The 2011 JLC Annual Campaign came to a successful conclusion at the end of February, raising over $7,000 from Active and Sustaining Members as well as special friends of the League. A key component of our yearly revenue, funds from the Annual Campaign contribute to our community programs and operational costs. Thank you for your generosity.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
President's Message - International Women's Day
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| Alice Gardner-Boreta |
Each year International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. Thousands of IWD events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their economic, political and social achievements. A world-wide web of rich and diverse local activity, ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to women's craft markets, theatrical performances, fashion parades and more connects women around the globe.
While International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900's, the new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Although many changes and improvements are left to be made globally, particularly in the Western world we see more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, increased educational opportunities and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life.
Each year organisations, governments, charities and women's groups in many countries choose different themes that reflect global and local gender issues. This year the theme of the United Nations is “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures” and the Canadian Federal Government has chosen “Status of Women: Strong Leadership. Strong Women. Strong World.”.
Interestingly and similarly, the Junior League movement also began in the early days of the 20th century. We were then and are now, as our Mission states, an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.
Our Vision is also global: Women Around the World as Catalysts for Lasting Community Change. One of our more recent themes is “Junior League Women as Community and Civic Leaders”. Our program Moms You Matter (MUM) connects to young women and inspires their futures.
You are all a part of International Women’s Day. Celebrate, and continue to be proud of who you are as women and of what you do and can continue to do for other women in our world.
Click here to learn more: International Women's Day website
Ann McCaig Speaks of Volunteering and JL Women as Catalysts for Lasting Community Change
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| Ann McCaig speaking at the JLC's February General Meeting |
JLC Sustainer and community and civic leader Ann McCaig engaged JLC members at our February General Meeting with her truly inspirational and motivating talk on the importance of volunteering and its impact on our community and the quality of life in Canada, as well as how the Junior League can have such an equally significant impact on one’s life.
Ann’s message was loud and clear - “Do the things you think you cannot do!” As she took us through her life’s volunteering journey, she constantly showed by example how one person can make a difference. Her life has been one of many blessings mixed with many personal challenges. However, she has volunteered in her community throughout it all, including serving on many high-profile boards within Alberta and taking a leadership position on quite a few of them.
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| Ann McCaig and Alice Gardner-Boreta |
Ann attributes the “leadership training” she received from her years spent with the JLC to her successes in the years that followed. She made mention of all the lasting friendships she made while in the League, as well as developing discipline and a great work ethic.
She stressed the theme of “team work” and how much more can be accomplished when individuals come together united by a common vision. She spoke of many projects she has helped deliver to the community that have had lasting impact. As well, Ann has helped raise millions of dollars for various charitable organizations with her “Can Do” attitude and her “Stir-up” training – a reference to the great “Stir-Up” events held by the JLC earlier in its 61 year history!
Ann closed her remarks by encouraging all of those present to continue to work together as volunteers, exemplifying the Junior League Vision of “Women Around the World as Catalysts for Lasting Community Change”.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
JLC to Participate Again in Calgary Safety Expo
On March 20 and 21 the Junior League of Calgary will again be participating in Calgary Safety Expo, which teaches students in grades 4 - 7 about safety and injury prevention.
We will be hosting a double-wide booth that focuses on the topic of kitchen safety. Our booth has a large, professional display board as well as a running laptop that educates the students about key kitchen safety tips. Back by popular demand will be the Glo Germ activity, which allows the children to observe their hands under an ultraviolet light both before and after washing to detect the spread of germs and the effectiveness of their handwashing efforts, and our rubber chicken and fish, which help us demonstrate safe food handling. Students will learn about cooking and knife safety by properly handling a kitchen pan on a burner (not plugged in!) and holding and using knives (plastic), oven mitts and towels.
The Alex Holiday Party and JLC's Teen Tote Project
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| 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”.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
President's Message - "Sustainable Assets"
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| Alice Gardner-Boreta JLC President |
As you are all hopefully aware by now, a major theme for The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI), and the theme of many of our General Meetings this year, has been “JL Women as Community and Civic Leaders”. These women have been and are inspirational public figures in one way or another, motivating other JL members by their active community involvement, whether locally, nationally or internationally.
If you visit the AJLI website (www.ajli.org)and from the Home Page click on News Room and then on Civic Leadership, you will find a list of some of these women, all of whom hold or have held a powerful position outside The Junior League, or have received a Junior League award in the past, or just have something very special about them. The only thing missing on the current list, from our point of view, is that it doesn’t include any Canadian women!
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| Bobbie Sparrow |
Well, that is about to change, as JLC Past President (1969) and Sustainer Bobbie Sparrow was recently interviewed for a piece in the AJLI publication “connected” and will be added to the list very soon! The article is entitled “Sustainable Assets: Bobbie Sparrow: A Woman of Many Interests”. It is a superb interview and describes how Bobbie parlayed her experiences in the JLC and in business, philanthropy and volunteer services into a career in politics, ultimately rising to office in the Canadian Parliament’s House of Commons.
You can access the article via the AJLI website Home Page and wait for the article title and Bobbie’s picture to appear on the scroll and click on it, or via the following link:
We are so proud to have all of you Junior League women, Actives and Sustainers, past and present, associated with our outstanding organization!
Treasure Trunk Training Day at Junior League of Calgary
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Showing how to create kaleidoscopes during KARTS training |
On Saturday, January 28, the Junior League of Calgary hosted a Treasure Trunk training workshop for staff and volunteers of Brenda’s House and the Children’s Cottage Society of Calgary and JLC members. The Brenda’s House Program Planning Group (PPG) were the key trainers. Attendees learned how JLC programs are developed, the history of the Treasure Trunk program and program elements that have worked well and not so well. Each attendee participated in the Treasure Trunk sessions of Babies in the Story (BITS), Kids in the Story (KITS), Kids in Motion & Music (KIMM), Kids in the Kitchen (KITK) and Kids in the Arts (KARTS).
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| Participants are put through their paces in KIMM |
When asked what the training day meant to them participants comments were:
l Educational
l Interactive
l Creative
l Practical
l Show of teamwork
l Opportunity to experience activities from a child’s point of view
l Fun, fun, fun!
l Impressive organization of the day
l Feel more prepared to volunteer at the Treasure Trunk program
l Easy to understand the components and implement them into other programs
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| Learning during the KITK segment of training |
l Well developed curriculum with every idea piloted and redesigned to be useful
l The background work done by the JLC will have a lasting effect on current and future programming at Brenda’s House and throughout the Children’s Cottage Society
To view the “Treasure Trunk Training Presentation” PowerPoint go to the Members’ Only section of the JLC website and click on the Community tab.
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| Demonstrating some of the activities used in the BITS segment of the Treasure Trunk program |
Thank you to all the members of the Brenda’s House PPG for implementing such a thoughtful, well-organized and fun training opportunity for both our JLC members and our Community Partners. Thank you also to JLC’s Office Administrator Wendy Baillie for preparing the materials that were given to all the participants.
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| Learning about the KITS segment |
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