Junior League of Boise

JLB's Membership Outreach Meeting to Happen Soon!

2011-09-13T13:19:00.001-07:00

Women over the age of twenty are invited to the upcoming Membership Outreach Meeting on Monday, September 26th, at Boise City Hall, Foothills Conference Room, 150 North Capitol Blvd.

Our gathering begins at 6pm and light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

The Junior League of Boise is an organization of women committed to voluntarism,developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

For more details, please contact Dondi and Rachel, Membership Committee Co-Chairs at join@jlboise.com .

Learn more about joining the Junior League of Boise and how you can make a difference in the Treasure Valley!

The Junior League of Boise featured in First Lady's 'Let's Move Initiative'

2011-09-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

The Junior League of Boise is playing a vital role as part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move Intitiative.

Boise's Let's Move program is supported in part by a number of Let's Move Partners including non-profits, civic clubs and other organizations, as well as city government. As one of those partners... the Junior League of Boise is featured in this week's 'Weekly Tips' segment on the 'Let's Move Boise' website. Click on this link to access the full article:

http://www.letsmoveboise.com/?page_id=59

First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move Initiative is motivating communities nationwide to activate the four Pillars or Goals of the program:

*Reduce childhood obesity
*Make healthy food more accessible
*Provide healthy food in schools
*Increase physical activity

As a Let's Move Boise partner--The Junior League of Boise,as part of the Junior Leagues' Kids in the Kitchen Initiative, also continues to serve up healthy eating choices for children by empowering them to learn how to make those choices.

A New Year Ahead for the Junior League of Boise

2011-08-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

"We change the world here, at Jefferson Elementary...we really do," Principal Kay Hansen says, proudly. Junior League of Boise members welcomed Hansen during this summer's Kick-Off meeting, held at the school.

Jefferson Elementary will be the League's 'Done-in-a-year Interim Project'--this year. During Hansen's presentation about the school--she talked about its diversity: students representing at least twenty different countries attend Jefferson. And just as many different languages are spoken there.

Hansen went on to discuss the school's Title One status, as the facility is a high poverty school. She talked to Junior League members about the fact that Jefferson Elementary is proud to make an impact in the community. The school's curriculum provides tutoring for 'ELL' or 'English Language Learners'; African refugees make up the largest group of ELL students at Jefferson Elementary. They are now calling the city of Boise--a federally designated refugee destination-- their new home. Hansen described to League members how the school's 'ELL' students can exit the English Language Learner Program, after scoring well enough on their I-SAT tests, and be mainstreamed into the school curriculum.

Jefferson Elementary is also home to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Program within the Boise School District--and sign language is used in the classrooms. Hansen again emphasized the school's diversity...saying,"We're all about growth!"

Changes for the Junior League of Boise
During the summer Kick-Off meeting---JLB President Camille Fraley also talked with league members about some upcoming changes, in the year ahead. For example, the new league year is off and running for the Signature Platform Committee. The committee is working to refine its future focus, in the area of Education Enhancements.

This year's Signature Platform Committee will work with the children at Jefferson Elementary School--as part of the league's 'Done-in-a-Year' Interim project. In line with these activities, Fraley announced that the committee will be known as the Jefferson Elementary Committee. Principal Kay Hansen also shared a list of volunteer opportunities that they would be happy to have the league assist with, over the upcoming year. Projects will be defined...by the beginning of the school year.

The new year is off to a great start for the Junior League of Boise--check in for continuing updates!

JLB Presents Awards to Members and Supporters

2011-06-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 21, 2011, Jo Goul received the Roxie M. Johnson Sustainer of the Year Award from the Junior League of Boise during its Annual Meeting to honor her extensive community service to Idaho. Mrs. Goul joined the JLB in 1969, and in 1971 she started leading the team of Junior League members who created the Boise School Volunteer program. The is much-needed program continues today, bringing in hundreds of volunteers who donated thousands of hours every year to Boise's schools. Ms. Goul has also lent her leadership skills and passions to other communities, including McCall, Idaho, where she lead a team in creating a children's garden and other programs to enrich the city.

The JLB also honored three significant supporters at the Annual Meeting. It thanks C308 Marketing with a Community Partner Award for the work C308 provided in updating the JLB's newsletter. A Community Partner Awar was also given to Angelina Briggs, a graphic and design marketing expert, for her help in creating the JLB's annual report. Lastly, the JLB thanked Mr. Marv Fulcher, an information technology professional, for his assistance with the organization's computer and networking needs.

JLB member Michelle Ross, Manager of Patient Access Services at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, was honored with the Community Service Award for her community service to the Boise community. In addition to her volunteer service to the JLB, Ms. Ross is the Chair-Elect of the Boise Young Professionals (BYP), coordinated the volunteers fo the 2010 Boise Rec Fest, and organizes volunteer opportunities for the BYP.

Saundra Coronado was honored by the JLB for her extraordinary volunteer service to the Junior League. She serves as the Treasurer for the organization and volunteered in serveral other major projects, including the organization's main fundraiser, bringing them to successful completion.

MaryAnna Peavey, grant coordinator for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, was also honored for her outstanding dedication to the JLB. Ms. Peavey's exceptional leadership and willingness to take on new tasks was particulary noted.

"These women demonstrate the depth and breadth of experience in community and civic leadership within the membership of the Junior League of Boise," stated Cece Gassner, outgoing President of the Junior League of Boise. "We are grateful to them for sharing their time and talent with us, and for their work to make the Treasure Valley an even better community."

Provisional Class Project a HUGE Success

2011-05-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you ask 26 women to tackle a project that can make a difference in their very own community? Success beyond imagination! That is what this year's provisional class accomplished in a few short months.

The provisional class was given the task to help relieve some of the budget shortfall suffered by the Marian Pritchett School (MPS) at Booth Memorial. The mission of MPS is to provide a confidential environment for pregnant and parenting young women who want to earn their high school diploma. The school has a store that is stocked with baby essentials like diapers, wipes, formula, and clothing as well as toys, books, blankets and other donated items.

Students can earn store "points" for attendance, academic excellence, and good behavior. These points are given weekly by all teachers in the form of vouchers. With these vouchers girls can shop for themselves and the babies in the store.

This year, due to budget constraints, the store was unable to stay stocked at pre-recession levels. The provisional class decided to help. The grand total of donations they garnered included 6,892 diapers, over 6,800 baby wipes, formula for nearly 500 bottles, and a whopping $12,883, all of which will go to help stock the school store a MPS.

Congratulations to the provisional class and you to everyone who helped maked this project a HUGE success!

Notes from the AJLI Winter Leadership Conference

2010-02-28T16:34:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

As always, the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) put on a stellar Winter Leadership Conference, and I'm happy to have the chance to share with you some of the lessons and information that Camille Fraley and I absorbed while there. To start, though, some of you might be asking yourself, "What is Winter Leadership conference, why did Cece and Camille get to go, and how does this affect me?"

AJLI puts on a number of great conferences each year, with each focusing on different aspects of League management and development. The current President and President-Elect of the Leagues are invited to attend the annual Fall Leadership conference. This conference, as you might guess, includes seminars that are geared toward the activities and responsibilities that these placements are generally expected to fulfill. The current President-Elect and President-Elect-Elect are invited to attend the Winter Leadership Conference, which focuses on things that will help prepare these women as they look ahead at stepping into the President role.

But not all of the AJLI conferences focus just on the President/PE/PEE roles. AJLI also puts on a fabulous series of conferences known as Organizational Development Institutes, or ODI. AJLI usually plans about four of these each year with the seminars being the same at each, but they are spread around the country to make it easier for more women to take part. The Junior League of Boise typically budgets to send two of our members to this every year, but all members of the Junior Leagues are welcome to attend (we just pay for two, but if you're interested and would like to go, I can guarantee it would be a great experience for you). To find out more information, visit the Member section of the AJLI website, and look under the Trainings and Meetings tab.

There is also the amazing Annual Conference, and each year the JL of Boise has sent the current President, President-Elect and President-Elect-Elect. This year, that is being held the weekend of April 15-17, and we will post a recap of that Conference when we get back, too.

Back to the Winter Leadership Conference! It was held the weekend of January 28-30 in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. There were great fun moments, like the Opening Reception and getting to see an American city that is steeped in folklore and history. Even more than that, it was a terrific weekend to come together with hundreds of other women who are working in their communities to resolve the issues they face. I was really struck at the impact that Junior League members are making all over the world.

The Junior League of Savannah talked with everyone about the partnership they have with dozens of other organizations, Healthy Savannah. Facing a population that is among one of the most obese in the nation, the Mayor of Savannah brought together a group of organizations to get Savannanans to adopt better eating, fitness and wellness habits. It was inspiration to hear about the difference they are making and how the coalition of very different groups were all coming together for a shared goal.

A lot of the conference focused on the relationship of the individual Leagues with AJLI. One segment I appreciated was a workshop in which we discussed the Rights, Roles and Responsibilities that each League has as a member of the AJLI. We were all reminded that we, the Leagues, have a strong ownership role in the AJLI. As members, we approve the Association's mission, vision, by-laws, external policies, and internal policies that directly affect the individual Leagues. It is pretty powerful to realize that each of us has a voice in how this organization of 160,000 women is run and how it supports our League.

It was not all about the relationship between AJLI and the Leagues, though. Vicki Clark presented another outstanding seminar on Servant Leadership. She lead us through relevant and illustrative exercises to demonstrate how the greatest thing a leader can do is make sure that needs of others are being fulfilled - not her own needs. I've uploaded her presentation to the member section of the League website (after logging in, go to Membership Council, and then click on the Downloads tab). I would love to hear your thoughts on this information and ideas for how we can better incorporate it into our League leadership training and our League in general.

Another interesting presentation was given by Janine Le Seuer, a League liaison with AJLI, who talked about Using Governance and Management to Lead Your League. The great news is that the Junior League of Boise is somewhat on the cutting edge of this - we already have a good division between the governance and management functions of our League, and with the approval of our by-laws, we have created what is sure to be an even more effective and efficient management system, which will result in a more efficient League.

It was an honor for me and Camille to represent the Junior League of Boise at this conference, and we look forward to continuing to provide you with information and lessons learned from future conferences.

Thank you for all YOU do for the League and our community!

~ Cece

JLB Leadership Half Time

2010-01-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney was the guest speaker at JLB's Leadership Half Time meeting on January 13. Leaders learned about three tenets in creating a high performing organization including creating a compelling vision, building an honest and engaged culture and executing a manageable plan.

JLB President Mandy Kayler also praised the women for work well done and motivated them to keep the momentum through the rest of the year. "This meeting is what I needed to inspire me to make a difference in the League and in the community," said Jennifer Holley.

Holiday Party for Kids in Care

2009-12-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

"I just want to say how fabulous the Kids in Care Holiday Party turned out! It was a smashing success thanks to Katie Kirkpatrick, Kelly Berard, and everyone who helped out with donations and time! I heard endless positive feedback from the families. Santa also outdid himself with presents for the children. Some of the families could barely carry all of the loot!Thank you all for your dedication to this cause. You did an amazing job yet again! "

Sheli Fulcher-Koontz, Community Council Manager

Counting down to Kids in the Kitchen...5,4,3,2,1

2009-11-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

We are looking forward to Kids in the Kitchen Saturday, November 7th from 10:00-2:00 pm at the West YMCA.

Click below to see Mandy Kayler on KTVB Channel 7 over the weekend promoting the event!

http://media.vmsnews.com/MonitoringReports/110209/884882/G002148690/.

The Sustainer Fall Tea

2009-10-23T13:44:00.001-07:00

October In-Home Meetings

2009-10-22T12:00:00.001-07:00

This week, members of the Junior League met at the homes of our Sustaining Members.

We learned about upcoming league events , volunteer opportunities, and

received training on "Working Together in a Multi-Generational Organization."

Kids in the Kitchen

2009-10-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

Members of the Impact Boise committee are busy planning Kids in the Kitchen, a health and fitness event hosted in partnership with West Boise YMCA . Chefs, health care providers, community organizations and businesses will encourage participants to make healthy eating and physical activity a lifetime habit.

Saturday, November 7th, 10:00am - 2:00pm
West Boise YMCA • 5959 N. Discovery Way • Boise, ID 83713

· FREE ADMISSION!

Free Food Prepared by Local Chefs!

· Prepare Your Own Healthy Snacks!

· Great Games and Contests!

· Athletic Demonstrations!

· Surprise Guests!

Visit http://www.kidsinthekitchen.ajli.org/:

· fun, healthy recipes for meals, snack, and party treats

· health tips for nutrition, fitness, and family lifestyle

· additional resources for health and fitness

*Watch for our President Mandy Kayler on the Fox 12 Morning Show, October 29th and the KTVB channel 7 News at Noon, October 31st.

Back to school supplies for children in Foster Care

2009-10-13T05:31:00.000-07:00

In August, Junior League members prepared backpacks for children in Foster Care ages kindergarten through 6th grade.

September General Meeting

2009-10-10T15:53:00.001-07:00

Junior League of Boise members met at the Linen Building in September for our first General Meeting of the new League year. Our General Meetings are an opportunity to meet friends, learn about new projects in our community and receive valuable training.