JLGL Spring 2018-2019 Newsletter

READING IS F U N DA M E N TA L

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L E AG U E L I N E S NEWSLETTER

The Junior League of Greater Lakeland, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The Junior League is exclusively educational and charitable.

LEAGUE LINES STAFF Katherine Fitzwater, Editor Tori Bateman • Callie Miller Emily Plank • Maggie Ross • Brittany Sale

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FROM THE EDITOR Katherine Fitzwater 2016-2019 Communications VP

The women of The Junior League of Greater Lakeland are change agents, constantly working to improve both themselves and our community. For over 85 years, we have been evolving and living our mission to develop the potential of women, promote voluntarism and improve our community through our trained volunteers. Our 500+ members include teachers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, moms and now two current City Commissioners. These women are the fabric of what makes our community strong.

As Communications Vice President for our League, it has been my goal to showcase the ever evolving work of our League in our community, celebrate our members achievements and bring together all the amazing women in our membership. In this newsletter, we are excited to provide a snapshot of the initiatives our members have been working on over the past few months.

It’s awesome what we can accomplish when we work together towards our common goal to improve our community. I continue to be amazed by our accomplishments and am proud to serve alongside you!

Katherine

UPDATE FROM THE PRESIDENT Callie Miller 2018-2019

‘Hold on to your hat!’ - or in this case, your Junior League apron! The Junior League of Greater Lakeland is an impressive organization fueled by a passion to do good! And, we’re not slowing down. While it’s important to pause and reflect, to improve and learn, what I have found is that when 550 women are motivated to build a stronger community, there’s nothing that can stop them. What has been accomplished in just shy of a year has blown me away and as your President, friend, and community member, I am grateful.

For the League, the Fall was full of defining and retooling our fundraising efforts. And, boy, were we successful! From bringing back Thrift Sale, to hosting the Spotlight on Style Fashion Show, and introducing a new event, ‘Light Up Lakeland,’ to expanding upon ProAm this Spring, the League carefully and energetically leveraged events to gain excitement in our community for the League’s mission. Coupled with the events, the League gained great traction in our new funding Partnership model where we are benefiting from organizations who trust the League to steward their generosity to meet critical needs in our community. On page 14, you will find the names of the organizations who have given in abundance to the League.

When you frequent their establishment, or say ‘hello’ to them in passing, please share your appreciation for their support.

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With great financial support, the League carries great social responsibility.

In the pages of this newsletter and throughout the next few months as you attend the Spring Sustainer Party on the Veranda (April 11) and the Spring Banquet (May 7), you will learn about the significant impact the League is having in and for our community.

The League gives members the opportunity to gain skills through handson work and leadership training that benefits the community and enhances our businesses, civic organizations, and quality of life. The city and region have greatly benefited from the volunteers and training opportunities that the League provides its members and the community.

Membership is now open for the Junior League, and we welcome all women who value our mission. We are committed to inclusive environments of individuals, organizations and communities. We are women building community.

I continue to humbled and honored to serve the Junior League of Greater Lakeland, and am so proud of the work of our members.

Whether you are reading this newsletter as a member, an Advisory Board member, one of our Partner funding organizations, or as someone considering membership, thank you. Thank you for sharing your time and talent with our organization. The League continues to be a well-respected leader whose focus is on building a stronger community for the future of Lakeland.

Thank you for your support.

My very best,

Callie 5

COMMUNITY OUTREACH The Junior League benefits greatly from thoughtful input of community members.

Thus, the League established a new Community Advisory Board to advise, guide and celebrate the direction and accomplishments of the League.

The League intentionally sought Advisory Board members who have strong community involvement, a passion for the League, and also various professional and personal backgrounds where their feedback could move the League into swift action to meet great community needs. Advisory Board Members were invited to attend two meetings during the year, assist in judging the Lakeland Christmas Parade, support the Women of Excellence campaign and host a roundtable discussion at our April General Membership Meeting.

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A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR 2018-2019 COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS: Ashley Barnett Philanthropist & Junior League Active Member

Amy Laderer Southern Homes & Junior League Sustaining Member

Nancy Cattarius Hall Communications

Chrisane Long Maximize Digital Media

Matt Clark Broadway Real Estate Services

Dana Moore Judge

Greta Dupuy Publix Super Markets & United Way of Central Florida Merissa Green Polk County School Board Daniel Haight Lakeland Regional Health

Our April General Membership Meeting was a wonderful evening of educating our members through roundtable discussions on the current state of affairs in three areas of interest to the League: Women & Children’s Wellness, led by Daniel Haight assisted by Nancy Cattarius School Readiness, led by Merissa Green Lakeland Economic Forecast, led by Steve Scruggs assisted by Matt Clark, Bill Schichtel and Chrissanne Long

Gina Saunders Gaines Jewelers & Junior League Sustaining Member Bill Schichtel Heath Funeral Chapel Steve Scruggs Lakeland Economic Development Council

READY TO READ ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON READING, THE SINGLE MOST SIGNIFICANT FACTOR INFLUENCING A CHILD’S EARLY EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS IS AN INTRODUCTION TO BOOKS AND BEING READ TO AT HOME PRIOR TO BEGINNING SCHOOL.

Due to an abundance of literacy-focused programs for school-aged children, and with feedback from community stakeholders, Ready to Read revamped their program to focus on educating parents and caregivers on the value of early literacy and to provide a tool-kit for in-home literacy success of children birth to five years old in the Greater Lakeland community.

To support this new initiative, our League partnered with the Learning Resource Center on the development of a curriculum to be used by Junior League volunteers.

Training on this newly formed curriculum occurred on November 10th with nearly a dozen Junior League members The League hosted our first Ready to Read event on Tuesday, March 12 at the Salvation Army HALO Center with approximately 68 children and caregivers. During this interactive workshop, trained League volunteers conducted an educational training, craft time, we provided a nutritious meal, and each child was sent home

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with a bag including two books and associated activities. The two books provided for this workshop were ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?’ and ‘A Ball for Daisy.’ One very special piece of this training is that ‘A Ball for Daisy’ is a book with no words but a fun storyline, thus allowing a child’s imagination to be engaged regardless of the caregivers comfort in reading.

With the aim of taking this program into the community where children and their families are able to attend easily, the Board voted to approve a partnership with the Lakeland Public Library. Partnering with the Library allows the League to easily host events at any of their sites, leverage Library resources, and invites a Library representative to each Ready to Read event to provide long term access to free books by signing up for a library card.

The next Ready to Read event is schedule for April 25 at 6 PM at the Larry Jackson Library. This event is free and open to the community.

READING IS FUNDAMENTAL Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) continues to provide opportunities for children to experience the life-changing impact of reading.

Each year, the League distributes approximately 10,000 books to Title 1 Elementary Schools in our community.

This Spring, we have distributed books to Jesse Keen, Crystal Lake, Griffin Elementary, Oscar J Pope, Philip O’Brien, Socrum Elementary, Medulla Elementary and Southwest Elementary. Thank you to all our volunteers who participated in this year’s RIF distributions.

MEMBER WELLNESS SPOTLIGHT PART OF THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF GREATER LAKELAND’S MISSION IS PROMOTING OVERALL WELLNESS OF BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY. Within our League, we have many women, members and sustainers, that take this mission to heart and foster these ideals in their daily lives. They are often applauded for their efforts and inspire our membership to continually strive for healthier, happier lives.

ORANGETHEORY FITNESS Splat Points may seem like something from a 90s Nickelodeon show, but when it comes to Orangetheory Fitness it’s actually a metric that you track during your workout.

Orangetheory is based on the science of EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.

The idea is that during periods of work, if you challenge your body at the right intensity, your body will work harder to recover oxygen lost during exercise throughout the recovery period. The workouts are no more than one hour, but the results include burning calories long after your workout is over.

Many of our members are also members at Orangetheory. Jessica Brown (A), Kathleen Miller (A), Tracy DiCesare (A), Molly Vazquez (A), Ellen Sharpe (A), Kelcie Harris (A), and Alexandria Taylor (m) are part of the Orangetheory gang and often hold each other accountable to go to class. They even motivate each other during the workouts.

“Exercise is NOT fun for me, but OrangeTheory IS effective. Seeing ‘my girls’ there definitely makes it more enjoyable. There are some mornings that the only reason I force myself out of bed to go is because I know one of them is expecting me to be there.” - Jessica HAKA FITNESS Looking for something customized to your needs related to health and wellness? Haka Fitness might be your perfect fit.

Emily Plank (m) started going this year in her Fit By 30 initiative, where she incorporated healthy habits into her lifestyle in order to make her health a priority and hopefully become fitter by her 30th birthday.

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“By incorporating physical activity into my daily routine, it makes it easy to just go to the gym,” Emily says. She even commits to walk Lake Hollingsworth a couple times a week to keep moving regularly.

Haka incorporates a personal training feel, focusing on the individual’s approach to health and wellness as it relates to their needs. Utilizing natural movement like pushing, pulling and lateral movements, they strengthen the body in ways that are beneficial to overall wellness.

RUNNING Running is one of the most affordable and beneficial exercises we can do as humans.

Within the League, we have many runners who all have goals they’re working towards at varying levels.

Abby Campos (A) and Nicole Minott (A) run several half marathons a year, including Gasparilla in February. They usually prepare by running Lake Hollingsworth or at Circle B. Hannah George (A) recently completed her first 10k and is signed up for her first half next year.

“When I’m out for a run, I consider that my time to do something for me,” says Hannah. “As women, we spend so much of our time dedicating our efforts to others that we care about, it’s easy to forget that we need to care about ourselves as well. Running is my self care.”

The Lakeland Runners Club is also another excellent way to get involved in the running community. Your fees include membership meetings once a month and also include a voucher for one race hosted by LRC. CROSSFIT Double unders, WODs, boxes and chippers seem like a lot of vocabulary for a workout.

Chances are, you might have seen The Crossfit Games competitions on television, seeing very fit people doing incredible things like climbing vertical walls or lifting twice their body weight in a very short amount of time. And you might think, “I could never do that.”

Then there’s Ashley Link (S) who, after attending a “Friends and Family” day at a local Crossfit affiliate seven years ago, found Crossfit as a way to better herself physically, emotionally and spiritually. She even completed a 24-hour military-boot-camp-style “Go Ruck” challenge, during which she carried ruck sacks filled with bricks while completing team challenges and crazy obstacles.

“When I arrived for the class, I pictured everyone inside doing handstand push-ups,” Ashley says, “so I had to give myself a pep talk in my car, and I told myself, ‘You’re too old to be embarrassed or nervous!’ I walked through those doors and haven’t looked back.”

Her favorite part about her Crossfit experience: the members. “[They] are supportive and encouraging, and not just with CrossFit, with life. It doesn’t matter where you are in your fitness journey, the idea is that you continue to better yourself. The competition revolves around beating the previous you, not the person next to you. It’s a fun atmosphere when the last person to finish is the person who is most cheered for.”

WOMAN OF EXCELLENCE CAMPAIGN THE LEAGUE HOSTED THE INAUGURAL WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE CAMPAIGN THIS SPRING TO HONOR EXTRAORDINARY AND INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR COMMUNITY. This campaign celebrates the achievements of women who are activists, trailblazers and role models with high ethical standards and a strong sense of community responsibility.

Throughout the month of March, the League solicited nominations of women who: 1. demonstrate high ethical standards personally 2. are a recognized role model 3. have a strong sense of community responsibility, and 4. are outstanding in her contributions within her community Upon receiving nominations, a committee of League volunteers conducted a letter writing campaign acknowledging these women with the intention of flooding our community with appreciation and recognition for their tireless contributions.

Nomination for women to receive letters will remain open year-round. Nominations may be submitted online at jlgl.org.

ProAm PARTY & TOURNAMENT

FUNDING UPDATE As we prepare to close out this year, we are reminded of the impact our organization has had in our community through our philanthropic outreach. From our successful community projects to our signature fundraising events, we have raised the funds necessary to positively impact and better our community. Thank you for entrusting the League to be good stewards of your finances so that we can make a positive impact in our community.

To our active and sustaining members, thank you for your ongoing support of our Annual Appeal. Each year, you give generously to the League and we thank you for that support.

As we prepare for the end of the year, we have asked our membership to once again consider ‘Rounding up for Reading’ when renewing their membership. You may have seen this request on your Spring Banquet invitation or as an option available on jlgl.org. It’s simply a catchy appeal to give generously above your membership renewal as a commitment to our mission.

No amount is too small, we are thankful for your gift of $5, $25 or $50; every gift is funneled directly to our community programs.

As the Funding Committee begins to work to ensure another successful year, please let us know if you’d like more information about our annual appeal, partnership opportunities or fundraisers for the coming year.

THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS outhern Homes S Publix Super Markets Charities • Mid-State Industrial Maintenance • The Lunz Group • AgAmerica Lending • Nick and Ashley Barnett • Gaines Jewelers & The Saunders Family • Hall Communications • Harrell Family Charities • American Vulkan Corporation • Bank of Central Florida • Bella Visage • Cover to Cover Girl’s Book Club • Dentistry for Children: Dr. Bopp & Dr. Tarver • DJ Cory Barron • Emily Plank Photography • •

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ive-Star Family F Growers • Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation • Frescos • Tiffany & Bill Kilpatrick • Kim & John Lafferty • Miller Law, P.A. • Callie & Zach Miller • The Mortgage Firm South • Regal Automotive • Rooms To Go •

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The Ruthvens

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Sale Insurance

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outhern Glass S Products

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Strickland Construction

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Sunshine Urgent Care

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Payne Air Conditioning

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Pete Gill Filmmaker

LIC: AAC001580

Architecture l Interior Design

NICK & ASHLEY BARNETT

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Celebrating the birth of Jack son of Tori (A) and John Bateman Aubrielle daughter of Heather (A) and Mario Jones

MEMBERSHIP NOTES April Corresponding Report 30 Provisionals 132 Actives 338 Sustaining Members 37 Sustaining Members Emeritus In Memory of

Congratulations to Michelle Hinds (A) on being awarded the Silver Medal Award from the American Advertising Federation (AAF) of Polk County Alyss Ruster (A) on being named Teacher of the Year for the Achievement Academy Sara Roberts McCarley (S) on being elected to the Lakeland City Commission Christina Criser (S) on being named CEO of United Way of Central Florida

Juanita Black (SE) Pauline Brennan (SE) Betsye Kay Finch (SE) Kami Lawson (S) Best Wishes to Katherine Sultenfuss (A) on her recent marriage to Matthew Schichtel Molly Vasquez (A) on her recent marriage to Kyle Vinson Katherine Schichtel (A) on her recent marriage to Brad Rogers Sydney Fazio (A) on her recent marriage to Cole Springer Ellen Sharpe (A) on her recent marriage to Mark Cruz

If you have member news you would like us to share in future newsletters, please email news@jlgl.org.

To rent the historic Sorosis Building for your next event, visit JuniorLeagueSorosisBuilding.com or email us at rentals@jlgl.org.

PO BOX 8797 | LAKELAND, FL 33806

863.682.2112 | JLGL.ORG |

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SpringBanquet 20

MAY 7

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L A K E L A N D C O U N T RY C LU B 5pm Sustaining Member Meeting • 5:30pm Cocktail Hour Join us as we announce the first recipient of the Sarah D McKay Award!