Northwest Exchange

NW Exchange 2012 delegates with keynote speakers Katie Harman Ebner and Allison Clarke

On the weekend of March 9-11 Jennifer Cox, Robyn Ketchey and Liz Walker traveled to The City of Roses – Portland, Oregon – for the 2012 Junior League Northwest Exchange conference.  As members of the only Canadian League attending Northwest Exchange, we enjoyed the opportunity to engage with women from different U.S. Leagues and exchange ideas about, and enthusiasm for, the role the Junior League plays in our respective communities.

Our keynote speaker for the weekend, Allison Clarke of Allison Clarke Consulting, got us on our feet and moving around the room so we could introduce ourselves to the other Leagues.  We proudly identified ourselves as members of the Junior League of Calgary – the League responsible for starting the Junior Chefs Program that is now the all-League initiative called Kids in the Kitchen.  Many great community program ideas were shared and discussions had regarding the evolving make-up of League memberships.  Junior Leagues in the Northwest U.S. are focusing on creating a lasting impact in their communities by improving the lives of foster children, military families, children of the incarcerated and children in at-risk schools. 

We participated in group sessions with topics such as Strategic Planning and Constructive Confrontation, as well as seminars on Executive, Community and Membership activities.  Many insights were gained during these small group brainstorming sessions, all of which reaffirmed our commitment to the Junior League and magnified the impact our programs bring to the community, as well as the personal growth gained from being a trained volunteer in an organization of like-minded women.

Thank you to the JLC for affording each of us the opportunity to be a part of this dynamic and inspiring conference.

Jennifer Cox, Robyn Ketchey, Liz Walker