and the time will be announced. Invitation to follow. Photos of the 2012 Sip & Shop at Charlie and Bridge Road Bistro
Sponsor Spotlight Bri Jackson & Allison Miller, Newsletter Editors CEO: Jim Bunn, II Contact Coal River Energy: Lynn Smith, 304.756.2901, lsmith@coalriverenergy.com Why did Coal River Energy choose to partner with JLC: Coal River Energy (CRE) strives to be a supporter of non-profit organizations in the greater Charleston area. CRE proudly supports JLC because of its mission of supporting women and children.
Pumpkins in the Park Tatem Childers Grimm, Ways & Means Vice President The Junior League of Charleston is excited to host the 5th Annual Pumpkins in the Park fundraiser! The chairs for this year’s event, Kristin Moody and Meghann Caldwell, started working early in the summer months to ensure the events success. JLC volunteers will be ready on Sunday, October 13, 2013 where we will take over the Boulevard at the West Virginia State Capitol with a 5k run, a Children’s Fun Run, Costume Contests, and Junior League “On the Move” activities, helping our youth in the community with healthy and fun exercise habits! Pumpkins in the Park will begin at 1:00pm and the races will kick off at 2:00pm. Please come out and cheer on fellow League members, friends, family, and runners in the community! For more details on Pumpkins in the Park please visit our website: www.JLCharlestonWV.org If you wish to become involved in this year’s fundraiser as a volunteer or to become a donor please contact the Junior League of Charleston at (304) 346-5856 or jlchas@frontier.com
Thank you to our Pumpkins in the Park Sponsors
Backpack Buddies Tiffany Hoke, Community Vice President How can a child be expected to focus on his or her schoolwork when they are trying to ignore persistent pangs of hunger? Teachers have found that when Monday morning comes, they are forced to compete with hunger for the attention of their students. At Chesapeake Elementary, more than 80% of children qualify for free and reduced price meals, the fuel they need to get them through the week. What happens to these children when they go home over the weekend? Since February of 2013 Chesapeake Elementary has been helping provide students with nutritious and easy-toprepare food they need over the course of the weekend. The program began with 25 students and now serves 51 students in grades PreK-5th. On Fridays, children take home child-friendly, nonperishable, easily consumed and vitamin-fortified food. The food is given to the children discreetly, to avoid inviting unwanted attention. Recently, the Junior League of Charleston has partnered with Chesapeake Elementary to help provide and package items for the Backpack Buddies program two weeks out of the month. JLC has assigned each Placement Advisor’s group an item and are asking that each person bring at least 15 of your assigned item to the General Membership Meeting each month. If you are not able to bring the assigned item, we will accept a cash donation to cover the cost of purchasing any additional items needed.
AJLI Governance Visit Megan Alldridge, President During the weekend of the JLC’s 90th celebration, we will be hosting AJLI Director-At-Large, Kathleen Demro. Not only will Kathleen be a speaker at the Celebration, she will also be conducting a Governance Visit. Junior League Governance Visits offer a League and its members the opportunity to meet with a member of the AJLI Board of Directors, enabling: • the League to bring the “power of association” to its members, connecting them to their Association; • League members to become familiar with the exciting future of The Junior League through the Strategic Roadmap and the opportunities it creates for Leagues and their members; • the League’s leaders to discuss AJLI owner/governance issues with a Board member; • the AJLI Board to meet a wide range of Junior League members; and • the AJLI Board to learn more about the League’s community programs and partners. Kathleen Demro joined The Junior League of Richmond in 1998. She became President in 2007. Her other leadership roles included Board of Directors, Nominating Committee, VP of Membership and a founder of the Training Institute for Leadership Impact. From 2009 to 2011, she served on the AJLI Nominating Committee. Please join me in welcoming Kathleen to Charleston during her visit. There will be a membership training session hosted by Kathleen on Saturday, October 26 at 11:00am. More information will be sent to the membership in the coming weeks through e-mail.
Junior League On the Move Tiffany Hoke, Community Vice President On September 26th, we kicked off our new “Junior League On the Move” education program. The members of our Signature Project Council have developed the six-week program designed to introduce elementary and middle school-aged children to different types of exercise and healthy lifestyle choices. We are offering the course on Thursday’s this fall at the Bob Burdette Center’s location at Calvary Baptist Church, where about fifteen elementary school children are involved. In the spring, we will have the opportunity to lead the course again at the BBC’s main site with about 60 children! We are encouraged by all the positive feedback from the Bob Burdette children and staff thus far!