Perspectives Spring 2018

Perspectives MAGAZINE OF THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF CINCINNATI

SPRING 2018

Community Roundtables In place of the February General Membership Meeting, the JLC invited community-based organizations to participate in roundtables on the four issue areas the Program Development Committee identified in the Community Needs Assessment.

PAGE 4

JLC Announces New Program Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank was selected as the League’s next partner organization, and will be receiving a grant of $75,000 over three years and the support of over 800 volunteers.

PAGE 6

Spring is in Bloom The Spring Fundraiser Committee executed another successful fashion show, raising over $51,000.

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In this issue 3 4

5 6

7

President’s Perspective Program Development Introduces Community Needs Through Roundtable Discussions Board Bank: Developing the Potential of Women Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank Announced as Newest JLC Program Partnership A Revamped New Member Experience

8 10

11 12 14 15

It Starts With A Woman: Photo Review New Members Launch JLC’s Inaugural Little Black Dress Initiative The Legacy of the League Spring Fashion Show a Blooming Success Member Milestones RefugeeConnect Launch

Your Perspectives Team

Managing Editor Chelsea Zesch

Assistant Editor Kailen Nowik

Writer Raquel Cannon

Writer Charlotte Eichman

Writer Alexis Hartman

Thank You The Perspectives Committee would like to extend our gratitude to the many women who volunteered their time, knowledge, opinions, and experiences to make this issue possible.

Writer Laura Hicks

VP Communications Haley B. Elkins

Contributors: Kacey Vaught Photographers: Mike Bresnen, Vicki Marsala Calonge, Kathryn Hayden, Lisa Hubbard

The Junior League of Cincinnati is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

Perspectives is the magazine of the Junior League of Cincinnati, published multiple times throughout the year. Past issues and advertising rates can be found online at www.jlcincinnati.org.

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Junior League of Cincinnati, 3500 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226 • 513.871.9339 • www.jlcincinnati.org

President’s Perspective Dear Friends, To everything there is a season, and never have I felt that more strongly than I do now, and as we transition our leadership and our League year. I am grateful to bring you this beautiful issue of Perspectives that also contains this last letter to you as your President. We’ve accomplished many important things as an organization this year, created out of the inspiration, ideas, and dedication of a volunteer corps of more than 800 women spanning 22 different committees and initiatives -- and built on the strong foundation of the women who have come before us.

Spring is always a busy time for the JLC, but certainly was this year. Not only were we executing our largest fundraiser of the year, implementing our annual membership renewal and membership recruitment campaigns, and preparing next year’s leaders through our leadership transition, but we were also concurrently undertaking the final phase of our Program Development cycle, including the presentations and final vote of our membership at our April General Membership Meeting. I hope you’ll read more about this exciting journey in our Community Round Tables feature on page 4, as well as in our announcement about our partnership with Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank on page 6.

In March, our Fashion Show Fundraiser raised more than $50,000 in a culmination of months of hard work by our volunteers, as well as strong community support from corporate sponsors and local vendors who believe in our mission. We provide a more detailed recap on page 12, as well as some wonderful photos from this year’s show in our center photo spread!

Our stellar New Member leadership team has also been hard at work all year, planting seeds that are just beginning to bloom in our graduated class of 91 New Members about to embark on their first-year Active placements! In addition to expanding the resources and curriculum offered to New Members this year, our team was also able to build on last year’s Spring Practicum pilot model, and further refine it to support an exciting blend of community impact challenge and fundraising: the Little Black Dress Initiative, to both raise awareness around women in poverty and to raise funds for St. Vincent de Paul and Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank. You can read more about these inspiring developments in our New Member Experience feature on page 7, and our Little Black Dress Initiative article on Page 10.

Our Centennial Steering Committee continues to move forward with plans that will celebrate our 100th anniversary and also provide long-term, strategic growth for the JLC. Stay tuned for the 2018-2019 Annual Guidebook, which will further detail what to expect in the years leading up to our Centennial celebration.

President-Elect Tara Noland and I were excited to attend the annual Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) Conference in April. It was a very special time to come together with hundreds of other Junior League leaders from

across the country, but the highlight of the week was the annual AJLI Awards: we’re thrilled to announce that AJLI awarded us the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Community Impact Award and accompanying $10,000 grant for our RefugeeConnect program! While RefugeeConnect launched as a separate nonprofit in January after five years of incubation with the JLC, we’re very proud to now count them as one of our community partners. (You can read more about their first quarter successes on page 15!)

And finally, as we looked out over our leadership transition to a new JLC year, we capstoned the year with our 98th Annual Meeting. Over 160 members celebrated all the ways that we have advanced our mission this year plus we also recognized our Annual Award Winners, including the Children’s Oral Health Network as our Community Honoree for their commitment to providing accessible oral health care to children in Greater Cincinnati, and for their continued partnership with our GrinUp! programming.

It has been my joyous honor to serve as your President for 2017-2018 -- not just alongside genuinely dedicated leadership in our Board of Directors, Executive Management Team, Chairs, and Vice Chairs, but alongside every one of our members. I believe that every member of the Junior League of Cincinnati is already a leader in by choosing to be here, and to dedicate their time and talent to our Greater Cincinnati community. Even when the work is difficult, even when the issues are uncomfortable, Junior League women still turn and face the horizon together, excited to move forward into the future.

It is in this spirit that I celebrate all our accomplishments of the past year, and also look forward to the purpose and possibility we can continue to achieve under the leadership of incoming President Tara Noland and President-Elect Meredith Comin as we approach one hundred years of promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. We ARE Women Building Better Communities!

Loyally,

Vicki Marsala Calonge JLC President #JLCincy | 3

Program Development Introduces Community Needs Through Roundtable Discussions

By ALEXIS HARTMAN

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he Junior League of Cincinnati’s focus during the 20172018 year has been to develop impactful leadership skills in members through immersion into a new training structure focused on human-centered design. The humancentered design approach is a creative process for problem solving that elevates perspectives of the individuals most impacted by a service, system, or program, and fosters collaborative formulation of solutions utilizing empathy, creativity, and rationality. The training structure employs a simple framework: learn a skill, practice it, and then apply it.

As part of this framework in the month of February, the JLC hosted a series of community roundtables on four program development focus areas identified as having a significant impact in the local community: aging out of social services, basic needs, adverse childhood experiences, and the heroin/opioid epidemic. The goal was to educate members on the focus areas by engaging in discussions with community stakeholders, and to learn how we can serve our community in these areas. Each segment of the series included panelists with personal experience on the topics to provide diverse, informed perspectives as to each issue area.

Members contemplated the long-term effects of these experiences on child development and how positive relationships with a mentor, foster parent, or volunteer in child-focused nonprofits could help reverse those effects.

On March 1, the topic was the heroin/opioid epidemic.

Panelists included first responders; representatives from Bright View Health, Prevention First, and Interact for Change; and Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Josh Berkowitz. Statistics revealed that Ohio is among the leading states being ravaged by this epidemic, resulting in approximately 10,000 arrests each year, and accounting for 98% of the current cases in which children are placed in foster care in Hamilton County. The far-reaching effects of this epidemic transcend socioeconomic status, and the numbers alone reflect the substantial complexity of the crisis.

Overall, 125 members participated in the roundtables. By transforming statistics into personal stories of struggle, members were not only challenged to listen empathetically and think divergently about collaborative problem solving, but also to contemplate on a larger scale how the Junior League of Cincinnati can co-create solutions with the community going forward.

On February 6, the roundtables addressed the lack of support for youth aging out of social services. Panelists included three former foster youth, individuals from community-based organizations such as Action Ohio, and other professionals in the field. Members learned that 33.2% of adults in homeless shelters were previously children in foster care, 3,000 children in Hamilton County are currently in foster care, and between 1,200 and 1,600 children per year enter into foster care as a result of the heroin/opioid epidemic.

On February 15, the topic was basic needs. Panelists included representatives from Community Matters, Bethany House Services, Cincinnati Public Schools, and St. Vincent de Paul Society. This roundtable revealed the complexity of the cycle of poverty and the extraordinary gaps in support for families that are working to break that cycle. One panelist illustrated that progress in one facet of life (i.e. a raise at work) could lead to a reduction in assistance (i.e. childcare vouchers and/or food stamps) such that a family may still not be able to meet the most basic of needs out-of-pocket.

On February 27, the focus was Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Panelists included physicians from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and representatives from Tristate Trauma Network and MindPeace. ACEs are serious childhood traumas that impact children across socioeconomic lines, resulting in toxic stress response. #JLCincy | 4

On February 6, panelists educated League members about consequences of lack of support for youth aging out of social services.

The Heroin/Opioid epidemic roundtable on March 1 focused on the far-reaching effects of the heroin/opioid crisis.

Board Bank: Developing the Potential of Women

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By CHARLOTTE EICHMAN

his winter the Junior League of Cincinnati completed another successful Board Bank training with sixteen League members graduating from the program. Board Bank is an innovative leadership program designed to train and match League members with local nonprofits that are seeking to expand their boards and increase their community impact. The program advances the League’s Leadership Empowered mission of developing the potential of women while simultaneously improving communities through civic leadership. Nonprofit boards are composed of board members, who are fiduciaries that govern the nonprofit by satisfying multiple duties, such as legal compliance, managing the nonprofit’s finances, and ensuring that the nonprofit serves its mission.

The Leadership Development Committee hosted Board Bank, which consisted of four training sessions held in February and March. A different committee member led each session, each of which covered a different topic. The training sought to enable and empower Board Bank participants to become competent, capable, and valuable members of nonprofit boards in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The various subtopics included: the purpose of a nonprofit board in directing the mission of its organization, legal oversight and governance, financial oversight and fundraising, and how to identify a board and organization well suited to a board member’s talents and passions.

Each training featured esteemed presenters and panels of experts, from both inside and outside of the League. Kris Scheihing, a 2018 Board Bank graduate, found the series of panels particularly insightful, explaining: “It was useful to hear what [the panelists] enjoyed the most, some of the watchouts they shared, and what they wish they had known prior to joining their boards.” Emily Keal, who also completed Board Bank, echoed Kris’ sentiments: “Listening to their experiences of current and past boards they have served on really allowed me to form a better picture of the roles and responsibilities of a board member.”

Board Bank graduates are not alone in finding the program beneficial. Lisa Nolan, Executive Director of Dress for Success Cincinnati and Portaluca, also believes Board Bank especially equips graduates for service on nonprofits. Both Dress for Success Cincinnati and Portaluca have placed JLC Bank Bank graduates on their boards, and Lisa noted that graduates are set apart from untrained board members: “They understand the roles and responsibilities of board members and are trained to ask educated questions about the board expectations.” Further, as a JLC Board Bank graduate herself, Lisa encourages JLC members to consider pursuing the program: “Board Bank has been my favorite JLC experience, and through my first board placement, I learned that I could

use my skills outside the workplace and apply them to a cause I am really passionate about.”

During the final training session, Anna Coutts, Boards Program Leader from United Way of Greater Cincinnati, trained Board Bank members on how to use United Way’s online repository of nonprofits to match with a nonprofit organization seeking board members. Graduates of Board Bank now have access to United Way’s repository of nonprofits and can begin the matching process.

Leadership Development Committee Co-Chair, Aleicia Ennis, reflected on the success of the program: “This year’s Board Bank was such a success! We had a great group of graduates who were engaged every session, asking questions and ready to learn – eager to go out and place on a board to better themselves, the community and represent the JLC well.” Aleicia also recognizes that the many League members who presented at the training sessions were vital to the program’s success, sharing: “The willingness to spend an evening with us to help train our Board Bank class is much appreciated – it shows the true spirit of the League!”

For League members who are interested in Board Bank but were unable to participate in the program this year, the Leadership Development Committee has great news for you!

Moving forward, Board Bank will be held every year (likely in February and March) instead of bi-yearly, so that more League members can receive training to prepare them for nonprofit board placement. Look for applications in fall of 2018. Having completed Board Bank, both Kris and Emily highly recommend the program for any League members interested in serving on a nonprofit board.

Thank you to all of the presenters who enriched the Board Bank program this year...

Melanie Chavez Sara Cooperrider Anna Coutts, United Way of Greater Cincinnati Tony Delcave, Cancer Support Community of Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky (CSC) Carla Howard, CSC Michelle Dunne Johnson, CSC

Frances Keller Monica Kohnen, Graydon Head & Ritchey, LLP Matt Lake, Graydon Head & Ritchey, LLP Deb Livingston Valerie Newell Lisa Nolan Paaras Parker

...and Congratulations to the JLC’s Winter 2018 Board Bank gradutes!

Megan Busam Rachel Chang Jeri Duncan Charlotte Eichman Kate Fortlage

Rachel Foster Brianna Frappier Kylie Hartman Emily Keal Emily Ryan

Kris Scheihing Holly Smith Sarah Stem Emily Thobe Sarah Warner #JLCincy | 5

Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank Announced as Newest JLC Program Partnership

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he Junior League of Cincinnati is pleased to announce its partnership with Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank.

Over the last eighteen months, the Program Development Committee has worked to identify the JLC’s next project.

The JLC conducted a community needs assessment to identify and prioritize critical local issues. Returning to a practice not used for more than twenty years, the JLC then invited individuals and organizations to submit applications to partner with the JLC and work together toward a common goal of resolving one or more of the identified problem areas over the next several years.

After receiving more than forty-five applications, and in a vote that transcended all phases of JLC membership, Sweet Cheeks was chosen by Active Members, New Members, and Sustainers alike as its program partner. One in three families in America struggle to afford diapers, and over 16,000 children in our community experience diaper need each month. For these reasons and more, Sweet Cheeks started the only diaper bank serving the Greater Cincinnati area. Sweet Cheeks partners with local social service agencies to provide diapers to low-income families while raising awareness of the basic health need for diapers. Its

vision is to eliminate diaper need in our community so that all babies have a chance to be healthy, happy, and safe.

The JLC will provide Sweet Cheeks up to $75,000 in seed funding based on a yearly evaluation for a period of three to five years. In addition to this funding, the JLC will provide the support and expertise of its 800+ volunteer members for the duration of the partnership to help support and accelerate Sweet Cheeks in its mission and endeavors.

Kacey Vaught and Brittany Gruber have been selected to serve as Program Director and Assistant Program Director for 2018-2019. Kacey and Brittany served as members of the Program Development committee from its inception. After narrowing the candidate pool to six semi-finalists, Kacey, Brittany, and René Robers began serving as mentors for Sweet Cheeks and its CEO and founder, Megan Fischer. The trio became closely connected to Megan and the mission of Sweet Cheeks. Kacey and Brittany are confident that the partnership is a perfect fit for the JLC. Kacey and Brittany shared, “We believe in the power of this partnership, and look forward to the great impact JLC and Sweet Cheeks will achieve in our community and beyond.”

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A Revamped New Member Experience

By RAQUEL CANNON

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Some New Members shared their appreciation for this wonderful year so far:

The curriculum was set to follow the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) format to cover topics like: • Commitment to Community • Appreciation of Diversity • Working in a Volunteer Organization • Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills • Communication and Conflict Resolution • Fund Development

“When I joined the Junior League I was excited, but also a little nervous about integrating into a new group of women; however, thanks to the efforts of the New Member Committee, I have since realized that my fears were unfounded. Throughout the year the New Member Leaders did their utmost to not only connect us to each other, but to the League in general. I am especially appreciative of the New Member Advisors, who took tremendous care to connect with each of us personally to ensure that we were having a great experience. Thanks to the wonderful foundation laid this year by the New Member leaders, I am excited to move forward as an Active Member in the League for many years to come.” - Chelsea Back

he objective of the New Member Committee is to educate, train, and empower New Members to become Active Members. The committee organizes a variety of informal and formal events including but not limited to training on the Junior League of Cincinnati’s history, structure, contributions, community volunteering, and social opportunities. This includes League and non-League events, to foster relationships among the new members.

• Commitment to Learning and Growth In September, the New Members participated in the Annual New Member Bus Tour to understand the impact of the League in the Greater Cincinnati Community. Since then, they have heard from speakers such as Joan Fox (nationally recognized as a Customer Service and Service Leadership Expert) and John Morris Russell (Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops since 2011). In January 2018, they participated in a poverty simulation with St. Vincent de Paul, and in April spearheaded the Little Black Dress Initiative (LBDI - a global initiative and week-long fundraising campaign to raise awareness of the impact of generational poverty on women and children).

What was new this year?

• Launched the year with a New Member Brunch & Orientation • Printed and distributed the New Member Toolkit to each New Member • Leveraged email marketing tools for New Member communications, to maintain consistency with the broader membership • Paired New Members in small groups taking into account their life stages, such as new mothers or established careers • Launched the first year of the LBDI The New Members were very happy with all the activities and educational opportunities and deeply thankful for all the support they received from the New Members Advisors and Committee. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our New Member Committee, we have significantly increased New Member retention this year.

“The New Member brunch was such a great way to meet my small group and get excited about all of the opportunities and friendships that Junior League of Cincinnati has to offer.

When my small group leader greeted me with my beautiful name tag and New Member Toolkit, I immediately felt like a part of the Junior League community. One of the brunch speakers called Junior League her ‘third place’ other than work and home, and by the end of the morning I could already see how the Columbia Center building and the women who fill it will become my third place over the next year. Thanks so much for a great brunch and beginning to my New Member Year!” - Diana Campbell “My first year as a New Member has given me a deeper insight into our organization. I expanded my network and met wonderful, smart, and fearless women able and ready to fight for the future of our community. My group and I have a great advisor, who has put in her time and effort to make sure we felt connected to JLC’s mission and vision. Our regular New Member Meetings kept us informed and relevant. As we prepare to take up our new roles as Active Members and continue contributing to Cincinnati, we know that we stand on shoulders of great women and leaders, whose support and mentorship is always available for New Members in the JLC.” - Nazly Mamedova

Chair: Rachel Foster Vice Chairs: Megan Busam & Liz Fry Advisors: Lauren Bridges, Allison Dilbone, Danielle Dougherty, Kendall Getts, Elizabeth Heubi, Tammy Imhoff, Elyse Kelly,

Deborah Livingston, Jenny Walker McManus, Jenna Pottschmidt, René Robers, Emily Uebel, Kacey Vaught

THANK YOU to the New Member Committee!

#JLCincy | 7

It Starts With A Woman February ‘Practice It!’ Roundtables For February’s ‘Practice It!’ opportunity, the General Membership Meeting was replaced by four roundtable-style meetings to discuss the four issue areas identified by the Program Development Committee’s community needs assessment: aging out of foster care, basic needs, adverse childhood experiences, and the heroin & opioid epidemic. #PracticeIt

RefugeeConnect Citizenship and Green Card Workshop Members assisted Cincinnati refugees and immigrants in their pathway to citizenship, and led activities for children who came with their families. #RefugeeConnect

March GMM Members learned how to prototype community solutions with ideas generated from February’s ‘Practice It!’ community co-designing sessions and reviewed the Program Development Committee’s best practices and evaluation criteria to ensure members were empowered and informed for the membership vote in April. #LearnedItInJuniorLeague

RefugeeConnect at SVP Fast Pitch RefugeeConnect was selected as one of eleven finalists for the fifth annual Fast Pitch Competition presented by Social Venture Partners Cincinnati.

They presented and won the Student Choice Award totaling $5,000. What’s more, a supporter loved the pitch so much that they matched the award! #RefugeeConnect

#JLCincy | 8

Annual Spring Fashion Show The Spring Fundraiser Committee organized another successful Fashion Show and luncheon at the Cincinnati Club, raising over $50,000. #JLCincyBloom

April GMM As we celebrated National Volunteer Appreciation Week, Program Development finalists Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank and Cincinnati Youth Collaborative presented to the membership, after which members voted to select Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank as our next JLC program. #CultivatingCivicLeaders

RefugeeConnect Mother’s and Father’s Day Celebration League volunteers helped teach New American children how to celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day with their parents through activities and crafts. #RefugeeConnect

Bake Me Home 10th Anniversary Bash

“Crawl for the Causes�

Fundraiser Event

JLC members and nonmembers alike gathered at the Coldstream Country Club to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Bake Me Home, a nonprofit organization started by Active Alison Bushman and her daughters. #MissionMoment

As part of the Little Black Dress Initiative, New Members organized and led a fundraiser, during which the League partnered with local vendors to raise funds for the Junior League of Cincinnati, St. Vincent de Paul, and Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank. #CincyLBDI

Adopt-A-Class Members of the JLC Board and Executive Management Team partnered with AdoptA-Class to mentor and participate in activities with students at the Academy of World Languages. #AdoptAClass

Out-and-About With CandO This spring included mentoring activities with students from the Linden Grove School and Saturday Hoops with the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative. #GiveBack

#JLCincy | 9

New Members Launch JLC’s Inaugural Little Black Dress Initiative

By RAQUEL CANNON

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he Little Black Dress Initiative (LBDI) is a global initiative started by the Junior League of London in February 2014.

The LBDI is a week-long, social media driven fundraising campaign that uses the iconic ‘little black dress’ to raise awareness about poverty and its effects on women in society.

Participants wear one black dress for five consecutive days and are encouraged to harness the power of their social media platforms to drive online donations. The funds raised make the work and mission of the Junior League possible: promoting voluntary service, developing the potential of women, and improving the community. The purpose of the LBDI is not just to wear the same dress for five days, but to start a conversation around the needs in our community and what we can do to help.

Cincinnati itself has struggled with persistent poverty.

According to U.S. Census data and the Ohio Development Agency’s Ohio Poverty Report in 2018, 29.9% of Cincinnatians live in poverty, which equates to more than 85,000 individuals.

This is more than double the national and Ohio-wide poverty rate of 14% and just under 15% respectively. What’s more, Cincinnati falls within the top fifteen poorest cities in the country with populations of 250,000 or more. With nearly onethird of our city population falling below the poverty line, the

LBDI hits close to home.

During the week of April 16th to April 20th, the Junior League of Cincinnati launched its inaugural LBDI campaign to help make an impact in Cincinnati. Rachel Foster, Chair of New Member Committee, shared, “We’re really excited to host our first LBDI this year. The project is a wonderful training opportunity and makes an impact in the community. The New Members have worked hard to put together a wonderful project and they should be proud of their accomplishments!”

This year, New Members formed committees around Fund Development and Marketing to support this initiative and, in turn, develop an awareness and understanding of the way the JLC’s committees are structured. To support this initiative, inkind donations were collected through an Amazon wish list and dropped off to the Columbia Center. Also, monetary donations were generated through a raffle of items donated by local businesses, and ticket sales for the fundraiser, Crawl for the Causes. Additionally, local businesses that participated in the crawl are donating a percentage of sales back to the League.

Donations will go to St. Vincent de Paul, Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, and to the JLC for a future opportunity to reinvest in our community.

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The Legacy of the League An Interview with Charlotte Voss Duggan about her Junior League Roots

By CHARLOTTE EICHMAN

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s many Junior League of Cincinnati members can attest, voluntarism that starts with one woman often leaves far reaching ripples in its wake. For New Member Charlotte Voss Duggan, her journey to joining the League began with another woman as well, her late grandmother Charlotte Voss, whom she affectionately calls Gram. Duggan was named for Gram, the seventh Charlotte in her family, but she inherited much more than a name alone.

Their lives share striking parallels, including the same college alma mater, sorority, and a significant physical resemblance to one another when Gram was in her twenties. Both Cincinnati natives, they attended Denison University, where they lived in the same residence hall. While in college, Duggan and Gram were both members of Kappa Alpha Theta, allowing Duggan to use Gram’s original sorority badge. After majoring in sociology, Gram graduated from Denison in 1953. After her three children grew older she worked for the Wyoming Civic Center part time. Duggan graduated in 2013, and like Gram, one of her majors was in sociology as well. Duggan currently works as the Community Development Manager for the American Cancer Society.

And for all of parallels between Gram and Duggan’s lives, this

a

past year Duggan added one more parallel to the list when she resolved to join the League, just as Gram had around the same age. Duggan’s mother continued to remind her of the League, and Gram’s love for it, inspiring Duggan to begin this new commitment.

Duggan was excited to begin volunteering and to make new connections with other women in the Cincinnati area. Duggan remembers that Gram loved contributing to her community and striving to collaboratively improve it with others. In addition to volunteering through the League, Gram also volunteered at the Natural History Museum, Sharon Woods Village, Maple Knoll, Cincinnati Women’s Club, and she held found the Wyoming Swim Club.

Duggan has enjoyed her New Member year thus far. Her most rewarding volunteer experience has been with RefugeeConnect, when she worked with other League volunteers to serve New American families at a potluck Thanksgiving gathering. Reflecting on what Gram might think of her involvement in the League, Duggan believes, “I think Gram would be excited and proud.” When Duggan remembers her grandma, she takes heart in remembering her leadership style and skills, and she hopes to make use of them in the League in years to come.

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Spring Fashion Show a Blooming Success

By ALEXIS HARTMAN

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n Saturday, March 10, 2018, The Junior League of Cincinnati Annual Spring Fashion Show took place downtown at The Cincinnati Club before a sold-out crowd of nearly 300 guests. The Spring Fundraiser Committee of sixteen members, led by Chair Alicia Taylor and Vice Chair Kathryn DeNicola, carried out beautifully the longstanding tradition of fashion, community spirit, and philanthropy at this highly-anticipated event.

For several months, the committee planned and organized to select the perfect venue, secure event sponsors, recruit the finest local boutiques and designers, line up models to display the spring styles, and manage countless important details to ensure the event would be a success. On the day of the show, The Cincinnati Club was full of excitement from enthusiastic fashion lovers and palpable success from the planning committee’s hard work.

The day began with a delicious luncheon surrounded by spring florals, beautifully arranged by the Fashion Show Committee, adorning the already regal and historic Cincinnati Club. Guests then enjoyed libations while shopping the exquisitely curated boutiques and bidding on the vast selection of silent auction items. The fashion show followed in the grand ballroom, and was elegantly led by WLWT morning news anchor Megan Mitchell as the master of ceremonies.

Nearly forty models of all ages participated in the show this year, including Junior League of Cincinnati Sustainers, Actives, family members, and friends. These individuals rocked the runway with great energy and smiles to showcase a variety of new spring fashions for men, women, and children. The styles included selections from Alligator Purse, Castle House, Cincy Shirts, J. McLaughlin, Monkee’s of Madeira, The Pink Box, Pitaya, Rory Maxwell, Sloane, Trevor Furbay, and Trend Boutique, among other top local and national fashions.

The event this year sold 300 tickets and raised over $51,000 (approximately $19,000 from ticket sales, $18,000 from the silent auction, and $13,500 from sponsors). The proceeds from our annual Tour of Kitchens and Fashion Show fundraisers comprise roughly a quarter of our operating budget, and support our mission of developing the potential of women and improving communities through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

The Junior League of Cincinnati extends the most sincere gratitude to all individuals and organizations that made the fundraiser possible — and a special thank you to CLEAR Lighting, Chavez Properties, The Cincinnati Club, FOX19, and Monkee’s of Madeira whose generous partnerships ensured the event’s success.

#JLCincy | 12

Thank you to our generous sponsors MELANIE CHAVEZ

MEG VALENT NE

PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP ARTIS TRY

ALL EVENT MATERIALS GENEROUSLY DESIGNED AND PRINTED BY

Fashion Show C ommittee

Alicia Taylor (Chair) Emily Bergmann Kayla Caskey Lisa Dye Catherine Eifrig Lauren Gonzales Jessica Helton Amanda Nelson

Kathryn DeNicola (Vice Chair) Kelly Pear Lauren Bridges Whitney Styslinger Alyssa Whittemore Claire Willingham Abby Workman Ashley Yanza

Fashionista Patrons

Vicki Marsala Calonge Sara Cooperrider Emily Emeneker

The Heubi/Hazenfield Family Mary Ivers Jennifer Schuster

Hosts & Hostesses

Tara Noland Sandy Elliot Lauren Bosse Shelley Poffenberger Kate Fortlage Lauren Bridges Anu Reddy Gina Germana Trish Bryan Carole Conrad Siegrist Kylie Hartman Megan Busam Lauren Solimine Jamie Humes Stephanie Busam Alicia Taylor Marty Humes Alison Bushman Dionn Tron Pirjin Laser Meredith Comin Sara Wildner Sarah Lucas Amelia Crutcher Judy Dalambakis Jenny Walker McManus Maggie Wuellner Chelsea Zesch Jennifer Minks Kathryn DeNicola Marjorie Motch Saralou Durham Mary Lou Mueller Lindsey Dye

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Catholic • Independent • 18 months - Grade 12 2161 Grandin Road • Cincinnati, OH 45208 513.871.4700

www.summitcds.org #JLCincy | 13

Member Milestones Alison Bushman, Bake Me Home Anniversary Alison Bushman, and her twin daughters, Emma and Amy, are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their nonprofit organization, Bake Me Home. Bake Me Home has been a tremendous supporter of the JLC for eight years, including hosting membership recruitment and community impact events, as well as donating programmatic resources to both our fundraisers and RefugeeConnect initiatives.

Photo credit: Kathryn Hayden Photography

Long time JLC member, Nancy Aichholz recently announced her candidacy for Hamilton County Auditor. She is currently the CEO of Aviatra Accelerators, which serves female entrepreneurs in Ohio and Northern Kentucky. Aichholz is excited for the opportunity to serve her hometown as a leader in Hamilton County government.

Nancy Aichholz

Emily Emeneker

Jenna Filipkowski

Brianna Frappier

Emily and Trent Emeneker, with big brother Grey, welcomed Clark Ellis to the family on October 23, 2017.

Jenna Filipkowski, Ph.D. completed the requirements for her year-long executive coaching program at the University of Texas at Dallas. Jenna opened her own leadership coaching business, Movement Leadership Coaching LLC (movelead.co).

On New Year’s Eve, Brianna and Tim welcomed Marquette Eloise Schirmang. Big brother Oliver is over the moon excited about his baby sister.

Emily Haun

Lori Poole

Chelsea Zesch

Cashion Thomas Haun was born on February 10, 2018. Big sister Auburn loves him to pieces!

Lori Poole has been promoted as a Principal of Bartlett Wealth Mangement.

Chelsea Zesch was promoted to Senior Strategic Planner at creative agency, Barefoot Proximity. Her new role focuses on developing digital strategies based on human and business insight for ExxonMobil.

Submit Your Milestone We love to celebrate you! Share your promotions, retirements, awards & nominations, new babies, engagements, weddings, and other milestones!

Submit your milestone by logging into the JLC member site online at members.jlcincinnati.org. #JLCincy | 14

RefugeeConnect Launch

By LAURA HICKS

T

here is no other way to put it: 2018 has been a busy year so far for RefugeeConnect. After five years of incubation with the Junior League of Cincinnati, RefugeeConnect announced its launch as an independent nonprofit organization in early 2018 and is looking toward the future. Its goal is for Cincinnati to be the most welcoming city for New Americans and for no New American to feel alone while acclimating to their new home. With more than 100 community partners in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, RefugeeConnect is well on its way to accomplishing this goal.

Following the announcement, RefugeeConnect was invited to participate in the Social Venture Partners’ (SVP) Fast Pitch event on March 7th at the Duke Energy Convention Center. Fast Pitch is “a technique borrowed from the venture capital and startup community as a way to showcase and accelerate nonprofits making a difference in our city” and provides training in effective storytelling, culminating in a three-minute pitch to an audience of philanthropists, community leaders, and entrepreneurs. RefugeeConnect’s Mirsada Kadiric led the pitch, and the organization won the Student Choice Award totaling $5,000. But that’s not all — an audience member appreciated the pitch so much that they matched the award, donating an additional $5,000!

Only weeks later, at the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) Conference, RefugeeConnect was awarded the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Community Impact Award. The generous $10,000 annual award recognizes Junior League community programs

comprised of a multi-strategic approach to community impact, and that operate in collaboration with other community stakeholders.

RefugeeConnect will remain headquartered out of the Columbia Center through the summer and will maintain a JLC liaison as an official placement through the next year, with continuing volunteer opportunities available for JLC members as well as the broader Greater Cincinnati community. To learn more about RefugeeConnect’s work, including their robust upcoming Stories of Survival Speaker Series, their inaugural Refugee Empowerment Summit, or how to keep the momentum going by making a contribution of your own, visit their website at refugeeconnect.org.

RefugeeConnect was invited to participate in the SVP Fast Pitch event on March 7, 2018

JLC Past-President and current AJLI Director At-Large Michelle Vaeth (left) and JLC President Vicki Marsala Calonge (right) accept the AJLI Community Impact Award

GrinUp! Continues to Improve Oral Health of Children Through Area-Wide Oral Health Campaign

State Public Affairs Committee CODE Day

The GrinUp! program thrived during the 2017-2018 year, focusing its efforts on:

Members of the JLC’s State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC) attended CODE Day (Connect-Ohio-DevelopEducate) in Cleveland on March 3, where members from Leagues across Ohio came together to learn, share, and develop connections.

Members received an update on SPAC, participated in a project for Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution (SOAP - a hands-on outreach to fight sex trafficking at large events and in communities), built membership visions, shared membership best practices, and brainstormed ideas to bring back to each respective League.

• Leading Dental activities at Museum Center and various Boys and Girls Club locations • Partnering with the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio to launch a Girl Scouts badge program and participating in the Girls Discover STEM Fair with UC Blue Ash Hygiene School • Participating in the Patty Walter Memorial Tooth Fairy 5K • Creating videos of dental activities and distributing them via GrinUp! website, social media, and YouTube • Ordering 2,500 baby board books and distributing via Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the Cincinnati Health Department • Visiting the Oyler School Dental Clinic Ongoing, the committee is working to build additional content for the website and finalizing the GrinUp! Resource Library and Toolkit.

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JLC Receives Milestone Awards

#jlcincy

Congratulations to our 2015-2016 JLC Award Winners!

Cookie Nowland Sustainer Award Carol Conlan

Shanon Marks Outstanding New Member Award Ellen Rose, President of AJLI, with JLC President-Elect Kendall Shaw & President Michelle Vaeth

RefugeeConnect Program Director Robyn Lamont accepts $2500 Fuel the Fire Grant

The JLC was awarded the national 2016 AJLI Leadership Development Award for its Board Bank Program at The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) Annual Conference held in Atlanta in early May. The JLC will receive $10,000 for member development and training programs.

Fuel Cincinnati held its Fifth Annual Fuel the Fire Event on Monday, May 16, 2016. The JLC’s RefugeeConnect won the $2,500 award for its “The Funnel” initiative compeitive pitch presentation.

Established by the JLC’s Leadership Development Committee, the Board Bank is a unique training program that develops the leadership potential of members by preparing them to become successful non-profit board members and then helps to place them on nonprofit boards within the Cincinnati community.

The Junior League Leadership Development Award recognizes exemplary League member training and development programs designed to create lasting community impact.

As a result of this grant funding, The Funnel will now become a program that provides quarterly training to educate young adults interested in volunteering with refugees and places volunteers with opportunities to serve the refugee community.

Fuel the Fire is the grant-making arm of Give Back Cincinnati, which helps launch community-based ideas into reality by providing funding for promising non-profit local initiatives developed by or for young professionals.

Cecilia Boldrini

Rising Star Award

Paaras Parker & Erin Rolfes

Excellence In Training Award Sarah Reiger & Rene Robers

Jeanne Boyce Morrison President’s Award Taylor Bennett

Transformational Team Award

Spring Fundraiser Committee Membership Engagement Committee Community Impact Award Cincinnati Museum Center