Connecting with the Calgary Community and Beyond

Lynne Christensen, President

Supporting our effort to “connect for impact,” November’s General Meeting featured guest speaker Eva Friesen, CEO of The Calgary Foundation.  Members learned of the valuable role the foundation plays by connecting donors and community organizations.  At the January 21 General Meeting, Meaghan Bell, Interim Manager of Policy and Research with the Calgary Homeless Foundation will inform members of issues of homelessness and the foundation’s work, focusing in particular on the youth segment.

Beyond our Calgary community, JLC members have the advantage of being part of national and international organizations.  The Canadian Federation of Junior Leagues (CFJL) serves as the link among the five Canadian Junior Leagues.  To coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8, the CFJL will issue a press release highlighting the Canadian Leagues’ contributions to women’s civic and community leadership.  Come to February’s General Meeting to be part of this buzz.

As members of the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) we are connected to over 155,000 women all working toward the same mission.  At a Special Meeting of the Association later this month, League leaders will consider a proposed External Resolutions Process that would allow Junior Leagues to “act collectively” on public issues that enjoy deep and widespread support among Leagues.  If approved, an External Policy Resolution regarding childhood obesity will then be considered.

The AJLI Board of Directors believes that the Junior Leagues can serve as “catalysts for lasting community change” by addressing the prevention of childhood obesity with a collective voice. The intended outcome is that the AJLI advocates for programs and policies that increase knowledge and change behaviors to prevent childhood obesity and its associated health risks.  For additional information on the Special Meeting as well as research and background information on the issue of childhood obesity, go to the Governance Tab of the Member Area at www.ajli.org

JLC’s 9th Annual Teen Totes Project Reaches 400 Calgary-area Teens!

The Teen Tote project is aimed at providing gift totes to Calgary teens who have been traditionally underserved during the December holiday season.  The 2012 Fall Provisional Class solicited donations, purchased items, stuffed backpacks, and delivered 400 totes.

Contents of a Teen Tote

On November 26, 2012, the Fall Provisional Class put the final touches on their hard work with the Teen Totes Stuffing Impact Event.  Thanks to all the JLC members who volunteered their time to help at this event and for everyone who donated items for the totes!

This year the traditional totes progressed into 400 backpacks stuffed with personal hygiene items including toothbrushes, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, lip balm and hand cream.  Also included were certificates for eye exams, winter mittens, hats and scarves, socks, Hitmen tickets, playing cards, swim passes, notebooks, pens, gift cards, candy canes, gum, library cards, movie tickets, and Calgary transit passes.

The agencies receiving Teen Totes to distribute to their clients this year were: The Alex Youth Health Centre, Sunrise Community Link Resource Centre, North of McKnight Community Resource Centre, Inner City Community Resource Centre, North Central Community Resource Centre, Bowness Community Resource Centre, South West Community Resource Centre and Saint Jude's Health Management Institute.

Kate Hawksworth, Senior Youth Outreach Specialist with The Alex Youth Health Centre stated: “The Christmas party was a huge success.  We are so grateful for the backpacks, the youth loved them. The feedback we have gotten has all been extremely positive. Truthfully, I can’t think of a single thing to change. The kids were really excited, and I know that for many that will have been their only gift.  Thank you for making that possible.”

Celebrating Babies and Their Parents with The Alex

On November 1, the JLC hosted The Alex Baby Shower. This Impact Event  was designed to give pregnant and parenting youth clients of The Alex Youth Health Centre an opportunity to celebrate the birth of their unborn babies, new babies and toddlers. Streamers and decorations transformed the basement of the Wild Rose United Church and the room was filled with laughter and focused on love for these precious children.

 The afternoon was fun-filled with songs and stories, and the crafty creation of memory books by the parents for their children. The toddlers in attendance had the opportunity to personalize a super hero-sized cape. 

A delicious, hot meal was served and the celebration wound up with baby shower cake and small gifts of books, activities and practical items personalized for the age of the babies and toddlers.  Of greatest importance was the gift of time, energy and dedication supplied by JLC members.

President's Message - Sustaining the JLC

Commemorated on November 15, National Philanthropy Day recognizes the great contributions of philanthropy to the enrichment of our world.  It is a time to reflect on the meaning of giving and all that it has made possible. 

By definition, JLC members are philanthropists giving generously of their time, talent and financial resources.  In addition, our members SUSTAIN the Junior League of Calgary through their exemplary work and leadership with other community organizations, by recommending membership in the JLC to talented women, and by remaining loyal members. Your continuing membership provides great strength and stability to our organization.

I’d like to offer my appreciation to all our sustaining members.  We value the contributions you’ve made to establish and sustain the legacy we continue to build upon and I invite you to maintain or re-establish a connection with the JLC in a manner of your choice.

 

IMPACT: Changes Lives and Changed Conditions

Vicki Clark leads a group exercise for members at
the October Annual General Meeting

Vicki Clark, our guest speaker at the October Annual General Meeting, began her presentation with a group exercise that challenged  members to describe the JLC without using internal acronyms or program names.   As the responses from each group were read aloud, it was immediately apparent that this is the way we should describe the JLC and our programs.  

Using the example of our next Impact Event of collecting feminine hygiene products for The Alex at the November GM, the JLC will be “supporting young at-risk women in Calgary by building their self-esteem, dignity and removing the trade-off of personal hygiene versus other essential needs.” 

By avoiding the use of internal language, Vicki coached the membership to effectively communicate the impact of the JLC within the Calgary community, by describing how we change lives and conditions for at-risk groups.  Vicki then introduced the membership to the four areas of issue-based community work;

Direct Service – hands-on programs

In-Direct Service – collections and donations

Capacity Building – resource and fund development

Advocacy – focus on all levels of the issue within the community

Vicki also addressed transition of Junior League community programs from building “branded programs” that are transitioned to community groups, to development of sustainable partnerships that address a specific issue in order to change lives and conditions within the community.  The focus now must not be on what JLC can do for our partners, but instead what we can do with partners. 

Early the following morning, Vicki facilitated a program development workshop attended by several Junior League of Calgary members. The group worked through AJLI’s Issue-Based Community Impact Model for program development to address the issue of at-risk youth in Calgary.

The outcome of the workshop was a framework to guide further development of a focus on three key areas that fall under the issue of at-risk youth in Calgary; effective parenting, development of life skills and nutritional health and wellness.

Jocelyn Egden

JLC Sustainer Awarded the Order of Canada

On June 29, 2012, JLC Sustainer Lois Mitchell was appointed to one of Canada’s highest civilian honours; the Order of Canada. Established in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Order of Canada is the centrepiece of Canada’s honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of Canadian society. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country.

One of 42 Members appointed, Lois’ citation reads:

Lois Mitchell, C.M.
Calgary, Alta. -  For her contributions as a business and community leader in Calgary and for her volunteerism in support of sports and the arts.

Later this fall, Lois will join other recipients at Rideau Hall, the Governor General’s residence in Ottawa, for the investiture ceremony. Our congratulations to Lois on this well-deserved honour.

Recruitment Hosts Cupcake Social

On Tuesday August 21, JLC Active members and women interested in joining the Junior League of Calgary gathered on a beautiful summer evening at Lynne Christensen’s home to enjoy the second annual Summer Cupcake Social.  It was a wonderful event and the turnout was fantastic.

Kate Hanna, Recruitment Chair, and the rest of the Recruitment Committee had a very busy summer meeting with prospective Provisional members.  The result of their hard work was an exceptional turnout to the social and within days, a full Fall Provisional Class of 12 members! 

Thank you to Kate, Cyndi Cox and Kathryn Berkson, as well as to all of our Actives and Sustainers who recommended the Junior League of Calgary to their friends, families and colleagues.  Another huge thank you to Erin Ferguson and Emily Wood who put together a fabulous display of red velvet and vanilla cupcakes, fruit kabobs and veggies – all in the JL colors of red and white!  Every woman left with a favour of cute and delectable cupcake-shaped cookies to boot.  Many thanks also to Lynne Christensen for opening up her lovely home to all of us. 

Our next Provisional Class begins in January, so keep spreading the word!

Membership Development Committee Presents Leadership Training

On August 23 all 2012 JLC Committee Chairs and Assistant Chairs were invited to attend a Chair Training Workshop. The objective of the training was to ensure everyone begins on the same page, to pass along experience from other chairs and to provide tools to help chairs and assistant chairs be successful.

The informal evening began with Lynne Christensen welcoming chairs to their role and discussing the JLC vision and mission: What it means to us and how we think it is reflected in the JLC culture. Velvet Matheson then led the group in an icebreaker, which resulted in some artistic drawings of pigs of all different shapes and sizes and some with some very long tails.

Member Development Chair Carla Gustafson presented an overview of what a successful committee looks like and what an effective chair looks like. Discussions were had around planning, key meetings, budgets, engagement of teams, delegation, reporting, and turnover. If that wasn’t exciting enough, we ended with a survey and a quote from a fellow Junior Leaguer…

“Do one thing everyday that scares you.”  - Eleanor Roosevelt  -

JLC Committee Chairs and Assistant Chairs participate in
2012 Chair Training at the JLC Office

President's Message - JLC "New Year" Begins

Lynne Christensen
JLC President

Happy New Year!  It may not be a new year in the traditional sense, but September always feels like the beginning of a new year to me.  After 18 years of heading back to school and even more years sending my children off after their first day photo on the front porch, September still means new beginnings to me.

After a refreshing summer break, our new League year gets well under way this month.  And just like in our school days, there are friends to reconnect with, new acquaintances to make, avenues to share our skills and opportunities to learn as we unite to positively impact our community.

Although most of our programs and activities get underway this month, many members have worked throughout the summer planning, developing, recruiting and organizing and I thank them for their dedicated work.  A recruitment social event, member social, chair training and the Provisional orientation dinner have already occurred. As the Treasure Trunk and MUM sessions get underway, check out the details for accessing the new online volunteer shift sign up on the JLC website (details on page 1). 

This year we’ll explore together issues facing the Calgary community through General Meetings and volunteer opportunities called Impact Events (formerly DIAD’s) and we’ll continue to further define our issue area around which we will base our community impact efforts. 

Don’t miss the October 15 Annual General Meeting when dynamic speaker Vicki Clark will further our understanding of the power and potential of issue-based community impact.

I hope all JLC members, Provisionals, Actives and Sustainers, will feel the buzz of this new year and jump in to connect with each other to share and develop toward our goal of creating lasting community impact.  I welcome your thoughts and ideas now and throughout the year.

Cooking Up Community Impact

Some of the JLC Members who cooked soup for donation to The Doorway
at the Welcome Back Social on Friday, September 7

JLC Actives, Sustainers, spouses and friends joined together Friday, September 7 for a delightfully delicious evening of soup making and socializing at the Highwood Dining Room at SAIT for our Welcome Back Social.  The group of about 30 was divided randomly into five teams and each team sliced, diced, sautéed and stirred until their soups were ready to be ladled into individual serving containers and donated to The Doorway.  Once the work was complete, participants sat down for a delicious dinner of one of the freshly prepared soups, salad and a glass of wine to toast a rewarding and fun evening spent together.

Sharon Hapton, Soup Sisters/
Broth Brothers founder, with their
newly-released cookbook

Soup Sisters/Broth Brothers is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to providing comfort to women, children and youth through the making, sharing and donating of soup.  Its program provides participants with assistance from respected area chefs, the opportunity to work together in state-of-the-art professional kitchens and most importantly, the sense of gratification that comes from helping others. 

The JLC was privileged to participate on this special evening as Soup Sisters/Broth Brothers celebrated their third anniversary and the launch of their new cookbook.  Founder Sharon Hapton shared the organization’s history and recognized key individuals including their first guest chef Michael Allemeir who was on hand to instruct the JLC soup makers this night as well.  Marilyn Dyck, Executive Director of The Doorway inspired us with her moving description of their work assisting teens and young adults as they transition from street culture into mainstream society. The soup we made will nourish, warm and help fill the empty spaces in their lives both physically and emotionally.  More importantly, it lets these young people know that we care for them and believe in their potential.

Recognition of JLC Programs and Partners

The Junior League of Calgary's programs and seasonal projects conducted during the 2011-12 program year delivered over 2,700 volunteer hours, impacted over 3,500 youth and supported over 100 families. We were pleased to have many of our community partners join us at the Annual Celebration Dinner on May 28.

JLC Community Partners at the 2011-12 Annual Celebration Dinner

The JLC's program Moms U Matter(MUM) with Highbanks Society - a residential agency that offers a safe home to 16 -24 year-old single mothers and their children while the moms complete high school or a post-secondary program and create a career path - targets the issues of food preparation, meal planning, healthy eating, kitchen safety and food budgeting. We implemented eight MUM sessions between September and May.  

One of the programs under the umbrella of the Children’s Cottage Society is Brenda’s House, a re-housing program with a sheltering component aimed at supporting families toward independence and their own sustainable housing.The Treasure Trunk program targets key issues of nutrition and healthy eating (Kids in the Kitchen), literacy (Kids in the Story), music and movement (Kids in Motion and Music), the arts (Kids in the Arts) and reading to babies (or Babies in the Story).  We implemented twelve sessions of Treasure Trunk between September and May and a training workshop for Children`s Cottage Society and Brenda`s House staff and volunteers

The Fall Provisional Class members implemented our ninth year of Teen Totes providing bags for 350 Calgary teens. The bags were distributed in December through The Alex Youth Health Centre and Calgary Community Resource Centres. 

The Winter Provisional Class members learned about the JLC by implementing the seventh annual Kids in the Kitchen (KITK) event.  With the assistance of Chef Will Kwong and JLC dancers, Dr. Emily Roback and Natalie Wynn-Dempsey KITK inspired children to make healthy food choices and active lifestyle decisions.  The KITK program and tote bags were delivered to 190 grade 3-6 students at Rundle School on May 1.

In March, the JLC participated in Safety Expo demonstrating our kitchen safety booth to over 3,000 grade 4-7 students at this two-day event.

In May, we conducted a Done In A Day (DIAD) for The Alex Youth Health Centre to meet needs of their clients.  Hygiene items, basic clothing items such as socks, undergarments and belts, transit passes and gift cards for food and groceries were donated. 

The Alex Presents Award to the JLC

(L to R): Marie Starich, Susan Deike, Kate Hawksworth,
Marilou Mitchell and Danene Lenstra

Community partners The Alex recently presented the Junior League of Calgary with an award to recognize our "outstanding support" for their organization.

Alice Gardner-Boreta Wraps Up JLC Presidency

2010-2012 JLC President Alice Gardner-Boreta (L)
receives a thank you gift from incoming
 President Lynne Christensen 

The Annual Celebration Dinner on May 28 was the final "official" event of Alice Gardner-Boreta's two-year term as President of the Junior League of Calgary. We thank Alice for her dedication in this role. She has also provided 10 years of committed service to our League and is now a sustaining member, but she won't be idle! The closing of this chapter leads to the opening of another as Alice begins to serve as the newly-elected International Director on The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI)  Board of Directors. Congratulations to Alice on this new challenge.

JLC Bestows Bursary Awards

Two young mothers affiliated with Highbanks Society received Bursary Awards from the Junior League of Calgary at the Annual Celebration Dinner. Rain Wondrasek was awarded a $2000 bursary, and Jasie Mason was awarded a $1000 bursary.

Rain Wondrasek

Rain, a recipient from our inaugural bursary year, continues to attend Mount Royal University. Her educational goal, however, has evolved from becoming a junior high school humanities teacher to becoming a psychologist. She intends to finish her program at Mount Royal University with honours and then plans to continue her studies at Concordia University where she hopes to earn her Ph.D.

Jasie Mason

Jasie’s goal is to start and operate a not-for-profit similar to Highbanks Society to help young mothers establish independence through education and community support. Her first step in reaching her goal will be to upgrade her education by attending Bow Valley College. Jasie then plans to acquire her Bachelors of Business Administration with a minor in non-profit management from Mount Royal University.

To apply, each woman submitted an application outlining her educational, employment, and volunteer history. Two references provided information in support of her application, and the applicant submitted a brief essay on why she should be awarded the JLC Bursary Award. Cecilia de la Rocha, Executive Director of Highbanks Society, Stephanie Schoenberg, Community Coordinator for Highbanks Society, and Bette Mitchell, Founder of Highbanks Society and its Board of Directors President were present for the awards.

JLC May Celebration Slideshow now on YouTube!

The 2011-2012 Roadmap for the Future slideshow presentation that was shown at the 2012 May Celebration dinner has been uploaded to the JLC's YouTube site.  If you were unable to attend the May Celebration (or even if you were there) you will definitely want to watch it.  Here is a link to this wonderful audio/visual overview of the JLC's activities this past year.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ut4zTWhz5s&fmt=18

Jennifer Pollock Addresses Members at the March General Meeting

Jennifer Pollock

Jennifer Pollock, JLC Sustainer and Calgary community and civic leader, informed and entertained members as the guest speaker at the March 19 General Meeting.   Drawing on her JLC Active experience, Jennifer related what she regards as the skills and experience she gained from the League that have influenced her ensuing work in the law and her numerous community and civic positions.

The Junior League of Calgary is all about change according to Jennifer, but while working toward community change, she has made it a trademark to ensure her actions are consistent with her values and to clearly communicate that message.

Jennifer values the learning that occurs and relationships established between women in the League.  Although it’s been 20 years since she moved from Active to Sustainer status, she credits a number of JLC members for greatly influencing her journey since then.

It was during a JLC General Meeting that Jennifer heard Sheldon Chumir, a respected Calgary lawyer, politician and civil liberties and rights leader, speak.  It was her question to him during that meeting that eventually led him to encourage Jennifer to run as a Liberal Party candidate for MP in several Calgary ridings. 

In closing, Jennifer encouraged members to use their time in the JLC to develop their strategy for community impact and to meet and establish relationships with League members and community influencers.

Lynne Christensen

Treasure Trunk Program at Brenda's House

Our eighth Treasure Trunk session, held at Brenda's House on March 7, was a great success! It was a busy night with lots of children, all of whom seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.  Several were repeat customers who were looking forward to Treasure Trunk and added to the lively atmosphere.

Kids in the Arts (KARTS) started the evening creating rain sticks.  Everyone was so enthusiastic that the event started ten minutes early!  KARTS was led by Melanie Tewksbury and assisted by Marla McCutcheon-Grant, Jen Cox and Jocelyn Egden.  The 15 children assembled rain sticks out of materials that can be found around the home.  Many of the children showed their decorating creativity with stickers, markers and ribbons.  After most had finished, they sat in a circle and played with the sticks for ten minutes.

Kids in Motion & Music (KIMM) was led by Emily Roback and Nikki Stevenson.  They led a game of "Freeze" where we had some of the boys show off their ability to do the "worm", played hot potato with one and then two "potatoes", created what looked like a human puzzle called "tickle box" and then wrapped up with some stretches.

Babies in the Story (BITS), led by Tammy Figol and assisted by Christina Murez, had the mothers and babies listening to engaging stories and rhymes and singing along.

Sign up today to be a part of this terrific program!  The four remaining sessions of Treasure Trunk for this program year will be delivered at the Brenda’s House facility located in the SW neighbourhood of Killarney.

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

Kids in the Kitchen 2012

With less than a month until the big day on May 1, preparations are well underway for the Seventh Annual Kids in the Kitchen event. Thanks to some great donations from community partners, this year's totes will not only be brimming with fun items for the students, but are branded with the Junior League of Calgary logo to increase our visibility with Calgarians. 

Kids in the Kitchen 2012 will be taking place at Rundle School (4120 Rundlehorn Dr NE) with over 190 children from grades three through six participating in a fun-filled day of interactive activities. Along with our volunteers, Chef Will Kwong, Executive Chef, Premium Seating, Calgary Stampede and JLC members Emily Roback and Natalie Wynn-Dempsey are returning to educate the students about healthy food and active lifestyle choices in an effort to prevent and reverse childhood obesity.  Activities will include how to make nutritious wraps and smoothies, learning about portion control and creative dance and exercise that is sure to get everyone moving. 

All Actives and Sustainers are encouraged to volunteer -  your help is needed to fuel the day!  Lend your time with snack preparation or assist with staffing the always-popular nutrition stations. We provide all the training you need to do your job.  Just remember, you must have your Police and Child Intervention Checks in place. There are three shift options available: morning (8:30am - 11:30pm), afternoon (12:00pm - 3:00pm) or the entire day. 

                             Josie Kirkpatrick

Moms U Matter (MUM) Program at Highbanks Society

On March 22 the Junior League led another successful Moms U Matter session. The Moms were taught how to make turkey and white bean soup, sweet corn muffins and light, decadent brownies. Donna and Deb showed the moms how to think ahead and make sure there are planned leftovers after each meal. They also reviewed the nutritional value of leafy greens and we introduced the Moms to kale, a new vegetable that many of them had never heard of before. We also taught the Moms baking tips such as how to separate eggs and substitute healthy ingredients in a lower calorie dessert.

There were six Moms in attendance and many volunteers, including Kristin Briard, Erin Ferguson, Donna Fan, Julianne Lorehn, Melissa MacRae, Marie Starich and Deb Vanderberg. Thank you to Julianne for baking the delicious sweet corn muffins. The Moms were very happy to receive 

new mini muffin tins and pot scrubbers as their participation gift. Overall it was an excellent community event thanks to our appreciative participants and the efforts of our excellent volunteers. Great work everyone!

The two remaining MUM sessions scheduled for this program year will continue to be delivered at the newly remodelled kitchen at Highbanks Society.