President’s Letter GREETINGS TEAM JLOC!
Nazette Zuhdi-Cleaver
MISSION The Junior League of Oklahoma City, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.
VISION The Junior League of Oklahoma City, Inc. will empower volunteers to impact our community and enrich lives.
FOCUS Women Building a Better Oklahoma City
So here we are, 88 years into serving Oklahoma City, and the Junior League of Oklahoma City continues to be relevant, a blessing to the community and, for those of us involved, a lot of fun. In fact, if I were to pick out a modern theme song for us, it might be the one from the LEGO movie: “Everything is awesome. Everything is cool when you’re part of a team.” I thought this was a great fit because I’ve been reflecting on this incredible group we have -- from Provisionals to Actives to Sustainers -- and thinking about us as “Team JLOC.” After all, a team only succeeds when each member plays her part. And within this group, we do. Consider this: from June 1 through the last week of August, we’ve already put in 284 hours of service, helping 871 children and 194 adults. And already we have five of our projects underway. As a couple examples: in our Pet Food Pantry project, we have an engaged group ready to take that project to the next level. They’re already working on ways to raise more awareness and get more vets involved. In the Wellness for Life project at Concordia Life Care Community, one of the favorite quotes from the night was when one of the senior citizens said “When I looked at you girls I didn’t know if I would like you - but you know what I think I am going to really like this.’” And to think, we’ve done all this when many of us are still just figuring out our way in JLOC! In my eyes, this is what happens when you focus on developing women into leaders. It leads to real transformation not only inside us as individuals, but in the community as well. And because of that, I couldn’t be more thrilled to point out that we have over 125 women in the Provisional class this year. It is being led by the talented Amy McDougall, PAT Chair. This group has participated in a teambuilding course and started their Provisional training courses. All this said, I believe an early congratulations is owed to Team JLOC. We have already accomplished so much and the summer just ended. But, we’re like any team early in a season: we have a long way to go and plenty more to do! Of course that includes our annual Mistletoe Market, to be held November 11-14, 2015 at Cox Convention Center in Downtown, OKC. We have over 115 merchants already committed to attending the event! Kelly Brown, Mistletoe Market Chair 2015, and the amazing Mistletoe Market Board, have been working tirelessly to make this event a huge success. They have many unique additions to this year’s event, like the VIP ticket for the Preview Party. This year also includes our newest fundraiser, Speaker in the City, being led by Alexis Lux, Chair, and her dedicated Speaker in the City Board. In my eyes, this is not just a chance for us to earn a great deal towards our charitable goals, but also to make a huge impact on our city as a whole. Be sure to mark January 31, 2016 on your calendars so you don’t miss it. I also continue to see each project and each gathering of the Team as another chance to lead not just from our minds or our sense of obligation, but from our hearts. The chance to know firsthand how good it feels to take care of others. This is a blessing I hope we all get to experience in the coming year. I am also so honored to be working with the 2015-2016 Board of Directors. These women are so gifted, committed and creative. I am thrilled to be on this journey with them. On a couple final but useful business notes, we have rebranded our Monday email. It’s now called “JLOC & ME.” So keep a lookout for that in your inbox. I would also like to extend a big thank you to our dedicated staff, Lynsi Franklin and Helen Jones, for all their hard work and commitment to JLOC. Finally and importantly, I simply want to thank all of you for your efforts, for your friendship, for your contributions to the Team, and for this opportunity to serve as President for the exciting year to come. With heartfelt gratitude,
Nazette Zuhdi-Cleaver, President 2015-2016
2 SEPTEMBER 2015