Perspectives Spring & Summer 2017 issue

Perspectives MAGAZINE OF THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF CINCINNATI

SPRING & SUMMER 2017

Everything’s Connected As we undertake a new cycle of program development, our Program Development Team researches the State of Women and Children in Cincinnati. Learn more about the JLC’s initial findings, proposal process, and program development timeline.

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The Long Welcome In this special double-feature, learn how RefugeeConnect and Students Together Assisting Refugees (STAR) are providing “the long welcome” for New Americans through partnerships, community trainings, and scholarships for higher education.

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A Royal Bouquet Our Spring Fashion Show provided A Royal Bouquet of community support to our mission, programs, and projects with a near sold-out luncheon and runway show!

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In this issue 3 4

President’s Perspective Everything’s Connected: The State of Women and Children in Cincinnati

11 “I Learned It in Junior League!”

Interviews with Nonprofit Executive Directors

Lisa Nolan, Tara Noland, and JJ Wales

6 7 8 10

Member Spotlight: JLC Women in Science Mission-Driven New Member Curriculum A Season of Growth: Photo Review The Long Welcome for New Americans

12 Spring Fashion Show: A Royal Bouquet

of History and Community Support 14 Member Milestones 15 Celebrating Our 37 Years of Service with Cookie

Nowland Award Recipient Saralou Durham

Your Perspectives Team (2016-2017)

Managing Editor Kristin Poeppelman

Assistant Editor Chelsea Zesch

Writer Emily Haun

Contributors: Photographers: VP Communications Haley B. Elkins

Writer Kara Sewell

Thank You

Melanie Chavez Mike Breslin Lisa Hubbard Dyah Miller Brooke Olson

Writer Cara Monaco

Our Perspectives team is much larger than just our committee; we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of this year’s contributors, photographers, and copyeditors who volunteered their time and talent to make our 2016-2017 issues possible, as well as forty years of Perspectives teams who laid the foundation for what the magazine is today.

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.

For more news and events, follow us on social media.

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

President’s Perspective Greetings!

I hope this Spring/Summer Issue of Perspectives finds you excited for the incredible 2017-18 JLC year ahead! While the summer is our most relaxed season, the excellent work of the League doesn’t stop with the warmer weather. I’ve had the privilege of transitioning the office of the Presidency to the incredibly talented, inspiring, and dedicated Vicki Calonge. And so this, my final “President’s Perspective” serves as both a warm welcome to Vicki and all of the new leaders and members for the 2017-18 year, as well as a heartfelt thank you to each of you for your support of our League, and our community, over the past year.

Measure each day not by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.

This quote resonates so deeply with me as I think about my own experiences in the JLC over the past several years, describing the two-fold mission of the JLC as a nonprofit incubator and a women’s civic leadership cultivator. To successfully incubate or cultivate requires patience, time, and care. Usually, good things don’t happen overnight, but rather take copious planning and attention to blossom.

Waiting can be challenging, but the results you achieved are worth it: Some work brought in a harvest of seeds that were planted in years prior: in receiving the Cincinnati Museum Center and Duke Energy Children’s Museum 2017 Difference Maker Award as the Community Honoree recognizing GrinUp! and the opening of the state-of- the-art Inside the Grin exhibit at the Children’s Museum; in seeing our Columbia Center rental revenues grow exponentially thanks to the teamwork of our Finance Committee, our Endowment Trustees, Columbia Center Committee, and Columbia Center Ad Hoc Committee in procuring our new parking lot; the passing of the Ohio Fostering Connections Act thanks in part to the advocacy and education of the Ohio Leagues’ State Public Affairs Committee; the reimagined mission-centered information sessions put forth by Membership Recruitment and mission-driven trainings offered at membership meetings

by Membership Engagement; and in the fabulous success of our second annual Spring Fashion Show fundraiser building on 2016’s sell-out inaugural event!

Some work produced a bounty in its first year!

RefugeeConnect’s Funnel training program trained more than 200 League and community members on how to get started in working with new Americans. Our Membership Council’s #MissionMoment social media campaign moved and inspired us. The innovation of the Tour of Kitchens Committee in designing a walkable tour highlighting Newport, Kentucky’s East Row Historic District produced not only record-setting ticket sales and revenues, but also

unprecedented community support! Our Communications Council Committees brainstormed new ways to leverage technology and provide fresh and timely mission-driven and member-focused content.

The Major Gifts Committee’s “Luck ‘O the League” raffle to support the Annual Fund and the Membership Satisfaction Committee’s retooled Placement Panel invigorated our spring membership meetings.

The New Member Committee lead our New Members through a fall “curriculum” learning about the legacy and history of our community and the League, and a spring “practicum” designed to offer hands-on training opportunities in event management, marketing, fundraising, strategic thinking, and more!

Some work flowers perennially, bringing joy year after year, like our engaging Sustainer Forum; our Choral Group’s enlivening performances; our twenty-year strong CANDO legacy of voluntarism; our Fourth Annual World Refugee Day Cup soccer tournament hosted by our dedicated partner Xavier University; our Transfers Committee welcoming events; and our beautiful Sustainer Luncheon celebrating this year’s Cookie Nowland Award winner, Sustainer Saralou Durham.

And some work has been to prepare a nurturing environment for tomorrow’s harvest to flourish. We launched our next Program Development cycle, so that next spring, we will be selecting a new project to incubate or accelerate.

Our Nominating Committee oversaw the election and appointment of over thirty-five exceptional leaders for 201718. The Leadership Development Committee, with Vicki’s guidance, created a spring Leadership Incubator training series that has already better and more consistently prepared League leaders for their critical roles. Our Board of Directors and Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee have jointly evaluated our successes under our strategic plan, evaluating and prioritizing our opportunities for growth. And our Centennial Steering Committee is busy laying the groundwork for a once-in- a-lifetime Centennial Anniversary Year.

If it’s true that you reap what you sow, I will continue to invest the seeds of my efforts as a member of the Junior League of Cincinnati.

With Love and Gratitude, Kendall Shaw #JLCincy | 3

Everything’s Connected Program Development Examines The State of Women and Children in Cincinnati

By KARA SEWELL If you’ve been in the League for any length of time you’ve heard the words “mission moment” — the phrase even has its own hashtag as part of the JLC’s #MissionMoment social media campaign. As we wrap up another League year, members are embarking on another way to touch the JLC’s mission, one newer members have not experienced: incubating or accelerating a new large-scale program to fill an unmet need in our community. It’s a daunting task at first but a worthwhile one, as we hone in on a pressing community need and find where members can provide the most help and assistance.

Similar to GrinUp! and RefugeeConnect, the League will commit three to five years of financial, volunteer, and leadership support, allowing JLC members to collaborate with community partners and have a lasting impact. As with past projects, the central goal of the program development process is to lend support to programming that will have a long life in the Greater Cincinnati community.

JLC leaders and members of the Program Development Committee have analyzed countless community surveys and public research studies and presented on a complex number of things deeply affecting women and children in poverty, including the strain of the heroin epidemic on a foster care system that’s already significantly underfunded, barriers to employment and education, prenatal healthcare access and high maternal death rates, and a number of other things that are unfortunately all inter-connected to one another and causing a severely negative impact on the quality of life for women and children specifically. All of these issues could benefit from the League’s attention.

Jen Schuster, the 2016-2017 CANDO Chair and current Co-Chair of Program Development, says last year onethousand kids entered the foster care system because of heroin addiction alone. The research presented at the April General Membership Meeting also revealed the number of babies addicted to drugs being cared for at local NICU’s has skyrocketed. Schuster says with this information, “The League will take a big problem and pull it down to a specific area and where we could help out.”

This is an exciting time for the League; Schuster says it’s been longer than a decade since the League wrote up a Request for Proposal and local organizations are already buzzing about the JLC establishing a new project. Historically, the League has developed programs a couple of different ways: some of the programs have been developed and incubated internally, like GrinUp! and RefugeeConnect; others have worked with existing nonprofits to introduce or expand

#JLCincy | 4

programming they couldn’t build capacity for on their own; and others — like this cycle — are “request for proposals” that are opened up wide to the greater community to submit needs and ideas within a certain focus area or areas.

The program development process typically takes between eighteen months and two years, beginning with research and analysis. Over the summer, the Program Development Committee has drafted a request for proposals, which will be opened to the community in the fall. An RFP is like a contract that says JLC will offer support to an organization; it describes a project’s needs and asks for solutions for qualified partners. A thorough RFP provides a strong foundation to ensure that the project can be completed as planned.

Schuster points out, “We don’t have to have the complete solution; instead we need to know how someone can move the meter towards a solution with the assistance of JLC.” The deadline for submission is tentatively scheduled for the end of 2017, when submitted proposals will be reviewed and and selections made for presentations to League members, who will then vote in Spring 2018. “We would love to get as many RFPs as possible, so we can hear numerous ideas,” adds Schuster. And if the League feels strongly about an RFP but doesn’t feel it is meets the qualifications for largescale project selection, there may still be the possibility for a CANDO partnership or other means of capacity-building support.

Get ready as we work to create brand new ‘mission moments’ for our members and our Greater Cincinnati community!

The Program Development team presents their findings as part of a State of Women and Children in Cincinnati report at our 97th Annual Meeting at historic Memorial Hall

Prospective Program Development Timeline

ENGAGEMENT November 2016

January 2017

Surveyed JLC Members to gauge member interest and needs

Presented survey findings at January General Membership Meeting

March 2017

Convened Program Development Committee and commenced community scan and research process

COMMUNITY SCAN & RESEARCH April 2017 Presented preliminary findings through State of Women and Children in Greater Cincinnati report at April General Membership Meeting

Completed community interviews with stakeholders and existing agencies, including direct service nonprofits, educational and granting institutions, civic service organizations, and governmental bodies

May 2017 Provided update summarizing interviews and defined focus areas as part of the May Annual Meeting

RFP PROCESS Summer 2017

Fall 2017

Develop Request for Proposals

Commitment of Financial Resources for the Project

Winter 2017-2018

Planned submission deadline for Request for Proposals

Issue Request for Proposals to the Greater Cincinnati community

SELECTION January-February 2018 Review of submitted proposals and selections for next round of presentations

Spring 2018 Presentations to membership

Final membership vote on project

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Member Spotlight: JLC Women in Science

By KARA SEWELL Kara Chapin took a risk many professionals would shy away from: she quit her successful job at P&G without having another position lined up. Despite numerous promotions, it was a lack of enthusiasm that made the Vanderbilt graduate decide to leave her role as an engineer for Family Care, encompassing all paper products. Kara would be the first to tell you that while she can’t live without toilet paper, she’s not passionate about it. At the 2015 JLC September General Membership Meeting, Kara heard Cherylanne Skolnicki lead a workshop about success versus significance, and those words only reaffirmed her desires to find a career that gave her more fulfillment.

Fast forward two years, Kara is the Director of Technology Operations at Eccrine Systems, managing a team of 15 engineers and scientists. The question she’s asked most often: when can I sweat for you? It’s not as weird as it sounds. Eccrine Systems is developing non-invasive, electronic wearable systems that measure and transmit real-time data about human sweat. The applications are far-reaching: in the medical field, a person who has a heart attack could utilize this technology by wearing a device to monitor specific biomarkers and trigger a warning for doctors so a patient doesn’t end up back in the hospital.

Kara’s company is complete with a treadmill, sauna, and numerous other ways for people to sweat. She and her team study data both for biomarkers and performance, and they’re always looking for more volunteers who want to sweat for science.

Kara joined the League in 2012, to meet women who had similar goals and values. But it was when her Junior League and professional experience intersected as the Online Committee Chair with the goal of “empowering women through technology” that she felt most engaged because she was able to touch the mission of the League nearly every day. If you see Kara don’t be embarrassed to ask her about sweat!

Jamie Jastrab

balances creating budgets and monitoring job sites subsurface to keep people safe from potential contamination. A Miami graduate Jamie always loved the environment, helping people and being outdoors; a career as a geologist is a perfect fit. After graduation she interviewed with TRC Companies, Inc. and has been with the team ever since. Her experience includes installing groundwater monitoring wells, calibarating environmental instruments, and performing soil, groundwater, surface water, and air sampling activities.

Jamie is one of only two women in her office of about 40 people. In this male dominated field she’s learned not to shy away from being in charge; she’s fought many times to get her voice heard while working with subcontractors.

Jamie is passionate about women in science. Arriving at job sites in boots and a hard hat, she’s tasked with environmental cleanup to keep people safe. She has to be prepared to think on her feet if contamination is found on a site. But her support for the environment and science doesn’t stop on the job; she recently walked in Cincinnati’s Science March touting a geology sign, and particpates in other campaigns to raise awareness and support for environmental science and women in science careers.

The lack of women in her field was part of her reason for joining the Junior League of Cincinnati in 2013; she says it’s been nice to be surrounded by strong, intelligent League members. In 2016, Jamie was recognized with other members of the JLC Spring Fundraiser Committee with a Transitional Team Award, and this past year, served on the JLC Advocacy & Education Committee. Jamie says the confidence she’s gained since joining the league has been immeasurable, and that she’ll continue to take that poise with her in the field.

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Mission-Driven New Member Curriculum

By KRISTIN POEPPELMAN and CHELSEA ZESCH During curriculum planning for the Training & Development Council, the vision was sparked to not just encourage New Members to participate in JLC training, volunteer, and fundraising events, but also empower them to lead and understand through experience what the practical work of League service looks and feels like.

JLC Members engage in three important pillars as part of our mission: developing the potential of women, promoting voluntarism, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Under the New Member Committee Leadership of Lisa Dye, Tara Mosley, Rachel Foster and Alicia Harden, the 68 women of the 2016-2017 New Member class embarked on a pilot “practicum” program as part of their spring curriculum. New Members chose their own interest area based on skills they wanted to develop, and split into groups with different end results: to develop a training, organize a community service event, or host a fundraiser to contribute to our mission and programs.

Training The women of the training team were led by New Members Lindsey NeCamp and Sarah Stem. With the assistance of Active member Paaras Parker and Vice Chair Alicia Harden, the group developed the panel “Defining Your Future Mission Moment” with guest speakers that included President Kendall Shaw, RefugeeConnect Chair Erin Rolfes, and GrinUp! Chair Gina Germana, and was moderated by President-Elect Vicki Calonge. The event focus on how the League creates missiondriven and member-focused programming. Strategic thought was given to learning pedagogy, with panelists and attendees arranged circularly to facilitate the flow of ideas and foster a group training dynamic. Given the final phase of project incubation for RefugeeConnect and GrinUp!, the dialogue further expanded to how the programming and development team conducts community scans and needs assessments, how the membership selects the next project, what the incubation process entails once a project is selected.

Fundraising The fundraising team was led by Kayla Caskey, Amanda Nelson, and Hannah Wallach. With a target of raising $1,000 to support our mission, the team worked collaboratively to create a Trivia Night at Columbia Tusculum’s own Streetside Brewery. New Members, collaborating with Active members Lisa Dye, Tara Mosley, and Tara Noland, organized all event logistics, including drafting their event budget, coordinating the venue, soliciting donations for prize baskets, working with the Communications Council to publicize the event, and then running the event itself. The event was open to all current and prospective JLC Members as well as partners and friends, and raised $1,400, exceeding the target by 40%!

The New Member Class of 2016-2017 has now had firsthand experience to understand the League mission in action, develop mentorships with other members, and, most importantly, touch our Cincinnati community. Looking ahead to next year, the women are excited to repeat a similar approach with adjustments made based on member feedback and additional engagement from Active and Sustainer members.

Community Impact Those who selected the community impact pillar were led

by Sarah Houseman, with guidance from New Member Vice Chair Rachel Foster and President-Elect Vicki Cologne. The team developed a CANDO-style volunteer event to create, stuff, and distribute more than a hundred summer daypacks for children who attend Cincinnati’s Academy of World Languages. As an important first step, the team worked with the school to identified 20 needed items for these summer packs, solicited the product donations from local partners and companies (including from University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Cyclones), and then executed a stuffing party open to the entire League membership for daypack assembly.

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A Season of

GROWTH March General Membership Meeting

We heard leadership lessons from Past President Melanie Chavez, Past-President Judy Dalambakis, and Sustainer Director-At-Large Mary Ivers about how their JLC experience has shaped their careers of service. #LearnedItinJuniorLeague

A Royal Bouquet Spring Fashion Show Our Spring Fashion Show brought JLC Members, community partners, and local vendors together for a delicious luncheon and elegant, family-friendly runway show to raise funds for our mission, programs, and projects. #ARoyalBouquet

CANDO: Girls on the Run We partnered with Girls on the Run to provide volunteers for water stations and cheer on runners for the Mini Heart Marathon. #MissionMoment

Defining Your Future Mission Moment Panel Discussion As part of their Spring Practicum, the New Member Training Committee hosted a panel discussion with JLC leaders that explored the League’s collective impact and program development process. #LearnedItinJuniorLeague

April General Membership Meeting Members interacted with representatives from each JLC Committee as part of our annual Placement Fair to determine their path of service for the next year #CultivatingCivicLeaders

CANDO: Stepping Stones We partnered with Stepping Stones to volunteer at their “Decades Dance” as part of their new “Adults Around Town” program. #MissionMoment #JLCincy | 8

Summer Daypack Volunteer Event

RefugeeConnect “Stories of Survival”

Streetside Brews (and Trivia Too!)

As part of the New Member Community Impact Committee’s spring practicum, Members assembled more than 100 summer daypacks containing summer and school supplies for refugee students in 6th8th grades at the Academy of World Languages. #MissionMoment

In partnership with the Center for Holocaust & Humanity Education, RefugeeConnect team members hosted a free 3-part speaker series highlighting first-hand experiences of refugees from Bosnia, Burma, and Burundi. #RefugeeConnect

As part of the New Member Fundraising Committee’s spring practicum, Members gathered for a casual event of trivia and raffle prizes at Columbia-Tusculum’s own Streetside Brewery.

The event exceeded its fundraising goal to support our mission and projects! #LearnedItinJuniorLeague

97th Annual Sustainer Luncheon JLC Sustainers celebrated the accomplishments of the year, recognized Cookie Nowland Sustainer Award Recipeint Saralou Durham, and were treated to a performance by our longest-running project, the JLC Choral Group. #MissionMoment

97th Annual Meeting JLC Members celebrated the closing of our year while looking forward to the next by recognizing our graduating class of New Members, welcoming incoming leadership, honoring annual award recipients, and reviewing important updates from our Program Development team. #CultivatingCivicLeaders

4th Annual World Refugee 2017 AJLI Annual Day Cup Soccer Tournament Conference More than 200 athletes from 10 countries of origin competed at our annual World Refugee Day Cup Soccer Tournament and Resource Fair at Xavier University. In partnership with Students Together Assisting Refugees (STAR), RefugeeConnect awarded nine scholarships to refugee students pursuing higher education! #RefugeeConnect

JLC President Kendall Shaw and President-Elect Vicki Marsala Calonge represented the Junior League of Cincinnati at the 2017 AJLI Annual Conference, including recognizing JLC PastPresident Michelle Vaeth at her induction to the AJLI Board of Directors! #LearnedItinJuniorLeague #JLCincy | 9

‘The Long Welcome’ for New Americans A Special Double-Feature by CARA MONACO

Students Together Assisting Refugees at Walnut Hills High School

RefugeeConnect’s “Funnel” Volunteer Training Program in Action

This past winter, the Junior League of Cincinnati was honored to share the stage with one of our community partners at the Duke Energy Children’s Museum’s Difference Maker Awards — the JLC as the Community Honoree, and Students Together Assisting Refugees (STAR) as the Youth category award recipient. Adam Sella, a student at Walnut Hills High School and the son of an Israeli immigrant, founded STAR in 2015 after he returned from a trip abroad with a strong desire to help those seeking refuge in the United States.

Imagine waking up in a new city, thousands of miles from home and family, with just the small amount of belongings you could carry. For the refugees served by RefugeeConnect, this is far too familiar, but for many in Cincinnati, it’s completely unknown.

With a long, history of being a place of resettlement for refugees, the city and its residents have a unique opportunity: how do you best welcome someone entering Cincinnati as a refugee?

RefugeeConnect’s “Funnel” Volunteer Training Workshops are rising to this challenge.

“One of the most pressing needs of resettled refugees is an ‘extended welcome’” explains Sella about the term used to refer to ensuring that refugees are not just resettled, but also acclimated to and supported by their new communities. Sella formed the club and began partnerships with local nonprofits, including the Junior League of Cincinnati’s RefugeeConnect.

When students interested in volunteering come to RefugeeConnect, they refer them to STAR as an opportunity to get engaged with other like-minded high school students.

In its first year, STAR partnered with RefugeeConnect to host a film screening as a fundraiser for the RefugeeConnect Scholarships and earned about $300. The RefugeeConnect Student Scholarships, established by the JLC in 2015, are awarded each spring at RefugeeConnect’s annual World Refugee Day Cup soccer tournament in memory of Dean Razzak, the late son of Active member and RefugeeConnect founding leader Alicia Kappers and her husband, Ziad Razzak, himself a Palestinian refugee. In October, the students of STAR partnered with RefugeeConnect again to host a classical music concert with guest speakers and members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. This event received overwhelming support from the community and raised several thousand dollars to provide scholarships to refugees looking to pursue higher education. To date, RefugeeConnect, with the support of STAR, has awarded nearly $15,000 in Student Scholarships.

The funds raised by STAR for the scholarships help minimize the financial stress of attending college. One of the first recipients of the RefugeeConnect scholarship, a refugee from Burundi, is now graduating from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music early and furthering his education in a master’s program.

“This was my first time ever seeing a scholarship for refugee students,” he explained. He says he hopes this scholarship inspires other cities to start their own refugee scholarship fund because refugees often “think we are forgotten.”

Through their dedication, the students of STAR are ensuring refugees feel welcome in Cincinnati and have equal opportunities for higher education. STAR has caught on across the country and now has chapters in high schools in Massachusetts, Texas, and Virginia. With all the activities available to a high school student, why are these teens joining STAR? Student and STAR volunteer Margaret Conte sums up the ideals of STAR quite simply: “We are just students who see an injustice in the world and our potential to help even just one child for one day.” #JLCincy | 10

The Funnel Training is a bi-monthly program that trains volunteers on welcoming refugees to Cincinnati. Looking to improve communities through effective action by trained volunteers, the trainings are open to anyone in the Greater Cincinnati area who is interested in learning more about the refugee community and how best to serve them. The topics of the free workshops vary and can cover subjects such as employment, financial literacy, citizenship, and language barriers, but always include general training on welcoming refugees. Volunteers are given resources to best reach the refugee community, including linking them with volunteer opportunities and organizations that provide support.

Trainings have been held in partnership with Northern Kentucky University, Xavier University, and the Red Cross to reach even more people; this summer, RefugeeConnect will extend the program to organizations like individual churches and community groups to educate members and staff on the refugee experience.

RefugeeConnect Committee Vice Chair Leslie Touassi is an elementary school teacher who worked with Robyn Lamont, RefugeeConnect Program Director, to develop the format of the trainings. Of the trainings Touassi said, “This format allows for the participants to get a lot of valuable information out of each session, hear directly from our community partners, stay engaged throughout the two hours, and leave with a call to action. It also allows for us to collect the quantitative and qualitative data we need.” While it is difficult to collect data on the impact on someone’s life, the Funnel Trainings have given more than 200 participants an opportunity to make a difference by educating about the refugee experience and empowering the participants to volunteer with Cincinnati’s refugee community.

RefugeeConnect leadership presents an update to Give Back Cincinnati’s Fuel program. (Photography Credit: Brooke Olsen)

“I Learned it in JUNIOR LEAGUE!” Interviews with Nonprofit Executive Directors Lisa Nolan, Tara Noland, and JJ Wales

By EMILY HAUN The Greater Cincinnati area is fortunate to have a wide variety of nonprofit organizations operating to remove the barriers that make it more difficult for thousands of local families to become self-sufficient. Dress for Success Cincinnati, The Greenlight Fund, and Neediest Kids of All are three such organizations, and they’ve got one thing in common: Executive Directors who received inspiration and training as members of the Junior League of Cincinnati!

Active member Lisa Nolan, newly appointed Executive Director of Dress for Success Cincinnati (DFSC), an organization which empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a support network, professional attire, and development tools to help them thrive in work and life, says that the JLC Board Bank — a JLC program running every two years that cultivates civic leaders for nonprofit board service — was ultimately what inspired her to make a career change.

After her initial JLC Board Bank training in 2013, she was matched with Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMDHC) for an out-of-League placement. She then became one of the founding board members for the Red Shoe Crew, a group of young professionals who volunteer and fundraise for the mission of RMDHC. “In the Junior League, leadership opportunities are there for the taking,” she said. “You’re able to take on a big project and blow it out of the water.

For me, that opportunity was leading last year’s Board Bank program – it all came full circle.” Lisa was so passionate about her training experience that she submitted the Board Bank program to the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) Leadership Development Awards, and last spring, at the 2016 AJLI Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, the JLC was awarded $10,000 in recognition of the Board Bank program. Shortly thereafter, Lisa,

an attorney, started actively looking to make a career change to further apply the training she received in the JLC. A unanimous vote by the DFSC Board of Directors confirmed her as Executive Director in March. She shared that she’s “thrilled to be doing such meaningful and fulfilling work for an organization that the JLC has a strong history of supporting.”

The Greenlight Fund is another nonprofit that has a lot of parallels with the JLC. Incoming JLC President-Elect Tara Noland says she learned everything she knows about community needs assessment from the Junior League of Cincinnati. “At Greenlight, we identify gaps in community services and work to bring a nonprofit model that already exists to Cincinnati to meet that need,” she said. As Executive Director, Tara provides strategic advice and lends local credibility to non-Cincinnati based organizations, such as Second Chance Citizens out of NYC. Last year, this innovative program was given a grant by The Greenlight Fund to help provide transitional assistance to citizens who have recently been released from jail. The ultimate goal is for The Greenlight’s grant funding to provide the runway for each new organization to become permanently rooted in Cincinnati, so Tara finds herself highly involved for the first year or two. As organizations become more self-sufficient, she takes on more of an advisor role. She reflects that, “the JLC really shaped my world view and taught me how to spur change, but just like in the JLC, Greenlight isn’t trying to change the community – our goal is to work with the community on changes that need to be made.”

Former JLC President JJ Wales recently celebrated her 20th year as Executive Director of Neediest Kids of All (NKOA), a nonprofit founded in 1952 that provides basic necessities such as apparel and educational opportunities to local children. When she applied for the position, she was interviewed by the

publisher and president of the Cincinnati Enquirer as well as the General Manager of Local 12, who told her the community service training she’d received in the JLC would make her a front-runner for the position. “They knew I’d be coming in with leadership skills, organizational skills, and an understanding of how nonprofits run,” she recalls. “It hadn’t occurred to me that I could be paid to do something I loved doing as a volunteer.”

As the only staff member at NKOA, JJ does everything from stuffing envelopes to meeting with investment advisors.

During her term as JLC President, JJ oversaw the second year of the Columbia Center capital campaign, which immersed her in financial management and stewardship. This became a crucial part of her job with NKOA in making connections with area schools and Head Start programs to allocate funds used to purchase items for children whose parents can’t afford them. “All they want to do is fit in,” she explained.

“They want to look like everyone else in their classroom. If that means a new pair of shoes that fits properly, or a new coat...when they feel good, they have a much better chance of being successful in school.” JJ will join the JLC Board of Directors on June 1, serving a three-year term as a Sustainer Director-At-Large.

Despite being in different stages of both their Junior League and professional careers, each of these inspiring women has managed to translate their League experience into an incredible career opportunity. Their passion for helping others shines through in their dedication to making a difference in our community.

Learn More Dress for Success Cincinnati www.dfscincy.org The Greenlight Fund www.greenlightfund.org Neediest Kids of All www.neediestkidsofall.com #JLCincy | 11

Spring Fashion Show: A Royal Bouquet of History and Community Support

By EMILY HAUN On Saturday, March 11, 2017, to the delight of a near sellout crowd, Spring Fundraiser Chair Katie Hayden and Vice Chair Alicia Taylor, along with their dedicated committee revisited a theme from The Junior League of Cincinnati’s 1964 fashion show: The Royal Bouquet. “Because the JLC is approaching our centennial anniversary, we’re trying to shed light on the legacy and heritage of the organization.

Taking a peek back in time was really inspiring for us, and the historic significance of the Cincinnati Club helped bring our vision to life,” Katie said.

Vibrant spring florals with gold accents and crisp, clean pops of black and white adorned the European-style architecture of the Cincinnati Club. JLC Member and Fox19 Anchor Kara Sewell served as a graceful master of ceremonies.

instead of an evening event; positive feedback confirmed that this change supported wide community involvement and strong attendance for families and groups across generations, and made it less likely to conflict with other obligations.

Dyah Miller, a volunteer with JLC project RefugeeConnect, took photographs of the runway show that rivaled those found in fashion magazines. JLC Past President Lisa Hubbard rocked the runway for a second time this year, and said her favorite part was bonding with the other models in her group. “As a Sustainer, “It’s important to this was a great opportunity for me to me for my family to see first-hand all the express how much I love the League,” she said. “I got to do the Fox19 morning show amazing things the with [VP Membership] Megan Stacey and JLC accomplishes, and [Sustainer] Jamie Humes, which was a lot the fashion show is a of fun. Someone actually went to Alligator really fun, engaging Purse specifically to find one of the dresses way to do so.”

I wore!”

This year’s event sold 340 tickets and raised over $52,000 (approximately $28,000 from ticket sales, $11,000 from the auction, and $13,000 from sponsors) — nearly doubling last year’s revenue, suggesting that there’s plenty of runway for future growth. The funds raised are critical to supporting the JLC’s mission, programs, and projects.

“We truly had involvement across the League, from Sustainers to New Members,” Alicia said. “It was all hands on deck – people were helping with centerpieces and stuffing invitations.” Alicia is tasked with planning next year’s event, and said they will be looking to accommodate up to 500 people. They also plan to continue to integrate presentations on our nonprofit incubation projects into the fundraiser, which will be especially timely since membership will be voting on new projects next spring.

Katie, who is transitioning into her role as Vice President of the Fund Development Council for 2017-2019, emphasized the success of moving the fashion show to a luncheon

Several JLC members commented that this year’s fashion show was especially enjoyable, and praised everything from the location to the emphasis on local boutiques and variety of items in the silent auction. Models of all ages, including children of JLC Active members Vicki Calonge, Paaras Parker, Meghan Seitz, and Megan Stacey, participated in the event. Meghan shared that her daughter, Margaret enjoys participating and that she values that, while “Margaret didn’t get to see what we do hands on, she was able to see how we work together to support each other.”

Paaras Parker shared that, “It’s important to me for my family to see first hand all the amazing things the JLC accomplishes and the fashion show is a really fun, engaging way to do so.” The committee would again like to express their appreciation for the support received from vendors, hostesses, sponsors, and attendees.

Thank You to Our F ashionable M odels Megan Bayless Lucia Calonge Vincent Calonge Laurie Cobb Charlotte DeNicola Christopher DeNicola Israel Escamilla Mario Faranda Cory Gamber Shawn Gibson #JLCincy | 12

Tina Glass Lucy Hanley Carrie Hayden John Hayden Harper Heubi Millie Heubi Andrew Hoelscher Lizzy Hogan Lisa Hubbard Jamie Humes

Donna Kelley Conrad Ludwig Kate McIntosh Cole Nestheide Sydney Nestheide Traci Nestheide Layla Parker Paaras Parker Sean Parker Elijah Parker

Jenna Pottschmidt Alex Puddu Matteo Puddu Samuel Puddu Jessica Ro Dave Sanders Margaret Seitz Meghan Seitz Carolina Skillman Drew Stacey

Emory Stacey Ford Stacey Megan Stacey Marin Valentine Bri VanVleet Hailee VanVleet

our most sincere gratitude

to our corporate and patron sponsors who made this event possible Corporate Sponsors

F ashion Show Committee Katie Hayden (Chair) Chelsea Aluise Annie Carroll Kelly Coulter Kathryn DeNicola Kendall Getts

Alicia Taylor (Vice Chair) Aimee Patterson Kelly Pear Aimee Terlecky Claire Willingham Julie Wirtz

Generous In-K ind P artners

Atelier P atrons

Carrie Hayden

Digi Schueler

F ashionista P atrons

Melanie Chavez Adele Craft Amelia Crutcher The Heubi/Hazenfeld Family

Kathryn Hayden Mary Ivers Kendall Shaw Susan Shelton

H osts & H ostesses Dee Ellen Bardes Jan Bartel Judge Josh & Beth Berkowitz Lauren Bosse Alison Bushman Vicki Marsala Calonge Raquel Cannon Sarah Clark Megan Cooper Judy Dalambakis Janet Davis Danielle Deja Lucinda Dohan Saralou Durham Haley B. Elkins Meredith Ficks Kate Fortlage Kendall Getts Cynthia E. Henderson Lisa Hubbard Jamie Humes Marty Humes Barbara Jaymont

Sarah Lucas Marjorie McCullough Motch Tara Noland Brooke Olson Charlene Pfingstag Shelley Poffenberger Buffie Rixey Priya Rolfes Keke Sansalone Kristian Scarpitti Carole Conrad Siegrist Linda J. Smith Megan Stacey Martha Steier Millie Swaine Alicia Taylor Lauren Thaman Dionn Tron Juliana Wales Jane Hess Walker Sara Wildner Maggie Wuellner Chelsea Zesch

JLC Members will be notified when tickets are on-sale for the 2018 Fashion Show, but non-members can also sign up on our interest list to receive an invitation when 2018 sales open.

Visit www.jlcincinnati.org/fashionshow to sign up! #JLCincy | 13

Member Milestones Association of Children’s Museums Great Friends to Kids Award In recognition for children’s museums in more than 50 communities in the U.S. and around the world, the Association of Children’s Museums recently selected the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) as the recipient of the 2017 ACM Great Friends to Kids Award, which honors those who have made significant contributions to strengthen education and advance the interests of children. The Junior League of Cincinnati has contributed to these efforts by founding the Cincinnati Museum Center’s Duke Energy Children’s Museum as a past project, as well as partnering with the Duke Energy Children’s Museum to create our Inside the Grin! pediatric oral health exhibit.

Whitney Campbell

Haley B. Elkins

Sienna Faulkner

Marlea Handler

Ellie Kelly

Whitney and her husband Jeff were recognized as Volunteers of the Year at the 2017 Cincinnati YMCA Splash Awards for their commitment to creating strong swimmers and confident kids.

Haley was recently named an Advisory Committee Member for the Ohio Coalition for Common Sense, a state initiative begun by former Congress woman Gabrielle Giffords to reduce gun violence.

This past winter, Dan and Sienna Faulkner welcomed their daughter Tess Marie!

Marlea Handler is now a Product Manager at Advantech Corporation, one of the global leaders in industrial automation.

Ellie accepted a new position as Attorney Search Director at Parker + Lynch, where she will focus on placing attorneys in law firms and corporate legal departments in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Lynn Larson

Danielle Levy

Meredith Meyer

Tara Noland

Kristin Poeppelman

Danielle Levy followed her career dreams and joined Essig & Evans LLP as a divorce attorney.

Meredith launched a new business venture.

Infinite Potential works with organizations to help create positive culture, build strong managers and teams, and ensure that their people are growing and learning.

Tara and Zac Noland welcomed Norah Elizabeth on March 26, 2017. Big sister Elliot is especially excited about the newest Little Leaguer!

Kristin Boyatt married James Poeppelman on March 11, 2017, at The Carriage House at Manor House in Mason, Ohio.

Lynn recently retired from the Wyoming Board of Education after 11 years of service.

Submit Your MILESTONE

Robyn Reepmeyer

René Robers

Stephanie Skryzowski

Leslie Touassi

Robyn and Jim Reepmeyer are proud to announce the arrival of Olivia Marian on April 8, 2017.

René has accepted a role as Customer Marketing Manager at Heineken USA on the Kroger account.

Stephanie recently launched 100 Degrees Consulting, which works with nonprofits on finance and human resources matters to provide best-in-class financial leadership.

Leslie was honored with a Golden Apple Award by Fairfield School District for her wellness and intervention work as a teacher at Fairfield West Elementary.

#JLCincy | 14

We love to celebrate your milestones! Share your promotions, retirements, awards and nominations, new babies, engagements, weddings, and other milestones!

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

Celebrating 37 Years of Service The Contributions of Cookie Nowland Award Recipient and Past-President Saralou Durham Contributed By Past-President MELANIE CHAVEZ Cookie Nowland was a beloved figure and constant within the JLC for more than 25 years. As I understand, she was often the first point of contact for young woman who called inquiring about membership. Described as having run a “tight ship,” Cookie thought highly of the Junior League of Cincinnati and had equally high expectations for every member. The Cookie Nowland Award was established upon her retirement 33 years ago and is bestowed annually to a Sustainer who has established a lifelong commitment to volunteering, community service, and the JLC. In our 97th year, we honor Past-President and incoming Sustainer Council VP Saralou Durham with the Cookie Nowland Award.

During her 37-year career with the JLC, Saralou has truly been a constant, contributing member – whether as an advisor, committee member or leader. In fact, she started “working” for the JLC through the Puppetry Program before she was even a member. Throughout her years, her presence as always been felt in our organization, even when she hasn’t had an official role or leadership position. She doesn’t wait for the League to call her, she calls the League. And, because of that, she is as wellknown and cherished among her contemporaries as she is to our newer members. In fact, I can’t think of a time when I didn’t know Saralou.

As Sustaining members of the Board, Mary Ivers, Judy Dalabakis, and our President Kendall Shaw had the pleasure of celebrating this award with Saralou over lunch this past spring. During that time, we kept pressing her tell us in her own words what she had accomplished through her time with the League, the running list of leadership positions she held, and so on. Believe me, it wasn’t that we didn’t already have that information thanks to the early record keeping of Cookie and then Leslie; but again we wanted to hear it in her own words. In true Saralou fashion, she steered the conversation away from what she had done for the League to what the League had done for her.

With Trish Bryan, she learned logistics and planning through our Puppetry Program. She learned how to tackle controversy with courage through working on pregnancy prevention with Janie Dumbadze. As a Vice President of Projects, she honed her strategic planning skills. And as part of our Columbia Center search during her presidency, her work with Janet Davis and others unexpectedly led her to a new career in real estate.

Along the way, she found time to sponsor new members (including Judy Dalambakis, who would serve as President from 1999-2000), act as Sustainer Advisor to the Board three times, help implement the annual New Bember Bus Tour, and serve as advisor to many, many committees.

Another love in her life was the University of Cincinnati. As a student there, she served as both the UC Yearbook Editor and as

her Sorority President. She would go on to become the President of the College of Education Alumni Association, as well as one of only four women to hold the role of the President of the Board of Governors Alumni Association.

Her longtime community involvement includes Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Public Libraries, as an advocate for children - the list goes on and on.

When asked, “Why?” – “Why this level of commitment?” Her simple answer was, “Because I love it.”

Well, Saralou, we love you, and we are honored to celebrate not just your 37 years of Junior League service, but your dedication to the entire Greater Cincinnati community.

97th Annual Award Recipients Community Impact Honoree: The Edward B. Brueggeman Center for Dialogue at Xavier University Shanon Marks New Member Award: Byrd Bergeron Rising Star Award: Chelsea Zesch Excellent in Training Award: Leslie Touassi Transformational Team: Perspectives Magazine Emily Haun, Cara Monaco, Kristin Poeppelman, Kara Sewell, and Chelsea Zesch Jeanne Boyce Morrison President’s Award: Katie Hayden Cookie Nowland Award: Saralou Durham

Pictured: Kristin Poeppelman, Chelsea Zesch, Byrd Bergeron, Leslie Touassi, Katie Hayden, and Saralou Durham

Monthly Starlight Award Recognition Mallory Burchnall Kate Eisenpress Samantha Evans Zlatina Ivanova Haley Jones Cara Monaco Emily O’Bryan Heidi Otto Rene Robers

Emily Ryan Jen Schuster Kara Sewell Elizabeth Sharp Allison Smith Jamie Stinson Emily Thobe Heather Voit

#JLCincy | 15

Now Acceptin g Applicat ions for 2018 !

New! Montessori 18 month-old program and full-day toddler program!

VISIT THE SUMMIT To schedule a private tour, please call 871-4700 ext. 261

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

www.summitcds.org