Board of Directors
President Emily Lindberg President-Elect Heather Zgaljardic Community Vice President Natili Monsrud Secretary Lindsey Serrette Communications Vice President Jessica Stautberg Finance Vice President Lauren Millo Fund Development Vice President Courtney Carnes Membership Vice President Pamela Petty Past President Lynsey Ginsberg
Our Mission
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) 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. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.
Articles for the next month’s edition of Tropical Topics are due to Ida Krause (idakrause@gmail.com) by the 20th of the month prior.
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In This Issue Page Page Page Page Page Page
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President’s Message Annual Dinner Provisional Project Member of the Month Community Corner Did you know?
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President’s Message I can hardly believe that this is my very last Tropical Topics President’s Message, and I have to be honest--it is truly bittersweet. On the one hand, I am thrilled to be passing the gavel to Heather Zgaljardic, our PresidentElect. She is so ready to take over the position and is prepared to take the League to great places. On the other hand, I am really going to miss this position! It has given me so many great opportunities and I have been able to meet so many great people both in and out of the League. I have loved (almost!) every minute of it. Thank you all! This last month has been very busy. The Provisionals have finished all of their requirements by completing their project at Gulf Healthcare Center in Galveston, we have chosen 10 extremely deserving high school senior girls that will each receive a $2000 scholarship from JLGC, we have chosen a new Adopt A School for Galveston Island (Shh! It’s a secret! We’ll tell you at Annual Dinner!), and Heather has been busy with the Board Retreat and Chair Training, just to name a few events. I said it in my incoming President’s speech, but I challenge everyone to get more involved every year. The more I have participated, the more I have enjoyed my time in the League. I hope everyone is planning on attending our fabulous “Wine-ding Down” of the League Year at the Haak Winery and Vineyards in Santa Fe on May 8th. Annual Dinner is always my favorite night of the League year and this one will not disappoint. It is such an exciting time: Provisionals becoming Active Members, Actives finding out their committees and placements and the end of the year awards! Once again, I sincerely thank you for allowing me to have this opportunity. It has been an honor to serve as President of the Junior League of Galveston County!
Happy Summer!
Emily Emily Lindberg President, 2016-2017 Mission Driven. Member Focused!
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Annual Dinner at Haak Winery
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Provisional Project This year's class took on a beautification project at Gulf Health Care Center in Galveston and did all of the heavy lifting and dirty work.
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Member of the Month Congratulations to March Member of the Month Ashley Group. Here is her beautiful nomination from a fellow league member. "This member is always willing to help in anyway necessary. She has learned a lot about a tough new position this year, and jumped in feet first. Even when tasks seemed completely overwhelming, she charged for it with a smile on her face. She is the first to offer to help and always completes her to find tasks quickly and accurately. I cannot imagine getting through this league year without this member on my team. I nominate Ashley Group as March Member of the Month."
"These women were able to pull off the extraordinary. Not only did they plan and execute a fun-filled event, but they did so with gusto, motivated their team, rebranded which created a stronger community connection, partnered with the community to bring in new participants while maintaining relationships with former partners, operated within the budget and guidelines, and made it all look effortless (P.S. we know it took lots of effort!). The successful event created more exposure for the League and helped us move our mission forward. They should be commended for their hard work, dedication, and true JLGC spirit." Congratulations to April's two members of the month Lacey Searcy and Jordan Lopez.
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Junior Junior Leaguers Mainland The Junior Junior League Mainland had a wonderful morning on Saturday April 8th soaking up the sunshine and helping out at The Providence Gardens at St. Christopher Episcopal Church in League City. The community garden helps feed local families in League City and also fresh vegetables and fruits from the gardens and orchard are donated to the Galveston County Food Bank. We were able to help out with cleaning up the gardens, weeding and planting seeds for future vegetables and fruit trees. We also were able to provide some much needed equipment and supplies for the Garden. The girls had a wonderful time and enjoyed sampling the fresh carrots, brussel sprouts and green beans from the gardens. Thank you to everyone who has helped out this year! We have had a wonderful time and had many enriching volunteer experiences. Jennifer Caffey Junior Junior League Mainland Chair
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Done in a Day The Done in a Day committee has had a busy month! In the beginning of the month we helped empower the women of Galveston County by volunteering at the Galveston Women's Conference. Our members helped with lots of aspects of the conference including set up, registration, and helping with the event throughout the day. Later on in the month we helped with the Easter basket breakdown at Shriner's Hospital for Children. Thank you to all members who volunteered at a Done in a Day event this year! We would not have been able to have so many successful events without you! Your generosity and willingness to give back has helped make Galveston County a better place!
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Why Do We Volunteer? By
AJLI Editorial Staff April 25, 2017: http://blog.ajli.org/civic-leadership/2017/04/whydo-we-volunteer/ In the U.S., April has the distinction of celebrating voluntarism twice, and in two ways. National Volunteer Month honors the function itself while National Volunteer Week, celebrated in the last week of April, provides an opportunity for individual organizations to recognize their volunteers and the value they create in their communities. There’s no doubt that voluntarism is going strong in the U.S. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an estimated 62.6 million Americans volunteered through or for an organization at least once in the year ended September 2015. But voluntarism is not just celebrated in the U.S. Take Canada, which also names the last week in April as National Volunteer Week. In 2013, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 12.7 million people, or 44% of all Canadians, aged 15 years and older, participated in some form of volunteer work. In 2017, several volunteer organizations created the Canada 150 for 150 Volunteer Challenge. In conjunction with the 150th anniversary of Canada, the goal of the challenge is to have all Canadians volunteer 150 hours during the year. In the UK, Volunteers’ Week (June 1-7) celebrates the contributions made by millions of volunteers there. Data from 2014/2015 show that just over one in four British adults volunteered formally at least once per month; taking into account informal volunteering – giving unpaid help to people who are not relatives – the number jumps to 34%. In Singapore, Giving Week is held each December, when corporations, non-profits and individuals across the country come together to make a difference through donations, fundraising and events. In Australia, National Volunteer Week is held in May to acknowledge the tremendous contribution of the 6 million Australians who volunteer each year.
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And, according to the website for the United Nations’ International Volunteer Day (December 5), community volunteers worldwide number one billion. While there is no one source for data on why people around the globe volunteer their time, studies by the Corporation for National & Community Service provide these insights about American voluntarism: The urge to volunteer crosses all age groups, educational levels, and other major demographic characteristics, although women volunteer at a higher rate than men. Education levels are also a factor, with persons with a bachelor’s degree and higher more likely to provide professional or management assistance or to tutor or teach than volunteers with less education. Among the most popular reasons for volunteering are tutoring or teaching; mentoring youth; collecting, preparing or distributing food; and fundraising or selling items to raise money. And nearly 80% of volunteers donate their own funds to charity, compared to 40% of non-volunteers. So, clearly, there is no one reason why we volunteer. But the result is undeniable…volunteers in large numbers around the world can be counted on to provide critical support to nonprofit, civic, and faith-based organizations by freely offering their time, skills, and monetary support. P.S. – Ever wonder how much your time as a volunteer is “worth”? Well, the Independent Sector’s 2016 estimate for U.S. volunteer activity is just out and that authoritative organization pegs it at $24.14 an hour!
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