December 2014 • Issue 5
In This Issue: • October ODI • 2014 Holiday Shoppes Recap • Sectionals • JLS Books Club • Member Development • Sustainer News • Kudos • Phase I & II Paperwork • Meeting Briefs • SPECIAL INSERT: 2013 – 2014 Report to the Community
MARK YOUR CALENDARS December 1: Phase I Paperwork Due • E-mail to Nominating Advisor
December 6: Sustainer Pie Making
• 9 am – Noon • Blessed Sacrament Parish Center
December 9: Holiday GMM
• Social: 6 pm; Meeting: 6:30 pm • Genesee Grande Hotel • $15/person; RSVP by Dec. 3
December 16: Board Meeting
• Social: 5:30 pm; Meeting: 6 pm • JLS Office
December 16: Hanukkah December 25: Christmas January 1: Happy New Year! January 13: GMM
• Social: 6 pm; Meeting: 6:30 pm • JLS Office
January 20: Board Meeting
• Social: 5:30 pm; Meeting: 6 pm • JLS Office
Junior League October ODI
Kseniya Hogan and Liz Lane represented the Junior League at ODI (Organizational Development Institute) in Kansas City, MO, on October 24th to the 26th. Here is what they had to say: First of all, we want to thank the Board for giving us the opportunity to attend such an amazing event. Not only did we receive some invaluable training, but we were truly inspired! We were able to meet so many great women from all around the country, and hear their experiences in the Junior League. It is truly breathtaking to see such a large group of women at one place for the purpose of bettering themselves and the community they reside in. We were able to hear from great speakers with years of experience in the Junior League, and the non-profit. Susan Danish, the AJLI Executive Director, spoke about how we respond to change and how we can use our change preferences to work with others. Research shows that people demonstrate one of three preferences when creating or reacting to change: Conserver, Originator, or Pragmatist. Conservers prefer the known to the unknown, originators are idea people who prefer a faster approach to change, and pragmatists, usually the mediators between conservers and originators, fall somewhere in the middle. By understanding your preference you can adapt your preferred style for a situation in order to be most effective. Something I’m sure everyone in the League could benefit from, considering we are always faced with change (rotating positions). Vicki Clark presented about diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence. “The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences”. We have to move beyond tolerance. Diversity does not simply or automatically occur in the League. Organizations must become inclusive by working in intentional ways to increase benefits and satisfaction for all stakeholders
and for the institution. Food for thought! Georgia Quatman Lynch, a sustainer in the Kansas City League, gave a heart-warming talk about her years of experience in the League, and what it did for her in her life. Because of the skills she developed in the league, she was asked to help with raising funds to restore the dilapidated Union Station, once a landmark in Kansas City that had been left abandoned for years. Georgia, along with her fellow Junior League friends, spent years fundraising and holding events, and were able to take part in bringing the old Union Station back to life in 1999! They were also able to build a science museum next door! What an accomplishment! Kseniya went on to learn about Diversified Fund Development with Carol Scott while Liz took the Governing for Excellence track with Anne Dalton. In the Diversified Fund Development track, we learned about moving away from traditional fundraising to diversified funding. We spoke about the importance of believing in our mission and vision, and letting that show when we are building relationships
The Junior League of Syracuse, Inc. • The NOTES • December 2014 | 1