April 2015 • Issue 8
In This Issue:
Meet the 2015 – 2016 President-Elect
April 14: GMM
Cathy Dotterer joined the Junior League of Syracuse, Inc. in 2010 and has enjoyed contributing to the Junior League and the Syracuse community ever since. Having served as Community Research/Project Development Chair, Holiday Shoppes Co-Chair, Assistant Treasurer, Treasurer, Cathy now serves in the President Elect Elect position. Cathy is a Syracuse native who grew up in the city just minutes from downtown. After graduating from Henninger High School, she ventured out of state to warmer temperatures to attend college. Cathy earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her master’s degree in Counseling in Higher Education from the University of Montevallo located in Montevallo, Alabama. Cathy works as an administrator in higher education currently serving as the Director of Housing and Campus Services on the SUNY Onondaga campus. When Cathy is not working, she is busy pursuing her doctorate degree in Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher College with anticipated completion this year. Although her free time is limited because of work and
• Social 6pm; Meeting 6:30pm • JLS Office
Human Trafficking Awareness Breakfast
• Meet the President-Elect • Human Trafficking Breakfast • Community Collaborations • Member Development • Sustainer News • Past Presidents Luncheon • JLS Book Club • Nominating News • Kudos • Meeting Briefs
MARK YOUR CALENDARS April 5: Easter
April 21: Board Meeting • Social 5:30pm; Meeting 6pm • JLS Office
April 28: Book Club • “What Alice Forgot” by Liane Moriarty
May 6: Past Presidents Luncheon • 11:30am – 1:30pm • Ball Room / JLS Office
May 12: GMM • Social 6pm; Meeting 6:30pm • JLS Office
May 14: 95th Celebration • 6 – 8pm, Pascale at Drumlins • RSVP by May 4, 2015
May 19: Board Meeting • Social 5:30pm; Meeting 6pm • JLS Office
The Junior League of Syracuse held a Human Trafficking Awareness Breakfast on Wednesday March 11, 2015 at the Double Tree Hotel in East Syracuse. 64 people attended the breakfast. Theresa Flores spoke about the issue of Human Trafficking and her personal story of being a victim at the age of 15 years old. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Her story moved the audience to begin to understand why this is an issue for our community “Today, New York is continuing to move forward in the fight against human trafficking. With the Assembly’s passage of our bill to combat this heinous crime, which we introduced two years ago, we are now one step closer to strengthening protections for victims and enacting tougher penalties against those who exploit and oppress. Human trafficking is a crime that robs victims of their most fundamental rights, and it affects people in communities across our state – including more than 1,000 children every year. That is an injustice that simply cannot be allowed to continue in New York, and I look forward to signing this legislation quickly to make our state safer for this vulnerable population.” ~ The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of New York State
school, Cathy makes sure to spend time with family and friends whenever possible. She enjoys hitting the gym, traveling, the local arts, and spending time with her nieces and nephews! She is excited about taking on another leadership position in the league and we are happy to welcome her as the 20152016 President-Elect nominee.
and that it really does happen here. Theresa was impressed at how many men were in attendance. She said more women attend her presentations than men and she applauded them for being there. One gentleman who attended told Theresa “You have changed my perception of what a prostitute was; I thought they were there because they wanted too.” A big THANK YOU to all who help make this event a success! Contact the President: Heather Wallace: heatherfordwallace@gmail.com
The Junior League of Syracuse, Inc. • The NOTES • April 2015 | 1
Community collaborations The Community Council has been busy fighting Human Trafficking around Syracuse through a number of initiatives this winter. First, members created 100 anti-Human Trafficking backpacks for youth living in the Toomey Residential and Booth House shelters. The drawstring backpacks with the JLS 95th Anniversary logo were gender specific (boy or girl) and filled with Human Trafficking informational materials and a variety of snacks and toiletries, including drink mixes, granola bars, cookies, gum, body wash, loofahs, tooth brush kits, and deodorant.
Second, the Community Collaborations committee members conducted a “College Night” at Lemoyne College for teen girls from Southwest Community Center to expose them to a college campus and meet with the Coordinator and students of the Nursing Department. The evening consisted of a short campus tour and informal panel discussion on goal setting, staying in school and the importance of education. Third, the Community Collaborations committee started weekly parenting classes for young women living at the main Chadwick Residence. The topics focus on financial literacy and maternal nutrition and are being held each Thursday in March and will culminate in April with a “parent / child” shower. Fourth, planning for the 3rd STEM EXPO at Danforth Middle School is well underway: the keynote speaker has been secured, and other presenters currently are being recruited. Through all of these collaborations, the Community Collaborations committee is working to strengthen those who are the most attractive to traffickers: 12-15 year old girls! After months of planning, JLS was thrilled to be able to bring Theresa Flores to speak at the March GMM and provide training for JLS’s very own S.O.A.P.S. outreach. Theresa Flores is the author of “The Slave Across the Street”, a USA Today and Wall Street Journal best seller, and founder of S.O.A.P.S., which is a hands-on outreach to fight sex trafficking at large events and in communities. Theresa is a trafficking survivor and shared a compelling story of the risks facing young teenagers – even those living in close-knit families in affluent communities. The statistics Theresa provided were extremely disturbing but unfortunately align with those we’ve been hearing
from other HT experts for the last year. Theresa made a compelling argument that until we see a shift in the prosecution from victims to buyers and traffickers, we will continue to see strong demand for commercial sex. Hopefully, through anti-HT legislation and public awareness, teenage trafficking victims will be empowered to extricate themselves from dangerous bonds with their traffickers and those at risk will be able to ward off traffickers before being lured in. Prior to the GMM, JLS members helped to label 4,000 bars of hotel-sized bars of soap with the Human Trafficking help line 800 number and assemble informational packets to share with hotel proprietors. While in Syracuse, Theresa spoke at a fundraising breakfast to business people and JLS community partners at the Double Tree Hotel in East Syracuse. On the Sunday following Theresa Flores’ visit, JLS members participated in an outreach to 20 Syracuse area hotels. Three teams distributed the 4,000 bars of soap to 20 hotels in close proximity to the Thruway and airport. At each hotel, the teams presented a list of missing teens in New York State and requested that the list and HT warning signs (in both English and Spanish) be posted for employees to see. The teams also provided bags of the labeled soaps and requested that they be placed in hotel room baths, so trafficking victims smuggled into their hotels “through the back door” might have access to the hotline number. The following hotels were offered the soaps and informational materials. 17 of the 20 hotels visited accepted the soap donations.
• East Syracuse Super 8, Old Collamer Rd • Baymont Inn, Old Collamer Rd • Quality Inn, Old Collamer Rd • Extended Stay America, Old Collamer Rd • Americas Best Value Inn, Old Collamer Rd • Best Western Plus, Old Collamer Rd • Quality Inn, Liverpool • John Milton Inn, Thompson Rd • Motel 6, Baptist Road, East Syracuse • Comfort Inn, East Syracuse
2 | The Junior League of Syracuse, Inc. • The NOTES • April 2015
“When my group (Kate Zwecker and Courtney Bintz) and I showed up to one hotel in Carrier Circle it wasn’t the best atmosphere on the outside. I accidentally drove around the back of the hotel when we saw a girl get out of a van with two men in the front seat and head into the hotel. When we entered the lobby we were all speechless as we saw two young girls, who couldn’t be more than 14/15 years old, at the front desk in their PJ pants and tank tops. One of the teens was pregnant. We waited until we could speak to the woman at the desk and she graciously listened to every word we had to say and took all information and the soaps. The young girls didn’t leave the lobby and we hoped they over heard our conversation. As we left we all knew that we were meant to be to go by that hotel! Thank you to all of you who participated in this important event.” ~Heather Ford Wallace
• Red Roof Inn, East Syracuse • Econo Lodge, Erie Blvd • Hampton Inn, Erie Blvd • Ramada Inn, Buckley Rd • Comfort Inn & Suites, Buckley Rd • Budget Inn Cicero, South Bay Rd • Red Carpet Inn, Brewerton Rd • The Maplewood Inn, 7th St. North, Liverpool • Knights Inn, Liverpool • Super 8, Clay This lengthy list of hotels is but a small sub-set of the hotels around Syracuse where trafficking could be happening. The outreach teams were pleased to be able to cover so much territory in one afternoon, but it was rather sobering to think about the many other hotels we could not reach and the HT activity occurring there. Two news stations, Time Warner Cable (channel 10) and ABC (channel 9) picked up the event, and each did a nice story on the outreach and, thereby, extended the reach of the JLS anti-HT message. Contact the Community VP: Meg Husted: meghusted@gmail.com
Member Development Meet some of the lovely ladies from our JLS 2014 – 2015 New Member class: Katherine Dopulos
Katherine moved to Syracuse in the summer of 2013, after graduating from Haverford College with a degree in English (prior to that, she grew up in Montclair, NJ). She works at Syracuse University as an Admissions Counselor. She enjoys exploring her new community through hiking, volunteering, and trying out many of the delicious CNY restaurants! She is very excited to connect with her community through the Junior League of Syracuse. _______________________________ Lydia McEvoy
I have two small children 2 and 4. My husband and I own and operate a dairy farm in Marathon. I enjoy spending time with my family.I am an Arbonne Independent consultant team leader. In my profession I show people how to turn everyday expenses into income, how to build a successful network marketing business and how to lead and empower themselves and team building. Having a flexible business with my lifestyle I get to spend time with my kids and team of consultants growing my children to be leaders when they grow up and my team into leaders in their local community. I joined the Junior League to meet empowering women who are leaders and give back to the community. _______________________________ Tiesha McNeal
Tiesha McNeal grew up in South Carolina. For most of her life she has been a visual artist, showcasing works in many mediums, favoring charcoal and acrylic. She was the lead singer and guitarist for an all female rock alternative band in Los Angeles, CA for ten years. Tiesha received a degree in Art Education from Guilford Technical in Jamestown, NC and a B. of Architecture from Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. She currently works as an architectural designer at King + King Architects and resides with her partner in the Elmwood neighborhood of Syracuse.
Caeresa Richardson
Caeresa Richardson currently has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Syracuse University, is a certified Project Management Professional, and a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Leadership Development Program for Minority Managers. Her current career has included various roles of increasing responsibility with Eaton Corporation. Currently, Caeresa lives in Clay, NY with her husband David, where she works as an Associate Product Line Manager with Eaton’s Crouse Hinds Division. Caeresa is very active in the CNY community and has collaborated in several leadership capacities with organizations like A Good Life Youth Foundation, Gwen Inc., and The Promise Land Church. In addition to her intense passion for developing others, Caeresa has a personal obsession with fashion and the luxury retail industry. During her spare time, Caeresa partners with local retailers like The New You Boutique, and Lux Candy Rocks, in addition to selling fashion accessories as a stylist with Stella and Dot. _______________________________
Julia Zimmer Julia Zimmer lives in Syracuse with her husband of nearly 5 years, Dain, their dog, Annabelle, and cat Theodore. Originally from Wisconsin, she attended the University of Minnesota - Minneapolis and earned a Master of Architecture degree from Syracuse University. She is currently working as a paralegal for a downtown law firm but wishes to pursue a career in architecture. Her hobbies include crafting, quilting, and reading. _______________________________ See you in May for additional New Member bios as well as an update of our recent activities!
Sustainer News MAYBE, by the time you receive this newsletter, our weather will have changed for the better! Spring has arrived, on the calendar at least, and we have some exciting events to look forward to. The next issue of the NOTES will feature our Mary Harriman Award nominee. This special individual will be honored at our annual dinner on Tuesday, June 9th along with the winner of Sustainer of the Year. I am still accepting nominations for the Sustainer of the Year and still looking for a hostess for the Spring Cocktail Party. Please send me your recommendations for the award and reach out if you are willing to host our annual get together which includes significant others. I would also like to remind everyone to send in your dues if you haven’t already done so. Dues may be paid online via the JLS Website at www.jlsyracuse.org or by mailing a check to the office. If you have any questions, please contact me or Dawn. Monthly R&R’s continue on the 4th Tuesday at Pascale Italian Bistro at Drumlins from 5:30-7:30. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming Spring events! Contact the Sustainer VP: Amy Sumida: apsumida@gmail.com
Past Presidents Luncheon
Past Presidents Luncheon is going to be May 6th 11:30am – 1:30pm in the The CNY Philanthropy Center Ball Room (JLS Office). We will have a tour of the office and the building, concluding the luncheon.
JLS BOOK CLUB • Tuesday, April 28th: “What Alice Forgot” by Liane Moriarty
Contact the Membership Development & Recruitment Co-Chairs: (l - r) Audra Mueller: gustielawyer@gmail.com Amanda Spence: amandamathey@yahoo.com
Contact the Book Club Organizer: Jenny Jackson: jennyjackso@gmail.com
The Junior League of Syracuse, Inc. • The NOTES • April 2015 | 3
Nominating News The Nominating Committee is pleased to introduce the slate of candidates for the 2015 – 2016 JLS Leadership Team! Congratulations to members who have been slated for leadership next year. We are grateful to these ladies for committing to share their talents and pursue leadership development with the Junior League of Syracuse. Active members will vote on the slate below at the annual dinner in June. Only two leadership positions remain open: Assistant NOTES Editor and Assistant Online Engagement Chair. Both of these are stepup positions; slated candidates will serve as NOTES Editor and Online Engagement Chair, respectively, the following league year (2016-17). If you are interested in building your communications and technology skills, or if you already have these skills and want to put them to good use, please reach out to your Nominating Advisor to learn more about these open positions. New members are encouraged to apply. One other leadership update: Megan Husted has decided to step down from the position of Community VP at the end of this league year and Courtney Bintz will finish out the 2-year term ending in June 2016 (per Board vote). Many thanks to Megan for all of her contributions, and to Courtney who will pick up the ball this July! • President Elect-Elect*: Jackie Azbill • Secretary*: Katie Corbishley • Fund Development VP* (2-year term 2015-2017): Christie Novak • Communications VP* (2-year term 2015-2017): Kerry Buske • Sustainer VP*: Barb Stratton • Parliamentarian*: Liz Baker
KUDOS! Kristen Franklin had a baby girl, Madeline, on February 11, 2015 ___________________________________ If you would like to submit a Kudos, please e-mail the NOTES Editor Whitney Daniels at whitney@wrkdesigns.com
Meeting Briefs
February Board Meeting: • PE Jenny Jackson Donahoe provided a Winter Leadership Update • Discussion on increasing new member fee to active dues amount to help cover cost of provisional year • Strategic discussion on expanding issue base topic of HT to keep topic a bit broader to allow for more collaborations/ projects • Fund Development VP Sarah Weber provided update on Human Trafficking Awareness Breakfast - Date Wednesday March 11th at Double Tree off Carrier Circle. All information is available on our website including ability to purchase tickets online. • SOAPS project originally scheduled for Saturday March 14th has been moved to Sunday March 15th due to Saint Patrick’s Day Parade/Celebration downtown. • Audit report for the 2013 – 2014 fiscal year was distributed and reviewed
• Community Collaboration Co-Chairs: Beth Edward & Lindsay Yonko-Gardner
You Deserve The Best
• Public Policy Chair: Nicole Hoy
from fellow members of J L S
• Fund Development Chair: Kseniya Hogan • Holiday Shoppes Co-Chairs: Julianna Hebert & Marisa Montreal
Margaret Karim
• Assistant Treasurer: Marie Norkett
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
• NOTES Editor: Carrie Ryder
and consistent TOP AGENT in CNY
• Assistant NOTES Editor: OPEN • Public Relations Chair: Lindsay LaRocque • Online Engagement Chair: Jessica Murray
Call for assistance with all of your
Real Estate Needs
• Assistant Online Engagement Chair: OPEN • Nominating Chair: Jill Lawlor
Phone: (c) 315 345 1018 (o) 315 682 7197 (h) 315 637 3622
• Placement Chair: Sarah Weber
Email: margaret.karim@huntrealestate.com
• Membership Development and Recruitment Co-Chairs: Rachel Ford & Hilary Cashier • Education and Training Chair: Lauren Knisely Schaefer
Amy J. Burnell
*Board position Contact the Nominating Chair: Jill Lawlor: jlawlor@twcny.rr.com 4 | The Junior League of Syracuse, Inc. • The NOTES • April 2015
Administrative Assistant to Margaret Karim
Always There For You
Licensed Independent Salesperson Cell: 315 439 7474
amy.burnell@huntrealestate.com
• Digital Cheetah Website update - Heather and Jessica Walcott Murray are reviewing site and being trained on managing as we are responsible for updating League Calendar as well as Event/Registration Calendar. March GMM: • Phase II paperwork and award nominations due March 31 • Annual dues payment deadline is March 31 • Members will meet at Blue Tusk after GMM, all are invited • Guest Speaker: Theresa Flores, Human Trafficking survivor and author of “Slave Across the Street,” Theresa travels around U.S. sharing her story and educating people about human trafficking. Theresa provided members with “Human Trafficking 101”: - Leading states for HT are CA, TX, FL, MN and OH. - Human trafficking is 2nd leading crime in the world; 80% of victims are female, 50% are children - 20,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. from other countries each year - 100,000 American youth are being trafficked in the U.S. - There are 1.3M missing and runaway youth in the U.S. annually; 1 out of 3 will be trafficked. • Theresa started “Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution” (S.O.A.P.S) five years ago to help victims escape abuse. Small bars of soap are labeled with human trafficking hotline information. People form teams and deliver soap to hotels to place in bathrooms, posters showing missing children in the area, and human trafficking information cards. • Theresa then shared her personal story, followed by Q&A
and sign-ups for the JLS S.O.A.P.S. distribution this Sunday March 15th. March Board Meeting: • Board approved increasing new member dues to $100 plus $25 non-refundable registration fee for 2015/2016 new member class. $100 dues covers $43 to AJLI, holiday party and annual dinner. • Policies/bylaws updates - Board to send policy changes/ recommendations to Heather by end of next week. Target to vote at Annual dinner. Will need communication out 30 days in advance. • Annual Dinner will be held at Double Tree due to central location/parking/menu • Very successful March HT events – GMM, fundraising breakfast had 64 in attendance and SOAPS outreach had three teams of 4 and received media coverage from Time Warner Cable News (ride along) and News Channel 9 interview at a local hotel • 95th Anniversary Celebration is scheduled for Thursday May 14th 6 – 8 at Drumlins. Invitations will be mailed shortly. RSVP/payment will be available on the website.
Contact the Secretary: Kelly Gillespie: gillespie@twcny.rr.com
ADVERTISE WITH JLS! Contact the NOTES Editor Whitney Daniels at whitney@wrkdesigns.com for more information.
The notes By Mail Any member who would prefer to receive a copy of The NOTES via USPS can notify the office at office@jlsyracuse.com. Many thanks in advance!
READ THE NOTES ONLINE You can now read The NOTES online on the JLS website: www. JLSyracuse.org or on Issuu at: issuu.com/jlsyracuse The Junior League of Syracuse, Inc. • The NOTES • April 2015 | 5
431 E Fayette Street, Suite 225 Syracuse, NY 13202 O: 315-423-9773 F: 315-471-1464 office@jlsyracuse.org www.JLSyracuse.org Mission The Junior League of Syracuse is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. Vision The Junior League of Syracuse will be an organization of diverse women committed to enriching the quality of life for women, children and their families in the Central New York Community.
Find the Junior League of Syracuse Online! Visit JLSyracuse.org for direct links.
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