Spring 2016
MOUNTAIN MESSAGES FROM THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF CHARLESTON, WV
President’s Message Tiffany Hoke, JLC President My first President’s Message this year included a story about our Sustainers reflecting on lessons they learned in the JLC. I challenged our current active members to find what they were enthusiastic about so that we could have legacies many years from now that are equally as meaningful and memorable. I would like to share a few hallmarks from my Presidency of which you may not be aware: • I insisted we have two guest speakers at the General Membership Meetings. As a result, the first meeting was 90 minutes long and people had to leave early. The following month, I figured it had been a fluke with our speakers and decided to try having two speakers again. The meeting was 90 minutes long again. • I decided our board meetings were not always productive and that we didn’t need to have one every month. Two months later, I polled the whole board on what we should do and found out most of them thought we should meet every month. • This Spring, I referred to a copy of our placements that wasn't final and assigned two people from the fundraiser committee to another task. Then, when our Ronald McDonald House committee needed extra help, I moved another person off the spring fundraiser committee and left us short-handed.
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Spring 2016 • Last month I offered to print the Sustainer rosters for mailing – the volume of which caused the JLC office copier to overheat. When I tried to finish the printing at my office, I put a page break in the wrong place and cut part of last names S-V. While this list is a little self-deprecating (and I’m sure many people could add to it), each of these incidents contributed to the major takeaway of my JLC Presidency: The legacy of a leader is not necessarily what she does or how much she knows, but what the whole group is able to learn and accomplish together. I made my share of mistakes and bad decisions this year – usually when I didn’t take the time to listen to people around me before acting. But when I allowed our members to do what they thought was best and to take ownership of what they were enthusiastic about, things turned out right every time. Our board worked till the very end, spending extra time to document instructions and processes so we will have consistency going forward and reliable records for the future. Our Fall Provisional class and our tireless Spring fundraiser chairs made Women on the Move a huge success – trying a new format and doing more work with fewer people. Our membership as a whole was on fire! We added new community partners, expanded backpack buddies and took on the Ronald McDonald playhouse project – a combination which allowed us to contribute nearly double the number of service hours from previous years. We had more social activities, we are on the verge of needing a larger space for our GMMs and we had a virtually balanced budget for the first time in years. By every measurable metric, this was a great year. It was great in a lot of ways that can't be measured as well, as I watched so many of you take on new tasks, develop new skills and build relationships I know will last for many years. I want to offer a personal word of thanks to all our active members for your patience, your friendship and your grace. You made my time as President a pleasure and I can’t wait to see you in August!
Junior League of Charleston 2016-2017 Scholarship Winner Each year, the Junior League of Charleston, along with the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, recognizes high school seniors who have participated to an exceptional degree in volunteer activities. A student is awarded the Rebecca Dickinson Goldsmith Scholarship Fund based on the number of her volunteer hours, as well as the quality of the service performed.The 2016-2017 scholarship went to Lauren Stricker, a senior from South Charleston High School, in the amount of $1,200.00. She will be using her scholarship to fulfill her dreams and attend Marshall University. She will be majoring in Elementary Education and is interested in Early Childhood Development. Congratulations, Lauren!!! 2
Spring 2016
Junior League of Charleston Mission “Our Commitment is Our Community”
The League provides volunteers and funding to area non-profit agencies for both the benefit of our community and the enrichment of our member volunteers.
Volunteers saturate Charleston’s nonprofit environment and contribute thousands of hours annually to the League's projects and programs, enhancing the lives of Charleston children and their families.
In addition to volunteer services, the Junior League of Charleston fundraisers and provides grant money to local non-profit agencies - meeting many critical area needs and improving the overall well-being of Charleston.
We completed over 400 volunteer hours this year!!! Our Mission The Junior League of Charleston 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. Our purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. We reach out to women of all races, religions, or national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism.
We are continuing to work on the integrity of our database, especially as it relates to Sustainers. Do you know any Sustainers? If you could reach out to see if they received our recent letter, or could check to make sure we have their current contact information, please let us know! Contact Laura Suppa (lmsuppa@gmail.com) if you have questions or thoughts.
New Website! The JLC will be rolling out a new website format very soon! Please check back to
www.jlcharlestonwv.org to see our updated site!
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Spring 2016
Spring Fundraiser - Women on the Move Laura Boone and Meagan Shelton, Spring Fundraiser Chair
The third annual Women on the Move to promote female entrepreneurs and business leaders was a great success! The two-day event began Friday, April 15th, with an evening Preview Party and Networking Reception spotlighting the contributions of female entrepreneurs at the Art Emporium in downtown Charleston. The event continued on Saturday, April 16th, at the Four Points by Sheraton with the Women on the Move Marketplace featuring unique custom goods or services from local women-owned businesses and the Junior League Thrift Boutique made a debut appearance thanks to the generous donations from JLC members and sustainers! Funds raised by Women on the Move go to support the Backpack Buddies Program. All in all, the total amount raised from this year’s Women on the Move was approximately $7,000 ($5,475 after expenses), with $3,500 of that total from sponsorships. Let’s work to increase this total next year! Thank you to all the Sponsors, Vendors, and WOTM volunteers and participants!
Sponsors: Championing Women and Children ($1000)
- Suttle and Stalnaker CPAs Insipiring Women and Children ($500)
- Art Emporium - BrickStreet Insurance - Thomas Health Systems Supporting Women and Children ($250)
- Charles Ryan Associates - Greene, Ketchum, Farrell, Bailey, & Tweel - Lyne Ranson Law Offices - RBC Wealth Management - Sallie Hart, Realtor - Simpson Dental Associates
Vendors: -
Beadunique by Kari I Love Nice People J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works Jennifer Having Fun K. Nicole Jewelry Kanawha City Yarn Co. Knight Vites LuLaRose Merideth Young Morgan Rhea Still Maybe Studios Virginia Lee
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Spring 2016
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Spring 2016
Community Project - Ronald McDonald House Playroom Katie Thompson-Berger, President-Elect
In November 2015, the JLC voted to expand our involvement with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern West Virginia and sponsor the playroom in the new house to be built near CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital.
The construction of the new Ronald McDonald House is well underway and so is the planning by our RMH Playroom Committee. Members of the committee walked through the new house and were able to stand inside the framed playroom. It was very exciting! It seems fitting that the West Virginia Outdoors was chosen as the theme for the room. The centerpiece of the room will be a wooden Grist Mill, built entirely from a West Virginia Sugar Maple that was recently removed from Ritter Park in Huntington. The Grist Mill will be an impressive 8' in length, 4' in depth, and nearly 7 1/2' in height, with two steps leading up to a functional porch for children to play on and inside. The committee has set up an Amazon Wishlist for items for the room, such as books, puzzles, board games, play kitchen items, and blocks to name a few. The list will be shared with sustainers in the hopes that all items will be purchased for the room. Thus far $1,000 has been donated directly to RMH from various supporters specifically for the playroom. However, we have a long way to go in our fundraising eorts! The committee is in the process of compiling a list of potential sponsors and donors and will begin contacting them in the coming months. Once the playroom is complete we are planning a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Ronald McDonald House with sustainers, active members, provisionals, sponsors, and donors on the invite list. The projected completion date is August 1, 2016. If you are interested in joining the committee for this project, please contact Katie Thompson-Berger (katieberger111@gmail.com) or Megan Knight (megan@yourknightvision.com) for more information. 6
Spring 2016
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Spring 2016
Signature Project - Backpack Buddies Chloe Kamm Castleman, Signature Project Chair
In March 2015, the JLC voted to continue our efforts with the Backpack Buddies project and make this cause our new Signature Project. Our partner school has been the King Center Pre-K, where we have provided the students with supplemental nutrition bags at least two weekends per month. Since we started the program in 2014, we have stuffed almost 2,000 backpacks for our little buddies. We look forward to expanding the program in the coming years to include dentalhealth items and books, as well as helping other community organizations mirror our program at additional schools. The need for this project is great and we’re excited and honored to help expand the program in our region. At this time, each Backpack Buddy bag includes an individual cereal, cheese or peanut butter crackers, animal crackers, a pudding, a fruit cup, an applesauce & a juice box. Please contact Nicki Holly (nw.holly@gmail.com) if you have any questions or ideas for this project.
Donations of regular sized plastic grocery bags, food, and/or monetary donations are continually needed in order to continue to expand this project. Please continue to bring donations for Backpack Buddies to monthly GMM’s as we are not only continuing this program, but hoping to expand it. Donations of individual cereal, cheese and peanut butter crackers, animal crackers, pudding, fruit cups, applesauce and juice would be appreciated. Buying in bulk is preferred; however, if you do not shop at a bulk supplier, we would appreciate financial contributions of any size. 8
Spring 2016
Calendar of Events Laura Suppa Sammons, JLC Newsletter Editor
March Social Event - March 6 A Sip & Shop was held at White House Black Market where JLC members sipped drinks and shopped until they dropped - enjoying some great group discounts! Thank you to Membership VP, Kara Boehm, for organizing such a fun event!
Bob Burdette Easter Dinner Service - March 16 Due to the popularity of the Thanksgiving Dinners with the children of the Bob Burdette Centers and JLC members, an Easter Dinner was held with ham, mashed potatoes, rolls, and lots of other delicious sides and desser
Food Donations: Nicki Holly, Chelsea Ketron, Kortney Major, Tara Markham, Jennifer Sayre, Kathleen Weekley Volunteer Food Servers: Lindsay Bolar, Tiany Hoke, Nicki Holly, Chelsea Ketron, Kathleen Weekley 9
Spring 2016
Backpack Buddies Fundraiser - March 19 In support of our signature Backpack Buddies project, a Spring Festival with the Easter Bunny was held at First Presbyterian Church. Children and their families made Easter crafts and took pictures with the Easter Bunny.
Volunteers: (top) Katie Thompson-Berger, Katie Hicklin, Chelsea Ketron, Hillary Homburg, Jennifer Casto, (bottom) Nicki Holly, Easter Bunny, Tiany Hoke
Sustainer Christen Simpson Raynes’ son Ben had fun with the Easter Bunny!
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Spring 2016
May Dinner - May 24 The JLC May Dinner was held at JQ Dickinson Salt-Works in Malden, WV, and catered by the South Hills Market. 2015-2016 President Tiany Hoke presented some very creative gifts to the outgoing board and passed the torch to 2016-2017 President Katie Thompson-Berger and the new board. The JLC also celebrated newly sustaining members Tatem Grimm and Tara Markham!
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Spring 2016
2015-2016 Board Members
New Sustainers: Tatem Grimm & Tara Markham
2016-2017 Board Members
Spring 2016 Provisional Class Meghann Caldwell and Ashley Oldaker, JLC Provisional Co-Chairs Through a spring season of bad weather and cancellations, the Spring 2016 Provisional Class was able to come together to throw a pizza party and game night at the Davis Child Shelter on May 18, 2016. Please welcome Angelica Armstrong, Maggie Burrus, Ashley Dannewitz, Eva Eddy, Alex Mahaffey, and Emily Spradling to the Junior League of Charleston!
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Spring 2016
Upcoming Events June 6/10 - Friday, 6pm, Meeting for 2016-2017 Board Members, TBD 6/11 - Saturday, 9am-12pm, 2016-2017 Board Retreat, The Ridges Clubhouse
July TBD
August 8/13 - Saturday, 6-10pm, Girls Night Out hosted by the YWCA, WV Culture Center TBD - Fall Welcome Party
*** Send pictures from any event/service activity/meeting to: Ashley Noland ***
2016-2017 Board Members President: Katie Thompson-Berger President-Elect: Jennifer Sayre Secretary: Laura Suppa Sammons Treasurer: Maggie Payne Treasurer-Elect: Bethany Belding Membership Vice President: Allison Keller Community Vice President: Meagan Shelton  Communications Vice President: Ashley Noland Ways & Means Vice President: Megan Knight Director-At-Large: Kara Boehm Nominating Chair: Lindsey McIntosh Placement Chair: Jenna Everhart Provisional Development Co-Chairs: Jordan Martin & Michelle Johnson Placement Advisors: Kristin Moody, Laura Boone, Jenny Herrald, Jennifer Casto, Hillary Homburg, Julie Miller Sustainer Advisor: Mrs. Alice Abernethy
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Spring 2016
2015-2016 Board Members President: Tiffany Hoke President-Elect: Katie Thompson-Berger Secretary: Katherine Mullins Treasurer: E. Kassie Moore Grishaber Treasurer-Elect: Maggie Payne Membership Vice President: Kara Boehm Community Vice President: Nicki Holly Communications Vice President: Lauren Jarvis Shah Ways & Means Vice President: Lindsey McIntosh Director-At-Large: Brandi Conroy Nominating Chair: Tiffany Gregory Placement Chair: Jenny Herrald Provisional Development Co-Chairs: Meghann Caldwell & Ashley Oldaker Sustainer Advisor: Ms. Amy Swann
Social Media Lauren Jarvis Shah, Communications Chair
Closed Facebook group: Public Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1558587871088120/ https://www.facebook.com/jlchas
Instagram:
@jlofcharleston
Twitter:
@JLCharlestonWV
Amazon Smile:
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/55-0491773
If you use Amazon, please sign up for AmazonSmile and select Junior League of Charleston as your charity. Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price on items marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” to your charity.
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