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Loudoun Lady Newsletter GFWC – Virginia, Northern District June 2006, Newsletter Volume R, Issue 6
Next Meeting: Tuesday, June 20th June Ladies Night Out Drinks @ 7pm / Dinner at 7:30pm Meeting Location: River Creek Club, Leesburg VA
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT, MICHELLE T Hello Ladies, Two years ago I began my term as president of JWCL with a quote from Henry David Thoreau, poet, writer and philosopher, “One is not born into the world to do everything but to do something.” During my term I have been so pleased to watch this club do more than just a little “something” to build a better community. From building our membership through inviting our friends and family members to attend a meeting to building our volunteer opportunities by the addition of Meals on Wheels and Interfaith Relief we have continued to develop our club as a strong and active volunteer organization. One of the things I have been most proud of over the past two years is our leadership development. When it comes to building a strong foundation of leadership in this club there is no question that the addition of department chairs as well as the use of several members as event chairs opened the door for many new members to assume leadership roles. As a new board prepares to take over the leadership of JWCL at least half of the women accepting positions are new to the board. Many more of you have offered to step up to other leadership roles such as Interfaith Chair, Historian, and other department chairs. This depth of leadership will only serve to strengthen our club and its ability to affect change through volunteer efforts. Our focus on building leaders has been recognized at both the district and state level of our organization. We have received awards both of the past two years in response to our efforts to develop leaders. One has to look no further than these same district and state boards to see how our leadership development is aiding our organization as a whole. With Elinor serving as our District 3rd Vice President, Director of Junior Clubs, Shannon serving as Assistant District Director, myself serving as District Junior Membership Chair and most importantly our own Lori serving as State Assistant Junior Director – you can see the influence of JWCL women over the larger volunteer organization as a whole. Less we think that this influence is purely bureaucratic – one only needs to remember the power in numbers. By taking part in this larger organization we are able to affect even more change throughout our state and our world. Look at the fact that as a state organization we donated almost $100,000 to Easter Seals for their Virginia camp. As most of us know building leaders goes a long way beyond just supplying a club’s board each year –our club and our organization as a whole is strengthened every time someone steps into a leadership role no matter how large or small. The other thing that I am proud of is the way we have continued to meet the needs of our membership. Whether it is providing a dinner when someone is in need or participating in a volunteer opportunity that is close to a member’s hearts; the members of JWCL build a foundation of friendship by supporting each other. We answered the call when Jennifer S asked us to help build the March of Dimes walk in Loudoun County. Several of us stepped up and wanted the club to participate in Relay for Life because our families have been affected by cancer. Little did we know that our participation would take on an even greater meaning when the we lost a fellow club woman, Teresa R, last year to breast cancer. Thanks to the leadership of Rebecca M our team raised $4,205 this year, an increase of approximately $1000 over our previous year’s total. One of the most dramatic ways we supported a member’s volunteer request came in the form of funding Loudoun’s first ever Healthy Baby classes. When Jennifer let us know that the nonprofit organization she runs was looking for funding in order to be able to offer the Healthy Baby program in Loudoun JWCL took no time in deciding to help out. Through funds raised by our annual silent auction we were able to get this program started months earlier than planned. Just think of all of the women that were affected when we answered this call for help from one of our own. Lastly, I want to thank you for the honor of letting me serve as President of the Junior Woman’s Club of Loudoun. As we journey forward together in service for our community I know I will not forget the memories and friendships that I have built over the past two years – and I plan to “Keep Building” with JWCL.
A BRIEF MESSAGE FROM ELINOR M, VICE PRESIDENT It has been a great year! Thank you to everyone who chaired committees and events; submitted PPS sheets and reports. As we say, receiving awards is not the reason we work hard. It is great to be recognized for our efforts and we would not be without the dedication of our members. Way to Go Ladies! Finally, special thank you to Rebecca who is going to do a great job in the next administration.
A NOTE FROM RONNA S, MEMBERSHIP Ladies, I would like to announce that Becca A has graciously agreed to be the Sunshine Chair for the upcoming JWCL year. As such, she will be responsible for the birthday and club anniversary recognition, and will assist in planning and coordinating Membership events and activities. Becca, we thank you for your willingness to serve as our Sunshine Chair! I have just a few reminders before we break for the summer. Most of these require my contact information or a sign up sheet at the meeting. Just to make things easier, my email address is available on the roster. I will always respond to email, so if you don't get a response, then my email may be acting up again (the problems are supposed to be resolved).
Thank you for allowing me to serve as the 2nd Vice President Membership this year! I look forward to continuing the wonderful trends set forth by my predecesors of club growth and member development.
A THANK YOU FROM REBECCA MAKOWSKI A huge thank you to the members of this year's Relay for Life team, Anne S, Michelle T, Joelle C, Nicole H, Hope-L, Shannon L, Lori R, and our "honorary" JWCLers for the event, Dan L, Chris M, and Jodi F. With their tremendous fundraising efforts, we raised $4205.00 this year, surpassing last year's total by $705.00! Thanks, Rebecca M, Team Captain
COMMITTEE INFORMATION According to our new bylaws we are asking each club member to serve on a standing committee. For 2006-2007 those committees are: Membership, Public Relations, Fairy Tale Closet and Fundraising. Each of the chairs has submitted a brief paragraph about their committee. You may sign up at the June Ladies Night Out or you can contact the chair via phone or email and add your name to their list at any time prior to our meeting. Some committees are limited as to how many members they will have – so if you feel strongly about where you want to serve you may want to contact those chairs as soon as possible. Those that have not selected a committee by our August meeting will be assigned to a committee based on the needs of the club at that time. Committee sign-ups are for one year – you will be able to sign up for a new committee again next June. Please remember that we are doing this in order to make sure that we are able to share the workload and get everyone involved in club business. Committee chairs plan to require as few face-to-face meetings as possible and will strive to conduct business via email and telephone. Even when these committees do meet the chairs understand that everyone on their committees may not be able to make the meetings. Also, these committees are solely for the purpose of planning activities (with the exception of Public Relations). The club membership as a whole is still going to be asked to staff these activities. For example, the Fundraising Committee may plan Waterford and take care of the behind the scenes details – but all club members will be asked to work/contribute to the fair. The same goes for Fairy Tale Closet – if you are signed up to serve on the Membership Committee, Fairy Tale Closet could still use your help to staff the day of their event. Membership Committee Please consider joining the Membership Committee this year. This committee will be responsible for planning our membership events, like our Ladies' Night Out, and facilitating the recruitment of new members. The committee will also help welcome both prospective and new members to our club at our meetings and events. Most committee business will be conducted over email and telephone calls. We may meet in person to plan some of the bigger events, but only if necessary. If you are interested in serving on this committee, you may sign up at the June 20th meeting. You may also sign up in advance by emailing Ronna S to express your interest any time before the June 20th meeting. Please remember that Membership is key to our club's success. Each of us has an important role to play in supporting our fellow members and recruiting other qualified candidates to join us. The committee will develop ways for us to build our relationships together, but cannot do the work alone. If you decide to serve on another committee rather than this one, please support this committee fully by sharing your ideas and talents for how to continue to grow our club by both strengthening our friendships with each other and encouraging others into service with JWCL. Public Relations Are you interested in getting JWCL in the news? Or do you prefer shopping for clothes? Well here is your opportunity to do both! As members on the PUBLIC RELATIONS committee we are responsible for advertising the events that we take such pride in doing (Fairy Tale Closet, Membership Drives, Silent Auction, etc.) as well as publicly thanking those who have help us with such activities. We are also in charge of offering to everyone the opportunity to buy a JWCL hat and/or shirt. If this sounds like something you are interested in or if you have any questions just let me know J Nicole H Fairy Tale Closet Do you want to make someone’s dreams come true? Are you a closet Fairy Godmother just yearning to try out your magic wand? Then join the Fairy Tale Closet committee and help us turn lots of local Cinderella’s into beautiful Princesses. This is JWCL’s only self-developed service project, and it has gown each year in its ability to reach more and more of our local teens in need. Terri H, a JWCL member, proposed this project three years ago and she has chaired the successful event since that time. Terri is ready to step down from serving as chair, but she still plans to lend her expertise to the committee. If you would be interested in serving on this committee please contact Pam S. We are currently looking for a chair or co-chairs for this committee – if you are willing to serve as a leader for this committee please let Pam know. Fundraising The Fundraising Committee focuses on three projects a year that are an essential part of JWCL's charitable giving. Committee members will have the opportunity to hone sales skills in soliciting Silent Auction donations, and to learn all about what goes into buying, organizing, and serving Brunswick stew at Waterford. (Trust us, you can make amazing party small-talk with what you learn about health codes.) There are all kinds of opportunities for all kinds of talents: Create center pieces! Seek out Auction donations! Write thank-you letters! Design signs! Sell baked goods! Stir stew! The list goes on. We'll also be using our creative noodles to develop a fun, high-profile spring fundraiser, so this is a wonderful chance to get in on the ground floor and help us with your great ideas. As Shannon and Melissa both work and are obsessively organized, meetings will be efficient and as rare as possible, emphasizing email and phone were practical. If you would like to serve on this committee please contact Melissa S or Shannon L. Since we're all volunteers, we plan to emphasize the FUN part of fundraising!
A THANK YOU FROM JENNIFER M, NEWSLETTER EDITOR I just wanted to send a quick thank you to everyone that has been volunteering for Meals on Wheels. It is time to sign up for the next three months, July – September. If you are interested, you can sign up at the meeting or let me know. June Birthdays:
June Club Anniversaries:
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