January 2021
J U N I O R
L E A G U E
G A L V E S T O N
C O U N T Y
CONTENT
A Message from JLGC President - 2
Get to Know New Members - 3 Board - 4 Sustainer President -6 Chair spotlight - 6 Community
- 7
CASA Bags Adopt-a-School Mainland
League Initiatives DEI Task Force - 8 21 Day Challenge - 9
Message from the President This year has certainly brought its share of surprises and challenges for all of us. It has been no different in the League! We may be meeting virtually and finding it frustrating not to be together, but what has not changed is the commitment our volunteers have to strengthening and serving our community. We are finding new ways to roll with the tide and seeking out new ways to serve. So far this year, Junior Junior League members and Junior League volunteers have assisted in planting a school garden at Oppe Elementary and helped with community gardening days with the Young Gardeners Program. Done in a Day has distributed more than 500 books at community gatherings. Adopt a School Island and Mainland have distributed more than 1,000 books to students so far this year. Members have contributed and gathered needed items for children in the foster care system; as well as, seniors in our community. The League collected holiday gifts for 45 deserving children in Galveston County. Our volunteers have committed more than 900 hours to Galveston County and to League development, and we’re just getting started! The Fund Development team has been hard at work brainstorming fundraising ideas in these challenging times. They have come up with some unique ideas, so stay tuned as to how you can support the Junior League of Galveston County in the Spring. Members have been fervently working on the League and its mission, as well. We are examining new ways to assist our members in personal and leadership development. Our members will be equipped with the skills needed to not only serve the League, but also other non-profits and organizations in the county. We are taking this socially distanced time to remember where we have been, and to focus on where the League is going and how we can best serve our members and our community moving forward.
Amanda Hancock President, 2020-21 Junior League of Galveston County, Inc.
Get to know... New Members This is Sarah (Spicer) Loveless. She has lived most of her life in Seattle, but for the last 4 years, she has lived in Friendswood. Currently she's an Accounting/Business Analyst for a pipeline company, but she plans to make the transition into Real Estate within the next year. She decided to join JLGC because she was excited about the opportunity to help others through volunteering and to meet new friends, all while expanding my professional skill set. She has been married to her husband for two years, and they are new parents to Blair, their six month old baby girl. She also has a two year old German Shepherd mix rescue pup. A Fun fact about her is that she loves hiking, camping, four-wheeling, surfing, and anything else that she can do outdoors.
Board I am Kelsi W. Sullivan, the Membership Vice President this year, but I will be a management team position next year. I have completed 7 years, this will may my 8th year in total. My provisional years were 2013-14. The positions I've held are: MVP- 2020-21, Nominating Placement Chair 2019-20, Communications committee member 2018-19, Nominating Placement Committee Member & JJL placement member 2017- 18, Sponsor Party Chair- 2016-17, Administrative Services Chair 2015-16, Patient Perks placement member and Administrative Services committee member 2014-15, New member 2013-14. I am a BOI (born on the island); however, I have lived all over the county so I have an appreciation for all of the different areas our League represents. (I went to Port Bolivar Elementary K-8, Clear Creek High School 9-12, earned a B.S. from Texas A&M University & M.S. in Behavioral Brain Sciences- Speech Language Pathology at University of Texas at Dallas).
My current occupations are Speech Language Pathologist at River Kids Pediatrics, Wife, caregiver & GYB consultant as needed. I joined the league because I wanted to continue a tradition of helping improve my community and support local families. My aunt, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law and extended family members have all participated in the League over several years. I also wanted to do something beyond the normal workday that would help me meet other motivated ladies hoping to improve our local communities. JLGC, inc is a great place for me because I have lived all over this county for most of my life and I have a deep connection to the area and people here. When I'm not doing my League duties, I enjoy fishing, equestrian, wildlife preservation and animal husbandry are hobbies that dual as family businesses. I enjoy exercise, running outside, riding my bicycle, and participating in group yoga or dance. I love to garden and watch the fighting Texas Aggies, especially when we win football games! A fun fact about me that not many people know is that I am one of four people to win the Texas Rice Festival Senior Queen and Junior Queen Scholarships at the Winnie, Texas Rice Festival. A guilty pleasure of mine is eating Nutella and gummy bears, but not at the same time. I also love a good pedicure/spa day.
Sustainer President I am Kelly Carnes Johns and served as President of the JLGC the year of 2007 - 2008, the year Hurricane Ike hit. Later that summer, Marjorie Kovacevich had started her year as president (2008-2009), and she did a fabulous job, by the way. I served in many leadership positions in the league before becoming president. I think my favorite was Membership Development. Currently, I am past president on the board. I joined the league in 1997 and went sustaining in 2009. I am originally from Galveston, TX but have lived in Atlanta, GA and other Texas cities before coming back to this area. I currently live in Texas City. I retired from TCISD 2 years ago as Lead Speech and Language Pathologist. I continue to contract as needed. After retirement my brother, Carnes Funeral Home, asked me to come work for him in PR and Marketing. This is totally opposite of anything I have ever done but I love it. One of my favorite co-workers, who became a great friend got me involved in the league. I have made so many friends in the league and have loved serving alongside of them. After leaving the league I have volunteered in positions with various organizations such as The Grand Opera House, TCLM Chamber of Commerce, Galveston Chamber of Commerce, League City Chamber of Commerce, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo/Galveston Mainland Go Texan Committee, First Baptist Church Texas City and many others. I am married to Dennis Johns and have two sons, Christian and Parker. I met my husband on a cruise in 1989. He lived in Atlanta, GA and I lived in Houston. We saw each other 3 times and got engaged and saw each other 3 more times and got married June 9, 1990. (This is the short version of my Loveboat experience.) My favorite JLGC event was my first JLGC convention in Nashville, TN with past presidents Kim Colombo and Teri Burchfield. This convention is when I fell in love with the league and what we do. The league taught me many skills that I have carried with me to other organizations.
Chair Spotlight
This is Ashleigh Engel, her league position is Junior Junior League Chair and this is her 1st year active. She grew up in Beaumont, TX and moved to Galveston county when she and her husband got engaged. She is an analyst and provides data auditing work in the energy sector. She got involved in the league because she was looking for a way to give back to the community and meet girlfriends. When she’s not helping in the league, school and work keeps her pretty busy, she likes to travel and bake when she finds free time. A fun fact about Ashleigh is that she’s also a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Houston Area. A guilty pleasure of hers is watching cheesy romantic comedies, especially at Christmas time. Her favorite JLGC event to this day is Adoption Day because she got to make kids feel special who have had such a rough start to life. She says that the League has impacted her life by making her feel good about how she spends her free time, knowing that she’s making a difference in her community is a great feeling.
Community
CASA Bags Day 1 Bags donate bags to organizations like JLGC with the goal that the bags become filled with items for children in the foster system. Our league helped fill over 50 bags for children within the foster system. Bags were filled with necessity items such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, and towels. We also included books, crayons, and games for the bags.
Adopt-A-School JJL had its first volunteer event 12 girls were in attendance. They stuffed 24 goodie bags for UTMB pediatrics and made bookmarks for special needs students at both adopt-a-school locations. Other events included making cards for nursing home patients in November and caroling to them in December when we deliver the cards.
League Initiatives DEI Task Force “The time is now. We must be intentional and proactive in our actions to build diverse and inclusive Junior Leagues… for the good of the community, the wellbeing of our society, the strength of our relationships, the magnitude of our impact, the scope of our visibility, the quality of our leadership, the reality of our relevance, and our essence as human beings.” -- the AJLI Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion page
The DEI Task Force falls under our Strategic Plan and includes a Recruitment and Retention team, Resource Management team, and Marketing Team. Michelle Cooney, Strategic Planning Chair, leads the Task Force with team leads Natalie Sharp (Recruitment and Retention), Ashleigh Engel (Resource Management), and CA-Lishea Woods (Marketing). Members can join one of the Task Force teams and their efforts to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the League and champion diversity, equity, and inclusion outside of the League.
The AJLI 21 Day Racial Equity Challenge is a way for members from across the country to meet together to learn more about race and diversity. During the Challenge, members read articles, watch videos, and hold open and honest discussions with their group members. Some of our members have had the opportunity to participate in the Challenge, including Board Member Rachel Mathers. She says, “AJLI’s 21-day Racial Equity Challenge is for everyone. The personal thoughts and conversations that occurred during this challenge were sometimes emotional, but in the end working through many contentious topics has made me more aware and hopefully more able to join in the efforts to bring meaningful changes.” Members can sign up for the January or February Challenge by going to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page under the Transformation menu on the AJLI website. “The Junior League welcomes all women who value our Mission. We are committed to inclusive environments of diverse individuals, organizations, and communities.” -AJLI Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Commitment Statement Like AJLI, the Junior League of Galveston County is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and is ready to act!
21 Day Challenge
21-Day Racial Equity Challenge
AJLI’s 21-day racial equity challenge is for everyone; it an opportunity to closely examine history as an individual and as a society. When I initially signed up for the challenge, I was uncertain about what to expect. I found myself with a group of strangers from different sized League’s, different backgrounds and
Registration Is Open: SIGN UP FOR FEBRUARY
different parts of the country that by the end I consider to be friends. The information provided by AJLI took the form of videos, stories, articles and
February Challenge
pictures that provided thought provoking discussion within my group and with my family and friends. On
Dates: February 15 – March 7 Capacity: 1500 participants Registration deadline: Thursday, February 4, 2021
days when there was too much going on or too much information to handle, the group provided each other grace and understanding. The personal thoughts and conversations that occurred during this challenge were sometimes emotional, but in the end working through many contentious topics has made me more aware and hopefully more able to join in the efforts to bring meaningful changes. “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better do better.”
- Maya Angelou
Happy New Year! WISHING YOU A SAFE AND HAPPY 2021