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.”

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 Holiday Party and JLC's Teen Tote Project

JLC members and a special someone with some of the
Teen Totes prepared by the Fall Provisionals

The Junior League of Calgary brought helping hands to The Alex Youth Health Centre on December 21 

when we were invited to their annual Holiday Party. Our members gave out 200 of the Teen Totes created 

by the Fall 2011 Provisional Class to the centre’s clients. We were delighted to see the appreciation and smiles on so many young faces.

Danene Lenstra, Team Leader with The Alex, gave us a huge thank you and said, “Our clients love this event and many have come each year because your bags are 

so great”. 

Teen Totes Done-In-A-Day (DIAD): Santa’s Workshop at the JLC Office!

The Junior League of Calgary (JLC) and its members helped bring holiday cheer this season to 350 Calgary teens by providing tote bags filled with both must-have personal hygiene items as well as many “fun” items. On December 6 members joined the 2011 Fall Provisional Class at the JLC 
office to assemble the totes and get into the holiday spirit with festive music and some of Nikki’s delicious treats!

Totes were filled with hand sanitizer, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, store gift cards, movie passes, library cards, candy canes, granola bars, gloves, toques, agendas, Hitmen tickets, bus passes, swim passes, eye exam certificates and other miscellaneous items. They will be distributed to the teen clients of The Alex Youth Health Centre and various Community Resource Centers via the efforts of Drew Brown of Saint Jude’s Health Management Institute.

We were honoured to have as our special guests Drew Brown, and Kate Hawksworth and Judy McCuaigh from The Alex Youth Health Care Center and prospective Winter Provisional Emily Wood! 

Teen Tote "stuffers" with some of the 350 bags prepared during the DIAD

Thank you to all the generous donors of the 2011 Teen Totes!

Pick up of the Totes for distribution to Calgary area teens

Teen Tote Stuffing - Fall Provisional Class Project

With the holiday season and cold weather upon us, the Fall 2011 Provisional Class members have been hard at work with this year’s annual Teen Totes project!

In 2004 the JLC became aware that teenagers were an often overlooked age group during the holiday gift-giving programs within the city. Thus we began our Teen Totes project to deliver tote bags filled with items such as personal hygiene products, food and entertainment certificates, toques and gloves to Calgary area teens.

Our goal this year is to fill another 300 totes! If you would like to donate items for these Teen Totes, please consider donating movie passes or gift cards to either Superstore or Wal-Mart in the amount of $10.00.

The Fall Provisional Class also invites all Active and Sustaining members to put on your Santa hats and join us for some holiday cheer while we assemble this year’s totes!

Contact the JLC office to make a donation or to volunteer to assemble the totes.

JLC Members at the 2011 Teen Tote Stuffing DIAD

JLC Community Impact for 2010-2011 Celebrated at Annual Dinner!

Our Issue Area of "Healthy and Active Living" was our guide to successfully promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving our community during the 2010-2011 program year. We delivered over 2,600 volunteer hours. We impacted over 3,000 youth and 120 families.

HIGHBANKS SOCIETY is a residential agency that offers a safe home to single mothers between the ages of 16 and 24 and their children while the mothers complete their high school or post-secondary program and create a career path. Cecilia de la Rocha, Executive Director, Stephanie Schoenberg, Community Coordinator and Bette Mitchell, Founder and current President of the Board of Directors, attended the Celebration Dinner.

The Program Planning Group for Highbanks Society developed and implemented a program that benefits the mothers and children residing at Highbanks. The name of the program is "MUM", which stands for "Moms U Matter", and it targets the key issues of food preparation, meal planning, healthy eating, kitchen safety and food budgeting. We implemented eight MUM sessions between September and May at the Co-op Downtown Market kitchen; the Co-op location was required because the Highbanks Society facility was being remodelled. We look forward to refining the scope and components of the MUM program, running it in Highbanks’ new kitchen, which will be completed in June, and moving into the second year of program delivery.

One of the programs under the umbrella of the Children’s Cottage Society is BRENDA’S HOUSE. Brenda’s House is a re-housing program with a sheltering component aimed at supporting families toward independence and their own sustainable housing. Brenda’s House opened on February 1, 2009 and has served over 317 families. Joining us from Brenda’s House at our Celebration Dinner were Angela Hutchinson, Program Manager and Michelle Louisy, Child Development Team Lead and Patty Kilgallon, Executive Director of the Children’s Cottage Society.

Michelle Louisy (L) and Angela Hutchinson with Brenda’s House

The Program Planning Group for Brenda’s House developed a program that benefits the children and parents at Brenda’s House. 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 (Babies in the Story). We implemented 15 sessions of Treasure Trunk between September and May. We look forward to refining the scope and components of Treasure Trunk as we move into the second year of program delivery.

The Fall Provisional Class members were given the opportunity to implement our eighth year of creating Teen Totes. Under the guidance of their advisors, class members planned and implemented the Holiday Tote Bags for 300 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 sixth annual Kids in the Kitchen event. Advisors guided class members through all the components of a JLC project. The KITK program and accompanying Tote Bags were delivered to 175 grades four, five and six students at Cambrian Heights School on May 3.

In March, the JLC participated in Safety Expo at City Hall, demonstrating Kitchen Safety techniques at our double-wide booth, providing JLC members with the opportunity to impact over 2,500 students at this two-day event.

Check out this youTube video to see more highlights from the 2010-2011 year.   

• In the 2011-2012 JLC year, Community Impact program components will include: Treasure Trunk at Brenda’s House, which will start at a later time on Wednesday evenings;

• MUM program being delivered at the new Highbanks Society kitchen on Tuesdays and Thursdays;

•  Fall Provisional Class creating Teen Totes;

• Safety Expo on March 14-15, 2012;

•  Winter Provisional Class implementing KITK on May 1, 2012 at Rundle School in NE Calgary;

•  A Future Program Planning Group starting to explore new Community Impact opportunities within our Issue Area.

Teen Totes Done-In-A-Day: Santa's Workshop at the JLC Office!

The Junior League of Calgary and its members helped bring holiday cheer this past Christmas to 300 Calgary teens by providing tote bags filled with both must-have personal hygiene items as well as many fun things. On November 22, 2010 members joined the Fall 2010 Provisional Class at the DIAD to assemble the totes and get into the holiday spirit with carols and sweets!

JLC members (a.k.a. Santa‘s Helpers) at the DIAD

Totes were filled with hand sanitizer, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, store gift cards, movie passes, library cards, candy, toques, gloves, notebooks, hockey tickets and some miscellaneous items. They were later distributed to the teen clients of The Alex Youth Health Centre and various Community Resource Centres via the efforts of Drew Brown of Saint Jude's Health Management Institute.