The Junior League of Palo Alto-Mid Peninsula (JLPA-MP) Blog

Members who SHINE!

2012-01-31T11:18:00.000-08:00

By Ansley Jentz, Member Resources Committee

Member Resources Committee would like to recognize these members for their fantastic work on behalf of our League. They have gone above and beyond and we are grateful for their efforts!

Stefanie Witlin, Nominating Committee Member. Steff conducted research into the characteristics of effective leaders, created a brand new Board of Directors Leadership Application system now being used successfully by this year's Nominating Committee. Because of her efforts, for the first time this year we are receiving new, quantifiable information from candidates for next year's Board of Directors based on the needs our League has today.

Kathleen Castaillac & Helen Ungerman, Home Tour Co-Chairs. Member Resources Committee, as well as all of the League, is so impressed with the efforts and leadership of Kathleen and Helen and all of the Home Tour Committee. 2011 Home Tour was a terrific success! The homes were beautiful, the schedule was filled with exciting events and the days went like clockwork! You made it look effortless but we know you put in countless hours to make it all happen. Well done and congratulations!

Blogging Leaguers – TOP TEN LIST

2012-01-27T11:30:00.004-08:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Social Media Assistant Chair

On Monday night, January 23, I presented a Blogging Training for the Communications Team. We already have some great writers on our committee, but I think everyone still needs a reminder to write for our league Blog, to conquer any fears they may have of blogging, and to get started writing about all the awesome things we do!

In my efforts to educate and provide a fun training, I created a Blogging Top Ten list, similar to Letterman’s Top Ten. Below is the list I created, with additional instruction relating to our League Blog. For those of you that have thought about writing an article, but gotten stuck on what to write or how to write a Blog article, I hope you find this helpful!

10. Blog about all the cool stuff our League does.
You can blog about an event, a social, a team meeting, or a casual night out with a group of Jr. League friends. It’s important that the article be about an experience or from your perspective, and not an advertisement for an event (the appropriate forum for an advertisement would be our Twitter or Facebook account). Here’s a great article written a few months back about two leaguers who enjoyed a fun afternoon at the Four Seasons in Palo Alto.

9. Write about what matters to you.

The most successful articles are written by people who are passionate about their subject matter, so if you enjoyed it, share it.

8. Write your article right away.

Articles published too long after the event occurred aren’t as interesting to the reader, so write your article ASAP. It will also be easier to write if you do it right away (for those with short term memory like me).

7. Use your own voice.

The beauty of blogging is that there is no right or wrong way to write your article. You can even use (appropriate) slang! Here is a great article that was written about a joint committee meeting, where the author’s voice really comes through in the writing.

6. Less is more.

Good Blog articles don’t have to be long. The expert blog writers suggest writing 250 words or less. That’s probably shorter than that restaurant review you wrote on Yelp!

5. Make the title snappy.

Put some thought into your title! You can instantly get the readers attention by using a clever title. One of my favorite blog article titles is, Tapas Under the Stars. Now, didn’t that get your attention?

4. Include bullet point lists.

Using bullet point lists is an easy way to write your article, and it provides a great structure for the reader to easily digest the information.

3. Take Pictures!

There isn’t a lot I need to write about using pictures with your article, except use pictures! And if you don’t have any pictures, include a flyer, icon, or anything with some color in it.

2. It’s easy!!

If you’re getting stressed about writing a Blog article, you’re probably thinking too hard about it. Write the first thing that comes to mind!

1. It’s important!!!

Our Blog is out there for the community and prospective members to learn about our league, and for members to find out what’s going on in other committee’s or things that they missed. So be an ambassador and write about what’s important to you (which should be our League)!

RECAP: January 18 GMM

2012-01-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

By Amy Truel, Communications Team

Did you miss the January 18 General Membership Meeting? Find out what was discussed and presented.

A moving and informative presentation from Karae Lisle (shown right), Executive Director of Shelter Network.

Kathleen Castaillac and Helen Ungerman, Home Tour Co-Chairs, provided a witty and memorable homage to the behind-the-scenes Home Tour preparation. How those ladies could accomplish so much, putting on an amazing Home Tour while chronicling their adventures and maintaining a sense of humor is beyond me. Once again, Thank you Home Tour Team-we are blown away!

Bena Vohra (shown left), Junior SPAC Delegate, invited us to submit our ideas for "There Oughta Be A Law...". This is a great opportunity for League members to make a difference! Think about laws you would like to see enacted, and submit your ideas to SPAC by March 2.

Sally Falkenhagen (shown right), Endowment Fund Chair, spoke about the history and performance of the League Endowment Fund. It was very inspiring to see how the idea was formed back in 1992, launched in 1994 and has grown into a substantial amount, ensuring continued League support for our community. To donate to the Fund, click here.

Tara Roussel, Nominating Chair, introduced us to our stellar proposed 2012-13 Board of Directors (shown left).

Jan Hickman, Shop Committee Chair, emceed a great fashion show featuring items available at The Shop. Not just clothes either; we were treated to ladies strutting their stuff carrying artwork, tables, and yes, Brooke Lopez did wear a lampshade (shown right)!

Provisional Class Holiday Social

2012-01-24T08:27:00.000-08:00

By Danielle Stromgren, Provisional Committee

What a great ending to the 2011 year with two festive events getting us into the holiday spirit. The fourth annual Finishing Touches Home Tour was an exciting way to set the month of December in motion and the holiday cookie exchange filled our tummies with scrumptious goodies from various traditions.

One of the lovely homes featured
in the Home Tour.

The Home Tour was highly regarded by many with a variety of events you could attend on December 2-3. Not only was there an opportunity to see four beautifully decorated homes in Atherton, but there was also the designer breakfast held at the Rosewood where it gave people a chance to ask the interior designers questions about each home they decorated for the tour. The boutique was also another sought after spot with great items ranging from goodies, jewelry to wreaths.

So many cookies to try at the
Cookie Exchange!

The provisional class also had a fun holiday cookie exchange on December 14 held at the Gatehouse. Many people showed up bearing delicious treats. With over 50 different desserts to choose from, it was hard to vote on who would win the contest. After tasting many cookies, everyone placed their vote and came to the conclusion that Lauren Case had the best tasting cookies. Amanda George won for the most unique with individual size tie-dyed cheesecake and Jennifer Potter won best looking with her wonderfully decorated Santa cookies. If there wasn’t enough room in your take-out box to bring home the cookies you loved then you can download the pdf file that has all the recipes from the event.

If you missed either of these wonderful events this year, be sure to mark your calendar for the next social and other great upcoming Junior League events. You can view all upcoming events on the JLPA-MP website calendar here.

Legislation Update! My Interview with Sr. SPAC Delegate, Polly Neumann

2012-01-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Social Media Assistant Chair, Communications Team

At the last Board Meeting of 2011, Polly Neumann, Sr. SPAC Delegate, presented two federal bills regarding Human Trafficking. Our League usually supports California state bills, but both Polly and Cat Carlton, SPAC California Chair, felt that these two federal bills regarding Human Trafficking were important enough to gain the support of our Board and League.

I reached out to Polly this past weekend to learn more about the two bills. In honor of President Obama declaring January to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, I wanted to share with you what I learned from Polly and the outcome of her presentation to the Board.

These bills will help authorities and non-profit groups fight human trafficking internationally and in our own back yard:

1) H.R. 2982 Human Trafficking Reporting Act

This federal bill would move Human Trafficking (HT) to a Part 1 crime in relation to the Unified Crime Reporting Program that the FBI runs.

Part 1 Crimes: The FBI requires law enforcement to report these to the UCR Program (e.g. murder)
Part 2 Crimes: The FBI requests law enforcement to report these crimes, but it is not a requirement (e.g. hate crimes)

The passing of this bill would make reporting of HT crimes mandatory for law enforcement groups (as long as they want federal funding).

2) H.R. 2830 TVPA Trafficking Victims Protection Act

The original Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 was and still is the largest piece of human rights legislation in U.S. history, creating the first comprehensive federal law to address human trafficking both domestically and internationally.

The methods of traffickers are constantly evolving, so the TVPA must be updated and renewed every few years. The TVPA was reauthorized through the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2003, 2005 and 2008. The new TVPRA bill will be voted upon in 2012. Details on the bill’s reauthorization can be found here.

Domestic provisions within the TVPA:

The TVPA of 2000 follows a three-pronged approach to prevent vulnerability, protect survivors, and prosecute human traffickers.

Under prevention, it creates an office to monitor and combat trafficking in persons within the state department, enabling the President to impose sanctions on countries that fail to meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; it also creates public awareness programs and partnerships to prevent goods made by slave labor from entering the country.

Under protection, it expands the types of technical assistance that can be provided to foreign countries, including police training; it requires the Department of Labor to provide a list of goods that may have been made with forced labor; and it provides the T Visa for foreign victims of trafficking in the U.S.

Under prosecution, it makes human trafficking (and related activities) a federal crime with severe penalties and mandates that restitution be paid to victims.

International provisions within the TVPA:

Internationally, the TVPRA requires the U.S. government to terminate contracts with overseas contractors who engage in sex trafficking or forced labor; addresses sex tourism with prevention programs; expands federal criminal jurisdiction to trafficking offenses committed abroad, meaning the alleged offender can be tried in the U.S. whether or not the crime was committed in the U.S.; requires the U.S. to cut military aid to countries using children in their national armies/militias; and requires that countries ranked on the Tier II Watch List for more than two years receive the same sanctions as countries ranked on the Tier III Watch List.

************************************

After speaking with Polly and understanding the two bills related to Human Trafficking, I could understand why she sought the support of our League. Our League has demonstrated in the past that we can make a difference in our community and world. I was delighted to learn (and not surprised at all) that our JLPA-MP Board voted to support both of these bills!

Child/Human Trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world, and the world’s second largest criminal enterprise, after drugs. About 2.8 million children run away each year in the US, and, within 48 hours of hitting the streets, one-third of these children are lured into the underground world of prostitution and pornography. Over 70% of all child and human trafficking in California occurs in the Bay Area.

Yummy Cookie Exchange

2012-01-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

By Marcie Brown, Endowment Fund Committee

Take home cookie station

Weeks later, I am still thinking about bacon in cookies! Who would have even thought to do that? And who would think that they are tasty? Well, they are darn good!

JL Members at the Cookie Exchange

The Cookie Exchange, hosted by the Provisional Class and open to all League members and their friends, was held last month at the Gatehouse. A rousing success only begins to describe what a fun event it was!

Unlike other Cookie Exchanges I’ve been too – they had a tasting and a friendly competition for the cookies. Like other Cookie Exchanges, everyone went home with cookies, packaged by attendees themselves in adorable to-go boxes. A few of each cookie guests brought were cut into bit-sized pieces and assigned a number – everyone was given three slips of paper to put a number on to name their choice for – best looking, best tasting & most original. How the bacon one didn't win most original was beyond me!

Santa Cookies

Two well-dressed, kind gentlemen carried trays of sparkling beverages around the Gatehouse for guests to sip while they tasted. The dining room table had cheeses and crackers and other savories as well. It was a delightful event – lots of mingling and conversations, great food and beverages and more than enough fun!

My first-year Active daughter’s cookies were the best tasting in my opinion, but they didn’t take the prize. But, I did get a few leftovers to take home!

Lauren Case, Lisa Hammon,
Danielle Stromgren

The WINNERS from the Cooking Exchange:

Best Tasting Cookies - Lauren Case

Best Looking Cookies - Jennifer Potter

Most Unique Cookies - Amanda George

'Robotripping' Law Takes Effect January 1, 2012

2011-12-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

The following is from a press release regarding Senate Bill 514, prohibiting the sale of over-the-counter cold and cough medications containing dextromethorphan (DXM) to minors. This bill was supported by the Junior Leagues of California's State Public Affairs Committee.

On January 1, California will become the first state in the nation to prohibit the sale of over-the-counter cold and cough medications containing dextromethorphan (DXM) to minors. Senate Bill 514, authored by State Senator Joe Simitian of Palo Alto, will require store clerks to check identification to ensure that no one under 18 purchases these medications, which are known to cause a potentially life-threatening high when consumed in high doses.

According to WebMD and the Consumer Healthcare Productions Association, 1 in 10 teenagers say they’ve used DXM to get high – making it more popular than LSD, cocaine, ecstasy or meth. The California Poison Control System reports that DXM abuse calls for children under age 17 have increased 850% in the past ten years, making DXM abuse the most commonly reported type of abuse in this age group.

“The truth is that ingesting too much cough medicine can be as dangerous as abusing alcohol and other drugs,” Simitian said. “Until now, these drugs have been easy for young people to obtain. By putting age limitations on these drugs, we’re communicating to kids and their parents that, when used inappropriately, these are dangerous drugs with serious consequences.”

Restricting the sale of DXM was a winning submission in Simitian’s 2004 “There Oughta Be a Law” contest from Wayne Benitez and Ron Lawrence, both with the Palo Alto Police Department at the time (Lawrence is now the Rocklin Police Chief). The legislation stalled in 2004, but Simitian successfully reintroduced the bill earlier this year.

Senate Bill 514 was supported by the Junior Leagues of California's State Public Affairs Committee, Consumer Healthcare Products Association (manufacturers of these products), the California Peace Officers Association, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the California State Board of Pharmacy, among other groups. A violation of the new law will be an infraction. The law provides an exception for sale to minors with a prescription.

Click here for a video relating to the SPAC-supported bill, which goes into effect January 2012.

Blogging! Team Activity from September GMM, Bundle 5

2011-12-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Social Media Assistant Chair

This is Part V of a series of team blog submissions from the September GMM. See Part I on the 12/7/11 blog post.

Team Blog Activity from September GMM, Bundle 5

Among your table, what are some of your money saving tips?

Submitted by Rosa Singh and Team

1. Shop in bulk (Costco) 2. Comparison shop 3. Use cash as you will spend less 4. Pay bills online to save on postage 5. Buy from The Shop 6. Cook on Sundays and freeze meals 7. Have a vegetable garden 8. Swap books and toys 9. Use the library for DVDs and books 10. Use Coupons 11. Bike or walk to work

Submitted by Dana and Team

1. Shop at the Shop 2. Coupons 3 Use Groupon 4. Cook from scratch 5. Watch HGTV - Design on a dime 6.Take a lunch 7. Shop at Marshalls and TJ Max 8. Shoe repair for your heels 9. Wait 24 hours to think about a big purchase 10. Make twice the amount of food and save the rest in the freezer for lunch 11. Public transportation when its cheaper (and its green) 12. Drink during happy hour 13. Share clothes with your girlfriends 14. Rent a movie and make dinner at home for a romantic date 15. Shop Palo Alto mother's club for deals on kids stuff.

Submitted by Emily Cunningham, Erin Reyes, Nina Bailey, Calla Griffith, Lauren Wald and Regine Nelson

1. Don't go to Stanford Shopping Mall 2. Go to the grocery store with a list 3. Brew your own Peet’s or Starbucks at home 4. Only buy what you need 5. Develop a budget

Thanks for Having Us!

2011-12-21T20:27:00.000-08:00

By Ansley Jentz, Member Resources Committee

On behalf of the ladies of the Member Resources Committee, we sincerely appreciate the hospitality of your committees over the past few months. We were welcomed into your meetings, given time on your agenda, and allowed the chance to meet you in person – which is, hand-down, the best part of all.

Member Resources Committee (L to R) Miriam Huntley (holding Ashlyn Levy),
Marissa Levy, Ansley Jentz, Liz Wood, Gabriella Cirelli, and Mary Grundy
Not pictured: Leticia Gonzalez-Ratchev and Stephanie Pearson-Phillips

As our committee discussed the committee visit experience, we all agreed that the visits are invaluable. Meeting the women that we represent is what it’s all about. As a liaison, the committee visit is our chance to say hello and put a name to a face – which allows a better connection for the coming year.

We likely missed several of you if you were not at “that meeting” – so below is an abbreviated overview of what we shared:

Member Resources Committee members are your partner in the League and want the best for you. We are the ones you reach out to when you need:

To change your membership status – for example, due to outside circumstances you cannot complete your commitment and need to take a Leave of Absence
To discuss your League experience – whether you’re having a fabulous experience thanks to your fellow committee members and leaders, or if you feel that you need to switch and explore another committee placement
To confirm that you’ve met your membership obligations as the year moves along – we are the ones who will give that gentle reminder of any missed obligations
To express your interests for your League future – we need to know whether you’re interested in doing a community project, or fundraiser, or an internal placement in the next year

So, we are sorry if we missed you, but certainly hope to have the chance to get to know you in the months ahead. You can look for us at the January General Membership Meeting… we have bright-colored flowers that we’ll be wearing.

Be sure to reach out to us with any concerns or questions about your League year.

Happy Holidays, and thanks again for having us!

Blogging! Team Activity from September GMM, Bundle 4

2011-12-19T18:06:00.000-08:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Social Media Assistant Chair

This is Part IV of a series of team blog submissions from the September GMM. See Part I on the 12/7/2011 blog post.

Team Blog Activity from September GMM, Bundle 4

What are your table’s top 10 summer activities around the Peninsula?

Submitted by Jan Woolsey (pictured below), Jessica Escalante, Rachana Shah and Kristin Huguet

1. Go cart racing in Millbrae 2. Shopping at Stanford 3. Museum at Stanford 4. Antiquing in San Carlos (Laurel St) 5. Concerts at Shoreline 6. A day at Half Moon Bay 7. A day at Filoli 8. Farmer's market 9. Wine tasting at Savvy Cellars in Mountain View

Jan Woolsey responding to the
Blog activity question on her ipad

Submitted by Caitlin Hyatt, Kathleen Castaillac, Katy Cecere, Angela Espinosa, Heather Bauer, Carmina Littlefield, Heather Caelius, Helen Ungerman, Angie Dupree and Courtney Zanini

Who knew there were so many things to do with family and friends in the area! Home Tour's Top 10 summer activities will wow even your grandparents. 1. Wednesday's concert in the Park – in Menlo Park 2. Raging Waters 3. The Circus came to town! 4. Menlo Charity Horseshow - and yes the kids love it! 5. Connoisseur’s Marketplace in Menlo Park or Palo Alto! 6. Happy Hollow 7. San Mateo County Fair 8. Gilroy Gardens 9. Downtown Redwood City Movie in the Park on Friday nights! 10. San Carlos Farmers Market - hurry!! the last one is this week or next!?!

Submitted by Maggie Furey, Laura Wiley, Lauren Brown, Olivia Sorell, Jennifer Donegan, Katie Anderson, Sara Malek Compani, Rebecca Williamson and Laura Martin

Bungee Jumping, Skydiving, Giants Games, Fireworks on the pier, Napa Valley, The beach, Spa, Hopping in HMB, Dish hiking w/ Claritan, Menlo Charity horse show, Movies in the Square – RWC, Downward Facing Dog @ Stanford

Tune in for the last Blog post of this series on Wednesday 12/21/2011!

Blogging! Team Activity from September GMM, Bundle 3

2011-12-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Social Media Assistant Chair

This is Part III of a series of team blog submissions from the September GMM. See Part I on the 12/7/11 blog post.

Team Blog Activity from September GMM, Bundle 3

If you could forever eliminate one task from your daily routine, what would it be and why?

Submitted by Amy Truel and Team

Amy Truel and League members

1) Have time to donate clothing to the Shop 2) Go to lunch with a Junior League Member 3) Volunteer for every Junior League event on the calendar 4) Have time to submit blog entry daily for Junior League 5) Have time to write Piper articles 6) Comment on every Junior League Facebook post 7) Buy enough Junior League t-shirts to wear 365 days a year

Submitted by Stacey Harbeson and Team

In our perfect world there would be no dishes to do. We all would have a dishwasher fairy that would whisk away our plates after dinner, place them in the dishwasher, and empty it while we sleep. There would be no crusty dishes from husbands who don't rinse and dry chapped dishpan hands.

Submitted by Chris Sapyta, May Matsui, Rebecca Siegel, Taylor Fleeson, Stephanie Dugary

CS: I'd l eliminate dish washing and laundry.TF: shaving legs and laundry RS: putting on makeup or straightening my hair MM: I'd get rid of washing dishes. SD: I would eliminate the colossal waste of time that is sitting in traffic.

Blogging! Team Activity from September GMM, Bundle 2

2011-12-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Social Media Assistant Chair

This is Part II of a series of team blog submissions from the September GMM. See Part I on the 12/7/11 blog post.

Team Blog Activity from September GMM, Bundle 2

League members working on the Blog activity

Share with us a placement you've learned the most from in the League

Submitted by Joy Peacock

I was the assistant chair of the Spring Gala. I had never been in charge of solicitations before and a month after I took the position, I found out I was pregnant. I learned to be fearless and juggle many priorities.

What’s the best gift you ever received?

Submitted by GMM Group

1. Port-a-potty for the boat. 2. Puppy. 3. Having a child, after being told by two doctors that I wasn't able to give birth to a child. 4. Large photo from a loved photographer. 5. Trip to Rome. 6. My grandmother's engagement ring.

Congratulations Home Tour Committee

2011-12-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

The Provisional Class Tailgated and Volunteered!

2011-12-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

By Molly Sundstrom, Membership Development Committee

November was a susy month for the Provisional Class!

We kicked off the month with our social by tailgating at the Stanford-Oregon football game on November 12. Although Oregon defeated Stanford, everyone had a great time BBQ-ing and socializing with other Junior League members.

Provisional Class November meeting presentation
about Kids in the Kitchen by Jacquetta Lannan

Our Provisional Class met on November 15, and we learned about the different service opportunities within the League. We were privileged to presentations about our biggest fundraiser—Finishing Touches Home Tour—and discovered the many opportunities to volunteer at The Shop. The Shop is an upscale second hand store in downtown Menlo Park and each provisional will have an opportunity to volunteer. We were filled in about Kids in the Kitchen, and even learned how to solicit donations in order to ensure a successful event. The Kids in the Kitchen initiative promotes healthy eating and exercise with the help of the San Francisco 49ers Academy and will be held in April of 2012. All the provisional members were excited to volunteer and are looking forward to the event.

The Provisional Class volunteered at Finishing Touches Home Tour, December 2nd and 3rd. Volunteers worked at Mistletoe & Martinis, the Home Tour and the Boutique at the Rosewood Sandhill Resort.

Also coming up, we have our Holiday Social, which will be on Wednesday, December 14, at the Gatehouse. This year’s social will be co-hosted by the Membership Enrichment/Outreach Committee and is a cookie exchange in which provisionals, actives and their guests will bring their favorite cookies and recipe to share. The social will also feature a contest with prizes for the best tasting, best presentation and most original cookies! To attend, RSVP here!

Blogging! Team Activity from September GMM, Bundle 1

2011-12-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Social Media Assistant Chair

The JLPA-MP had a very busy Fall and start to the 2011-12 League year. Now that things are starting to quiet down as we enter the holiday season, I will be posting a few blog articles that were written after the September GMM, but never published. The responses are too good not to be shared, so here they are!

The first General Membership Meeting of this league year was on September 14, 2011. There were at least 20 tables set-up in the meeting room, each completely full – the room was packed! President Meaux Costello kicked off the meeting with a warm welcome and announcements, followed by project and event updates from the different committee’s.

Summer Brill, Communications VP, gave an update on the League’s Communications focus for the upcoming year, including three main areas:

Marketing - Streamline the process for using communications outlets for League
Interaction - Facilitate and encourage sharing and interaction among members
Branding - Increase awareness of the League in the community

During her presentation, Summer introduced a group activity related to our League blog. Each table received a blog topic and was given instructions to discuss their topic, create a unique blog post, and submit the blog post by logging onto the JLPA-MP website.

The blog posts submitted during the activity were extremely creative. From the submissions I developed five bundles of responses from the various teams. The remaining team response bundles will be published over the next few weeks, so check back in to read each one!

Team Blog Activity from September GMM, Bundle 1

Tell us about a situation you experienced with the League that you wouldn't have experienced outside of the League

Submitted by Naomi Chavez Peters and Board Members

Naomi Chavez Peters & Team

The League turned Sally into a master fundraiser. The biggest auction ever held in the League was her year running the auction at the Fashion Show! "Being a League member brought me out of my shyness," says Sustainer Anne. "It's a safe place to try things and not be judged" says sustainer, Kathy. "I would never have become a CPR instructor without the league training." She got Red Cross CPR training through the League in the 80's. “And both my husband and I became gourmet cooks after writing two "Private Collection" cookbooks!" Kathy ended up with over 700 cookbooks! "I got the opportunity to be the 'mom and consultant' I always to be, through my association with the Junior League," says Naomi, who just returned from a trip to West Texas (Amarillo and Odess) training League leaders in those communities.

If you were given 30 days free of all responsibilities (work, childcare, etc.), what would you do with that time?

Submitted by Christina York

We would travel, read, eat, sunbathe, shop at The Shop, go running, garden, and volunteer.

Stay tuned for more team responses to be published.

Member Recognition Awards - November 2011

2011-12-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

By Mary Grundy, Member Resource Committee

Pictured left to right, Brenna Preston,
Noelle Santamaria and Kristin Najarian

Did you enjoy the 11th Annual Pancake Breakfast with your family? Did you know this year's Pancake Breakfast achieved a fundraising record? Thanks to our DIAD committee and the particular efforts of Jen Baker and Noelle Santamaria, the event was a tremendous success!

Have you heard the buzz about the Holiday Home Tour? Did you buy your tickets yet? Do you know how much goes into this huge and important event? Our Home Tour committee has some gals working very hard to make sure it all runs smoothly, with a BIG turnout. Courtney Zanini and Heidi Bullock are just two of the Home Tour committee members going above and beyond to make this year’s event the best ever!

Pictured left to right, Helen Ungerman,
Courtney Zanini and Miriam Huntley

All four of these amazing ladies demonstrated incredible enthusiasm, energy and dedication to their committee projects. Please join Member Resources in congratulating Jen, Noelle, Courtney and Heidi on jobs well done! Thank you for all of your hard work and for going “above and beyond” in your efforts to support the League! You’re an inspiration to us all!

Finishing Touches Featured in San Mateo Daily Journal

2011-11-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

Our Home Tour Committee has been hard at work planning the League's fourth annual Finishing Touches Home Tour and Boutique. The San Mateo Daily caught up with our Co-Chairs Helen Ungerman and Kathleen Castaillac and committee Treasurer Pam Wagner at a recent planning session at the Rosewood Sandhill, see the article here.

Photo Credit Tom Jung/San Mateo Daily Journal

The festivities kick off this Friday, December 2nd, with a festive luncheon and boutique at the Rosewood Sandhill, followed by a self-driven tour of the lovely Atherton homes and then the Mistletoe and Martinis Cocktail Party and Boutique at 6:30pm.

On Saturday, December 3rd, the festivities continue with the Designer's Breakfast & Guided Tour followed by the self-driven and shuttle driven tour. And don't miss the Boutique at the Rosewood, open until 3pm. See details here. Tickets for the Tour and Mistletoe and Martinis Cocktail Party will also be available for purchase at the door.

Follow us on Facebook!

We learned how to TWEET a photo at the Communications Team Social!

2011-11-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

By Catherine Ross Stoll, Communications Team

On November 14th the Communications Team got together for a social (thanks to Gae Sares for organizing it) at The Office Bar and Grill in San Carlos. While we were there, having a good time and enjoying some yummy food, the subject of Twitter came up in our conversation.

Cynthia Munoz, Michelle Hostrup, Gae Sares, Amy Truel, Beth Ann Brown, Catherine Ross Stoll, Summer Brill, Catherine Wilson, Kathryn Brownstone

I suggested we take a photo right then and Tweet it out. We had the waiter take our photo on my iPhone and I immediately tweeted the photo straight from my iPhone using the hash tag #jlpamp to make it easy to search for. Michelle Hostrup (our Social Mediaa Assistant Chair extraordinaire) then searched for that hash tag within her Twitter app on her iPhone, and retweeted my tweet within a few minutes of the photo being taken. So easy!

If you want Michelle to see your JL-related tweets too, please use the hash tag #jlpamp and she can either retweet it or use the info in your tweet to compose her own tweet. A quick and easy way to bypass the web form if there is something happening that's worth tweeting about right away.

Highlights from the November General Meeting

2011-11-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

By Marcie Brown, Endowment Fund Committee Member

The November General Meeting had everything! There was a yummy dinner, loads of information about our Community Projects, a discourse with Sustainers and outfits from The Shop, adorable children in a Home Tour video, and more!

Sprinkles, a big League supporter, will again donate the proceeds of a special Home Tour cupcake. Last year their donation exceeded $2,500. I know many League members will be stopping by Sprinkles the week before the Home Tour as the special cupcake (Peppermint-Vanilla) is only available for a week. I hope they freeze well because I'll be buying a lot!

The Home Tour Committee also showed an adorable video featuring “Toddlers & Tiaras” – who knew we had a rival to Imelda Marcos in our League? They also talked about their “refer a friend” promotion and all their other events, emphasizing that the Cocktail Party would have college football on television for those who cannot bear to miss one moment of the game.

Catherine Carlton, 2010-11 Sr. SPAC Delegate, shared about how the month of May became perinatal depression awareness month. She added that Radio Disney had picked it up and that it was becoming a nationwide movement. The League isn’t often associated with advocacy, but there it is in action!

Susan Herman, Executive Director of Help One Child, made an enlightening presentation about foster children. Help One Child partners with Fostering Families, a League project. The statistics she shared were extremely sad, but it was clear that the League project is making a positive impact.

Nominating Chair Tara Roussel presented the President Elect Elect, Joy Peacock, via photo and words since Joy couldn‘t make the meeting. Besides giving great reasons for choosing a leadership role, Tara encouraged people to self-submit. The ever fabulous Naomi Chavez-Peters facilitated a discussion with uber-accomplished Sustainers Susan Martin, Jean Limbach and Sarah Rosendahl about taking their League learned skills and putting them to work in the community.

Many wonderful finds from The Shop were strutted across the stage by members of The Shop committee. The outfits were great!

And Meaux got us out on time! Our heads were filled with a lot of good information and feeling good about being a League member!

The Provisional Class's First Meeting and Social

2011-11-17T11:12:00.000-08:00

By Alison Hart, Provisional PR

The provisional class had two very exciting events last month including our first meeting on October 18th at the Garden Court Hotel in Palo Alto and a Provisional Class Social at the Dutch Goose on October 27th. The overall theme of the Provisional Meeting was how the Junior League and its members make an impact in our community.

We listened to a number of excellent speakers including Vanessa Roach, Special Projects/Community MAL, who gave us a brief introduction to The Strategic Continuum. Vanessa spoke about six aspects of our Strategic Continuum: Impact Community, Increase Visibility, Recruit & Retain Members, Train Volunteers, Raise and Manage Funds, and Develop Projects and Make Grants.

After Vanessa’s speech, we were introduced to Polly Neumann, Senior SPAC Delegate, and Catherine Carlton, SPAC State Chair. During the introduction to SPAC, the provisionals were educated on successful SPAC sponsored legislation and how the Junior League supports and sponsors bills. Cat also told the provisionals about the many ways we can become involved with SPAC including the “There Ought to be a Law” contest, Day at the Capitol event on May 6th, and the Public Affairs Special Interest Group that will hopefully be launched in 2012.

Provisional Member Kristin Barker especially enjoyed learning about SPAC and said, "I really enjoyed listening to Polly Neumann and Catherine Carlton speak about SPAC. I think it's great that Junior League helps to create and sponsor legislation regarding important issues in our community and state." Lisa Hammon, also a Provisional, commented about SPAC, "I enjoyed learning about the Junior League State Public Affairs Committee, how the League has taken action on important state and national issues and the legislation they have drafted, like the children's bicycle helmet law. Their work is very inspiring."

Finally, the Provisional Meeting closed with a speech by our League President, Meaux Costello, on the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI). Julia Alshvang commented on the first Provisional Meeting, "I really enjoyed learning about different opportunities in Junior League during the first Provisional Class Meeting. I'm excited to participate in different activities in the future!"

The members of the Provisional Class enjoyed mingling on a more casual level at the Dutch Goose at the end of the month, and look forward to the next Provisional Meeting!

Riding Into Fall With RAFT

2011-11-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

By Beth Ann Brown, Communications Team

This was my second year volunteering with the League at Resource Area For Teaching (or RAFT) and, I have to say, they're as impressive as I remember. I really admire them for all they do to make supplies affordable for teachers. We were at the store site in San Jose (as opposed to the Sunnyvale office where the previous DIAD projects were) and actually able to see what they had for sale -- it was quite impressive.

This year, Valerie Dennis was the DIAD member in charge. The turnout was a total of ten members with four provisionals, four actives, one sustainer and one non-League member. Mary was the RAFT employee helping us and the one who instructed us on our projects for the day.

We completed four projects:

Bagging pipets
Pricing books
Bagging buttons
Pricing stickers

Unlike previous years, we all got to work together on each project!

Provisional Christine Gibson said she really likes the idea of DIAD projects because it gives her a taste of the community service component of the League. Kristin Barker, also a provisional, thought it was a nice volunteer opportunity for the weekend; it was fun and let her feel like she'd accomplished something. Meaux Costello, our League President, was glad to see the energetic members of the Junior League helping at RAFT and thought it was a great place with fabulous resources. She had a blast her first time volunteering.

Overall, it wasn't too long of a day but we managed to get a lot accomplished. Everyone left RAFT feeling good about what we'd done to help and happy that the League had chosen to continue with this DIAD project. It was a really fun afternoon and I look forward to going again next year.

Attend Meetings Virtually

2011-11-10T13:18:00.000-08:00

By Summer Brill, Communications VP

How many of you travel for business and wish you didn't have to miss your Committee/Council meeting? Or how many of you need to discuss League business and feel a face to face meeting is better, but just don't have the time to squeeze in another face to face meeting? So many of us use technology to attend meetings virtually at work, why not start using them for our League work?

Ashley Redgrave, Webmanager

Communications Committee had an opportunity to try this at our Committee meeting last week. Our Webmanger, Ashley Redgrave, was traveling on business and wanted to join our meeting. So we tried Skype, with great success!

We set her up on a chair and looped her in on a laptop (see photo). We got to see her and she got to see us (for the most part). She was such a trooper, she was in Chicago so it was a late night for her, but she participated in our meeting and it was so nice to have her join us and be able to chime in and to see her face at the same time. At one point, she lost our video feed, but could hear us, but we could see her the whole time. We look forward to using Skype (or Facetime etc) to loop in traveling members (or members when sitters fall through etc) for future meetings so they can participate and be an active part of our team regardless of their schedule and last minute circumstances.

If you know of another web-based, free, video call provider, try it out for your meetings and share on our Blog. We love to hear new ideas on solving the problem of being in two places at one time!

Fall Neighborhood Meeting Comes to San Carlos

2011-11-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

By Joy Peacock, Membership Development VP

Tuesday night, October 25, I hosted a fall neighborhood meeting at my house in San Carlos. These intimate gatherings have always been one of my League favorites! I still remember meeting Michele Bilafer at Martha Edwards house, Jenny Lang at her neighborhood meeting and Ashley Redgrave at my meeting in this spring. It is such a great way to meet new members, put faces to names and reconnect with old friends. I was so excited when I received the attendee list which was a great composition of friends in my neighborhood, some provisionals, and some active league members that I had never met before.

The fall theme made it easy to plan and decorate - Halloween being just around the corner and with two elementary school aged children, of course it was going to be festive! Everyone arrived and met each other, had a glass of wine, and the conversation never stopped! Rachel Crawford, Nandini Gondhalekar, Jayme Allen, Alison Sikora, Kathy Pendleton, Heather Weckel, Sara Compani, Rebecca Morris and Linda Marie Roche were my guests.

We all had a lot to say, especially about our favorite local restaurants, which included: The Cheesecake Factory (new one in San Mateo), LuLu’s, Botega (Healdsburg), Piacere, Refugee, Town, Rumi (all in San Carlos), Oasis, B street and Vine (San Mateo), Gourmet Haustat (Redwood City), and Fiesta del Mar 2.

We continued to discuss ways to find like minded members to join the League, but word of mouth, and having a friend in the League seemed to be the tried and true method for encouraging ladies to join. This confirmed my belief that each of us is an ambassador of the League and educating our friends and colleague about all the great work we do, and how much fun we have doing it makes people want to join.

At the end of the evening I felt I had made a bunch of new friends (including Kathy Pendleton, who despite both of our ten plus years of membership had never met), and deepened my connection and knowledge of my old friends (who knew that Carrie DuBois was Nandini's realtor?). The enthusiasm and motivation of the provisional members was also inspiring, and I loved how Alison referred to the League as a "best kept secret", AND has already recruited her sister to join the League in Santa Barbara! I can't wait for the next set of neighborhood meetings in the spring!

An Intimate Gathering at the Neighborhood Meeting

2011-10-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

By Beth Ann Brown, Communications Team

Last week I attended a neighborhood meeting at the lovely home of Polly Neumann. It was an intimate affair of perhaps a dozen members (including one baby) where we shared delicious finger foods and pomegranate martinis.

After perhaps a half hour of socializing, Naomi Chavez-Peters called us together to discuss the topic of the meeting: outreach. We began by sharing how we got involved with the League, what we thought the League was doing well and where it could improve. With one transfer, four provisionals and a handful of actives in attendance, the discussion was lively and ideas flowed freely. Naomi also spotlighted the AJLI website and its features, particularly the new Webinar Wednesdays.

Afterward, we socialized a bit more and everyone seemed happy they'd attended-- I know I was! So if you haven't had a chance to go to one of the neighborhood meetings, I'd advise you to try! They're quite fun.

Home Tour Committee Hard at Work

2011-10-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

By Jillian Shenk, Home Tour Committee

Jillian Shenk with her son

Ladies, are you getting ready to find that special unique gift for your best friend or a little something for someone in your family? I know I am! I am on Home Tour and I wanted to give you a little insight into what it's like on the Home Tour Committee...

Yes, the our committee has been working very hard to make this year a tour and boutique NOT to be missed! We are very fortunate to have all of our meetings at the Swanky Rosewood Sand Hill. We usually start off the evenings catching up in the Library and then head down for an efficient working meeting. Last night we were faced with a challenge by our leaders – for us each to bring in one advertiser for the Special Edition Piper. We all grouped around our tables and started brainstorming. Initially thinking of ad sales can be daunting, but the chairs made it easier by giving examples of how some recent sales came about. Because of this brainstorm session, it brought each table together working as a team...this is just one great way to make us all feel like we are participating and making a difference for Home Tour and for our League.

After being led by our fabulous leaders and assistant chairs, many of us stick around after in the Library to get to know one another and plan out the coming months. I have really enjoyed getting to know the fantastic women on this committee. I look forward to each meeting to be able to have a nice dinner at the Rosewood and adult conversation, all while making a difference for our community.

Home Tour Tickets are now available! To purchase, click here.

Tapas Under the Stars

2011-10-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

By Summer Brill, Communications VP

Summer Brill, Joy Peacock, Rahela Abbas, Meaux Costello & Calla Griffith

What a wonderful social put on by Member Enrichment on October 11th. We woke up to rain, but by the evening, we were outside on the patio of Iberia enjoying sangria and a balmy (dry) evening. We had a nice crowd and endless tapas. I brought my husband and we spent time congratulating Joy Peacock (newly appointed President Elect-Elect), chatting with Meaux (President), Calla, Jan Hickman, Tara and Laura Redmond. We learned that Laura's family and my husband's family have many similarities (Stanford football players, family names etc). Before we knew it, it was time to head home to relieve the baby sitter. But we so enjoyed the evening and look forward to the next League social! Thanks Calla, Regine and Member Enrichment, you did a wonderful job!

Project READ Tutor Shares First Experience

2011-10-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

By Marisa Dittmer, Project READ Committee Member

The big day arrived. After days of training and meeting together as a committee, I was ready for my first Project READ tutoring experience. Filled with excitement and plenty of nerves, I hopped in my car and headed for Redwood City.

I walked into the charming library and felt more at ease. Once upstairs I was happily greeted by Kirsten Crum, one of our fearless leaders, and guided as to where I should sign in and get my badge. Quickly I was ushered out into the FLC (Family Learning Center) and seated at a table with a darling, and quite precocious, 2nd grader. We worked, chatted and got to know one another over math and language arts worksheets.

While finishing up with her, and ready to play an educational game, I was asked if I could go help another 2nd grade girl. Yet another sweet, hard-working girl whose goal was to complete all her homework packet for the week. Once finished, she rushed to the bookshelf, stating “I want to read you two books! Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat!” The evening quickly drew to a close, with the immortal words of Dr. Seuss, hugs, thanks yous and a smile on my face, grateful for the evening experience.

I look forward to this year of learning together with my committee and the family that is Project READ.

Shelter Network's Second Workshop

2011-10-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

By Krista Szyndlar, Shelter Network Committee Member

Haven House, Menlo Park

On September 21st, Shelter Network continued its success by bringing its career and money management workshop to Menlo Park’s Haven House for the first time of the 2011-2012 League year. The committee worked like a well-oiled machine, comfortable with its format of three sessions attended by three to four clients each and knowledgeable of the workshop’s material. Consequently, the ten clients left with many positive takeaways: rejuvenated spirits to find a job despite an economy that is flirting with recession, budgeting worksheets to better direct household spending, tools to confidently ace a job interview, and useful gifts like money management books.

Haven House participants also developed a new appreciation for and understanding of the Junior League. Before the workshop, one potential client explained why she did not sign up for what seemed like a promising training session; she said, “I thought Junior League’s was about teaching children finance or something – kind of like how Little League teaches kids baseball. I just figured a ‘Junior Group’ or ‘Small League’ was for my kids and I really did not think they would want to learn about job interviewing and money management.” Thus, neither she nor her children signed up for the September 21st workshop. She did, however, stop by quickly to introduce herself. Upon meeting the Junior League women and understanding the adult-based curriculum, she quickly changed her opinion of this so-called “Junior Group.” She was eager to sign up for the next workshop and thrilled to tell her friends the real mission of the Junior League.

Another client felt the League’s mission firsthand that night. She experienced a committee member’s willingness to take action to help her in a time of need. Her need came to light during one of the engaging, open Q&A sessions; the client wanted to understand how legally she could have been fired with no warning or seemingly no due cause. One of the evening’s Junior League participants happened to be an attorney. After the workshop ended, the caring attorney patiently answered the client’s questions and provided further contacts.

Haven House participants were not the only ones to walk away with rewards. Committee members left feeling great for authentically connecting with clients and for gaining glowing evaluations from all the participants. Members’ enthusiasm grew; the women were eager to continue Shelter Network’s positive impact through nine upcoming workshops at Menlo Park’s Haven House and San Mateo’s First Steps for Families.

Nominating News: President-Elect-Elect Announcement!

2011-10-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

It is with great pleasure, confidence and, yes, JOY, that we announce the JLPA-MP President for 2013-14:

JOY BAKER PEACOCK!

Joy came to the Nominating Committee with bountiful experience in our own League and in other parts of life, and a tremendous drive to lead our organization onward in its pursuits.

THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

Once we had a chance to review all applications and interview the candidates, our committee took some time to weigh this heavy decision. We deliberated, voted, and are very pleased to have now placed our very first leader as a committee. (For details on the Nominating Committee's process, please see the 'Process' tab in the Nominating Forum, which is found in the members area of our website.)

Joy is organized, efficient, smart, reliable, well-spoken, thorough, effective as a leader, gracious, humble (somehow), and fun! Congratulations Joy, and thank you for agreeing to serve in this big way!

YOUR LEADERSHIP FUTURE!

Joy will be serving on next year's Board of Directors as our President-Elect. Would you like to be there with her? Nominations for all Board positions and the Nominating Committee slate for next year are due 10/15. Please see the Nominating section of our website for more information, call or email your Nominating Committee liaison, or get in touch with Nominating Committee Chair Tara Roussel. And please do indicate your own interests. Our committee loves hearing from you personally regarding your leadership goals.

We look forward to filling more positions very soon!

Tara Roussel, chair

Jan Woolsey, chair-elect

Stefanie Bruggeman

Katie Husak

Moira Jacobs

Jennie Lang

Amanda Okamoto

Steff Witlin

ABC²: Amy's Bean Counting Corner

2011-10-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

By Amy Aldrich, Treasurer

As this year’s League treasurer, I am thrilled to be your trusted “bean counter,” making sure every last penny is being raised, spent and saved in the manner it was intended. Although I spent my previous seven placements in community projects, this role is tapping into my passion: managing and tracking finances.

This passion started very early in my childhood when, in the fourth grade, I made a budget so I could track my revenue (babysitting, bake sales and car washes), my expenses (mainly dollhouse furniture) and my donations (the collection basket at church). My grandfather taught me the power of purchasing stock at age 8 when I selected Disney and McDonald’s as my first shares of stock (to this day, I still have them!). So that’s a bit about my background. Now on to important matters: the League’s finances.

Even with the continued turbulent economy, the League is off to a great fiscal start! We are already a League quarter in and have earned 33 percent of the revenue expected for our General Fund budget (click here to view the League's financials as of August 31, 2011). Collection of Membership dues and sales from The Shop led the charge in the League’s revenue through August 31, 2011. Thank you to all our members and congratulations to The Shop for a fantastic summer!

Now in its fourth year, the Finishing Touches Home Tour is expected to be another exciting event with expectations for a higher turnout and greater exposure with the community. Did you see the Home Tour committee’s video presented at the September General Membership meeting? After that, I AM FIRED UP! We hope you’ll be a part of it by underwriting, volunteering or attending one of the great events planned December 2-3. Right now, the committee is at 80 percent of their underwriting goal of $40,000. If every active member were to donate just $50, we’d not only meet but exceed that threshold! Stayed tuned for ticket sales starting October 1.

As it relates to expenses, the board has made cost reductions wherever possible. As of August 31, 2011, we are at 25 percent of budgeted expenses. The net income goal for the year – at the minimum – is to be at zero and not have to touch our reserves. Of course, we want to avoid any deficits and, if possible, end the year with a surplus while maintaining our commitment to the community.

Like last year, we have an ambitious budget to meet, so let’s work together to increase League contributions and save our financial resources without compromising our programs. You can actively participate to the League’s financial success this year through a variety of ways: bringing friends and family to the Home Tour, engaging your employer to underwrite, providing a gift to the Endowment Fund or making a donation to The Shop. Every little bit helps in a big way! Ultimately, the more money we raise and the fewer expenses we have, the more we can give back to our community.

Please feel free to contact me, our Finance VP Jovita Honor or President Meaux Costello if you have questions or comments about our financial position.

BreakfastFirst Campaign Success with SPAC

2011-10-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

By Catherine Carlton, Endowment Fund Committee Member, 2010-2011 Senior SPAC Delegate

State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, issued a letter on Wednesday endorsing innovative school breakfast models. Torlakson announced that he is now the Honorary Chair of the Breakfast First Campaign, emphasized that Classroom Breakfast and instructional minutes are perfectly compatible [referencing the prior State Supt./State Controller letter on the subject], and strongly promoted the BreakfastFirst Campaign!

This is wonderful support for school breakfast advocates working to ensure that all children start the day well-nourished and ready to learn through innovative school breakfast models! It doesn't mandate a conversation about breakfasts, but it does go a long way to meet our goal of working to educate the school boards, school administrators, etc. about the benefits of breakfast. State Superintendent Torklakson's letter is below, for your reference. As Honorary Chair of the Breakfast First Campaign, he will continue the effort to support Breakfast First implementation in schools throughout California.

IMPROVING STUDENT NUTRITION AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAMS

Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Nutrition Service Directors:

I am proud to be the new honorary chair of the BreakfastFirst Campaign. Promoting the School Breakfast Program (SBP) is integral to my Team California for Healthy Kids campaign, which focuses on making healthy choices the easy choices. In alignment with the Team California goal to promote good eating habits, BreakfastFirst aims to ensure that all students are served an optimally nutritious breakfast using innovative models such as Classroom Breakfast, Grab-and-Go, and Second Chance Breakfast. These models are known to dramatically increase participation, bringing the benefits of school breakfast to the maximum number of students.

Research confirms the clear connection between health, learning, and attendance. Healthy children are more successful in school, miss fewer days of school, are more attentive and well behaved, and are more likely to graduate from high school and go to college.

Healthy students not only excel academically, but also are more likely to be positively engaged in social, community, and extra-curricular activities. The implementation of inventive models like Classroom Breakfast links nutrition to our joint goal of increasing academic achievement in school. In most cases, the breakfast can be completely supported by federal and state meal reimbursement. In addition, as former Superintendent Jack O'Connell and State Controller John Chiang shared in a joint letter last year, "As long as the breakfast is served and eaten in the classroom while otherwise allowable instructional activities are underway, the time will not be considered free time by auditors . . . The SBP is an easy way to enhance children's health and improve their academic achievement." The full letter is located on the CDE Breakfast in the Classroom - Letters Web page.

I urge you to expand your School Breakfast Program (especially outside of the cafeteria) to serve the nutritional needs of your students and to strengthen their academic performance. If you would like information on innovative breakfast models, visit the California Food Policy Advocates Web site for the BreakfastFirst Campaign. You may also contact your Field Services Unit Child Nutrition Consultant by phone at 916-445-0850 or 800-952-5609.

Sincerely, Tom Torlakson

The following information regarding the JLPA-MP's involvement with the State Public Affairs Committee can also be found on our website.

Advocacy

The State Public Affairs Committee of the Junior Leagues of California (SPAC) is a non-partisan education and advocacy organization, representing 16 member Leagues, nearly 12,000 members, and millions of fundraising dollars in support for community programs that assist women and families.

Since 1971, SPAC has represented the interest of its member Leagues and the groups or issue areas addressed by Junior League projects accross California to policymakers at the national, state and local levels.

SPAC advocates in four issue areas: health, education, family support, and violence prevention.

The members of the SPAC delegation:

ADVOCATE for specific legislation relevant to member league issues
EDUCATE their home Junior League members
COORDINATE the exchange of information from community based league projects to policy makers.

Since 1992, SPAC has sponsored six bills, and co-sponsored two bills, that are now California Law; sponsored one California Resolution; and co-sponsored one Congressional Resolution.

Each year, SPAC solicits ideas for potential new legislation by holding its "There Ought to Be a Law" contest.

To learn more about the League's advocacy work, please download the CalSpac brochure, visit the CalSpac website or email the JLPA•MP delegates at spacdelegates@thejuniorleague.org.

Teachers in our Lives

2011-09-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

By Valarie Dennis, DIAD Committee

Has a teacher made a difference in your life or the lives of your children? Want to give back to all those teachers that give so much to us? My answer to each of those questions was YES, and that’s why I volunteered to lead the DIAD Resource Area For Teachers (RAFT) event coming up in October. I know that my son and daughter, both teachers in inner-city schools, devote enormous amounts of their personal income to creating meaningful and enriching activities to the students they encounter as the parents don’t have the means to do so. I want to help them in their efforts to give back to an under served community in a time of shrinking state budgets and increasing class size.

If you haven’t heard of RAFT before, they help educators transform the learning experience through "hands-on" education that inspires the joy and discovery of learning. RAFT's products, services and low cost teaching supplies enrich and improve the education of over 600,000 young people each year. RAFT produces innovative "hands-on" teaching idea sheets and packaged activity kits that are created around important concepts in science, technology, engineering and math, as well as reading and art. DIAD volunteers will help them by sorting books, packaging academic kits, and sorting material donations.

If you are a JLPA-MP member and want to join us, save Saturday, October 22 from 1pm to 4pm and look for eNews for more information or go online to the DIAD section of the League website.

Shelter Network - First Workshop

2011-09-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

By Amy Hamilton, Shelter Network Committee Member

Shelter Network hosted its first workshop for 2011-2012 at First Step for Families in San Mateo on Wednesday, September 7th - it was very successful! The training included 3 sessions led by Shelter Network committee members in small groups of 2-4 clients - Time Management, Money Management, and Interview Skills and How to Keep a Job.

The 10 Shelter Network clients who attended included one family, one couple, and other individuals. The clients received workshop materials relevant to the sessions (i.e. we provided alarm clocks during the Time Management session). The Shelter Network clients seemed very engaged and asked many questions! One client commented, Great! I am glad that I chose this meeting! Another exclaimed, I'm very appreciative that they have the time to help. Love it!.

I think the Junior League Shelter Network committee members get as much out of the Workshops as the clients! We really feel like we can make a difference when the clients ask questions and tell us their stories. Committee members have been asked to review resumes and give opinions such as what to wear to an interview and whether someone should cover their tattoo.

One of the best parts of the Workshops is the small groups. Each committee member discusses her topic with 1-4 Shelter Network clients at a time. This is a small enough group to facilitate discussions and feedback. We hand out course material and checklists for each topic along with relevant workshop materials including the alarm clocks and calculators. We will hold 10 Workshops during the League year (August, 2011 - May, 2012) - 5 Workshops at Haven House in Menlo Park and 5 at First Steps for Families in San Mateo. It should be a rewarding year!

Four Seasons Fun with My Least Likely Junior League Friend

2011-09-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

By Jacquetta Lannan, Provisional Committee

There are hundreds of reasons why I love the Junior League. Making great new friends is certainly at the top of the list.

Valarie Dennis and Jacquetta Lannan at the Four Seasons Palo Alto

I met Valarie Dennis within the first hour of our Provisional Retreat. Val & I, along with Catherine Ross Stoll and Rachel Pickworth were mentored by Nina Bailey. We went around the table introducing ourselves. Valarie took a turn just before I did. Her introduction went something like this: I'm Valarie. I love volunteering and used to be very active in the National Charity League with my daughter. My husband and I just move here from Orange County and I just started my new job as a paralegal at Ropes and Gray. I'm surrounded all day by 30-something lawyers. I just can't take any more thirty year-old lawyers! So, I joined the league to meet some like-minded ladies to be my new NorCal friends.

Valarie didn't know that her worst nightmare had come true. It was my turn to do introductions. My introduction, paraphrased, was as follows: I'm Jacquetta. I just moved to Palo Alto to take a new job. Blah. Blah… Something about my poodle Lola. I'm a thirty year old lawyer. And you- directed at Valarie- are going to be my friend! That is exactly what happened. While Valarie may have been looking for a different kind of friend at the league, she found me too, and we are both better for it.

Now, let’s jump forward several years.... It was a sunny but windy evening in May. I was at the JCC and it was time for the last JLPA*MP General Membership Meeting of the year. Out came Eugenie Atherton. The Endowment Committee was holding a raffle: a big spa day a the Four Seasons. Tickets were only $25. I bought a few tickets. My friend Valarie bought even more. I knew even if I didn't win, that one of my great new junior league friends would take me as a date. Sure enough, Valarie won!

Now, jump forward again to Friday, July 29. It was our day of leisure. I arrived to meet Kim, Valarie's daughter, and her friend Josie. Also, Valarie had invited a work friend, Nikki. We started our day with a little sparkling rose by the pool along with our spa lunch. Valarie put together adorable spa totes for each of us complete with towels, flip-flops, sun block, snacks and a handmade card. We retreated to our cabana where we lounged around until our yoga class began. The Four Seasons arranged for poolside yoga, setting up our mats with towels adorned with flowers. After yoga, we each were indulged with an aromatherapy massage. >We ended the day with cocktails down in Quattro with Valarie's husband Mike. Thank you Valarie for such a great day! And don’t forget to buy Four Seasons tickets at the next GMM!

Member Recognition Awards - September 2011

2011-09-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

By Ansley Jentz, Member Resources

Jacqueline von Reichbauer

This month Member Resources has the great pleasure of recognizing Jacqueline von Reichbauer (PR Chair) and Michelle Hostrup (Social Media Assistant Chair) who demonstrated inspired teamwork and worked tirelessly to get our fabulous new League T-shirts sourced (major comparison shopping!), designed (worked closely with Kris Spencer-Jones), printed, and delivered. The t-shirts are a fantastic way for us to build the JLPA-MP brand and awareness within the community.

Michelle Hostrup

Jacqueline and Michelle started all this in May and worked very hard all summer to ensure the shirts were delivered in time for the League year to begin. From Summer Brill, Communications VP "It was an amazing feat and I feel very lucky to have these ladies on our team!" Way to go ladies!

Thanks for all your hard work and for going above and beyond!

And the Hunt Begins... with the Provisionals

2011-09-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

By Ana White, Communications Team

It’s that time of year again to welcome the future women of our league. While looking around the room of more than 80 women at the Menlo Circus Club, it was exciting to see the energy and engagement of the new provisional class. It was one of my most unique experiences, as an active member, to see new faces and the anticipation of a phenomenal new year.

Abbie Paris, Anne Delfino, Kellin Dunne, Beckie Callahan, Gemma Newlove, Doreen Suruki

Stacey Harbeson, Dana Orquiza, Shannon Adams-Ferris

The first half of the provisional retreat started off with greetings and icebreakers by provisional co-chairs and seasoned JL veterans, Angie Klein and Lauren Case. Following the getting-to-know-you session, the group received a welcome message from our fearless leader of the year, Meaux Costello, and finally, a riveting talk by, Sustainer, Suzie Tinsley. More fun and info gathering followed, with the scavenger hunt to the Gatehouse, Menlo Park fire Dept, and The Shop.

The group split into mini teams and were let loose into the wilds of Menlo Park. The ladies’ first stop was the Menlo Park Firehouse. Although there were no studly firemen to be seen, provisional members signed up immediately for the Pancake Breakfast on October 1st (yes, shameless plug for ALL to attend!)

Catherine Boley, Ann Altman, Stacy Tyrala, Jayme Allen

At the Gatehouse, actives led an info session about the general membership meeting requirements and the historical importance about our Gatehouse. The last stop at The Shop, league members sashayed around in the Shop’s finest attire. Provisionals learned about the Shop’s importance to supporting our programs and league activities, along with all the different ways they can support the Shop… including shopping for awesome finds!

All in all, the league should be thrilled to welcome the new members on September 14th and look forward to an amazing and fulfilling year.

Hilarie Bako, Jennifer Warren, Gemma Newlove, Beckie Callahan

Off and Running with Project Development

2011-09-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

By Suzanne Camac & Allison MacQueen, 1st year active & 4th year active

As we embark on our League Year, we are remembering why we were drawn to Project Development. It was for the amazing opportunity to impact the League in a meaningful way. As many of you have worked on community projects that the League has supported, you also know the feeling of satisfaction and pride that all of us take away from community work.

I feel honored to have been a part of Shelter Network project last year, where we taught life skills classes to homeless families. Each session was the most rewarding part of my week. I built rapport with others from different circumstances, helped them think critically about their life situations, and provided information for job hunting, managing money, and time management. I was reminded not to judge a book by its cover, as the clients I worked with came from all different backgrounds, education levels, and former income/lifestyle. I watched shy people who couldn't meet my eye leave our sessions with a little bit more empowerment, confidence, and knowledge.

We see the effect of our work often, whether it's talking with Sister T about volunteer opportunities at Rosalie Rendu Center (a former League project) or watching the students from East Palo Alto Charter School (EPACS, a former League Project) develop into informed, charismatic, and scholarly young men and women at East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy.

A freshman (former EPACS student) wrote this in a letter to a teacher at EPAPA just a few weeks ago, their first assignment of the year....

I am impressed by physics and I'm taking AP Physics this year. I plan on getting several degrees in the field of cosmology, which will take quite a bit of time. Twelve years if all goes well. With any luck I'll be able to solve some problems in physics. Who knows, maybe I'll create the first quantum computer.

First I had to recall what cosmology was and I still haven't figured out what a quantum computer is! This is one small instance of many, where people have gained the capacity to dream beyond their current life circumstance, and the Junior League is a part of creating these dreams, one interaction at a time.

We know from past membership survey results that 81% of us joined the League to give back to our communities, and here is your chance to shape the future of our League’s community involvement. What will be the next way that Leaguers change lives?

Check out the details of our campaign here. Be a part of the process by submitting your project idea here. If you have any questions, please send an email.

Be the change you wish to see in the world. -Mahatma Gandhi

Member Spotlight: What's in Your Bag, Group 7

2011-09-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

This week get to know...

Jan Hickman
2011-12 Placement: Shop Chair

What’s in your bag? Cute umbrella, cute wallet, keys, Chanel sunglasses and many pens (in a cute Coach pen case).

What has been one of your favorite league events? Strength Finder Training.

Describe the League in 3 words: Friends, giving, dedicated.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: Gushy things in the ocean. I touched a bunch of gushy things at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Did you meet any new league members last year? Christl Denecke (who you'll read about below)

Christl Denecke
2011-12 Placement: Shop Committee

What’s in your bag? Wallet, phone, keys, business cards, pens, gum, iPod shuffle, gum, lip gloss and life savers.

What has been one of your favorite league events? Provisional Class Spa Social.

Describe the League in 3 words: Enthusiastic, efficient, effective.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: I don’t overcome fears – I just try to overcome them.

Did you meet any new league members last year? I was a Provisional, so I met lots of new people.

Jennifer Baker
2011-12 Placement: DIAD

What’s in your bag? Wallet, lotion, iphone, Blackberry and Dentyne Ice.

What has been one of your favorite league events? Pancake Breakfast

Describe the League in 3 words: Energetic, community, leadership.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it? I’ll get back to you (I’m not afraid of much).

Did you meet any new league members last year? Everyone in the Provisional Class.

Carson Eltoukhy
2011-12 Placement: Shelter Network

What’s in your bag? A two week old grocery list, keys, Sweet tarts and an iPad

What has been one of your favorite league events? Home Tour Luncheon. It was a fun evening for all the ladies with a great boutique.

Describe the League in 3 words: Energizing, inspiring and empowering.

Did you meet any new league members last year? I met some new members at the Neighborhood Meeting.

Member Spotlight: What's in Your Bag, Group 6

2011-09-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

This week get to know...

Kate Lasisz Michales
2011-12 Placement: DIAD

What’s in your bag? Phone, wallet, sunglasses and calendar.

What has been one of your favorite league events? Fashion show in SF which benefited La Casa De Las Madres.

Describe the League in 3 words: Dedicated, making a difference, supportive.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: Presenting in front of senior engineers. I had it all rehearsed and added some math/geeky fun facts that they loved and even had a laugh about it.

Did you meet any new league members last year? I met Amy Truel at the May GMM.

Michelle Altick
2011-12 Placement: Home Tour

What’s in your bag? Wallet, phone, pashmina, water bottle, lots of keys, dry cleaning ticket, head band for gym, gym card and money for champagne.

What has been one of your favorite league events? The annual dinner! We planned it and it was the culmination of our service to the league.

Describe the League in 3 words: Service, friends, philanthropy.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: Opening up my own law practice was a fear, but I did it by using resources (SCORE at Chamber of Commerce), talking to others and reaching out for help when I needed it.

Did you meet any new league members last year? Everyone on my committee was new to me since I transferred from San Diego.

Kenzie Ferguson
2011-12 Placement: Project READ

What’s in your bag? My big binder from Finishing Touches Home Tour that I used when I was Treasurer.

What has been one of your favorite league events? Home Tour Rocks!

Describe the League in 3 words: Women, buzzing, together.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: Heights. I jumped off the high dive over and over.

Did you meet any new league members last year? Helen Ungerman, Call Griffith and Courtney Charney.

Member Spotlight: What's in Your Bag, Group 5

2011-08-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

This week get to know...

Andrea Loffink-Saito
2011-12 Placement: Project READ

What’s in your bag? Pink Kate Spade wallet, planner, 3 different shades of pink lip gloss, android phone, gym ID card and sun glasses.

What has been one of your favorite league events? Family Giving Tree – great project of service to our community.

Describe the League in 3 words: Community, sisterhood, inspirational.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: I had a fear of heights as a child, which was quickly overcome after I took up pole vaulting while on my high school’s track team.

Did you meet any new league members last year? Yes! Meredith Pfeffer and I met at the Provisional retreat and have become good friends.

Calla Griffith

2011-12 Placement: Membership Enrichment Co Chair

What’s in your bag? Agenda, cosmetic bag, lipstick, wallet, Mountain View Performing Arts Center brochure, fruit crusher and apple sauce.

What has been one of your favorite league events? The General Membership Meeting with Community Advisory Panel – inspiring, educational and amazing!

Describe the League in 3 words: Connect, inspire, belong.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: Public speaking… hee hee hee… just kidding.

Did you meet any new league members last year? Regine Nelson and now we are working together on Membership Enrichment.

Ellen Dempsey
2011-12 Placement: The Shop

What’s in your bag? My son’s baby socks, 2 pairs of sunglasses and headphones.

What has been one of your favorite league events? The Shop Anniversary Party

Describe the League in 3 words: Welcoming, fun, hard work.

Name a fear you’ve overcome: Asking for donations.

Did you meet any new league members last year? Rachel Crawford.

Junior Giants Event

2011-08-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

By Ana White, Communications Team

1500 youth baseball players, 24 community baseball leagues across Northern California, 20 Junior League volunteers, plus additional community support and sponsorships made for another successful and impactful event for the league to take part in last Sunday. The Junior Giants program not only emphasizes many of the league’s own goals such as leadership, integrity, and teamwork, but it also impacts one of the league’s most sought after groups to work with, kids! The program’s overall goal is to provide an alternative to drugs, gangs, and violence.

So, considering the weather gods don’t always cooperate with summertime plans in beautiful San Francisco, last Sunday was exceptional at AT&T Park. Teams of youth baseball players, 5-18 year old boys and girls, had the greatest opportunity to play one of our country’s favorite pastimes on the World Champion San Francisco Giant’s field. While our lovely ladies of the Peninsula "womanned" the home dugout at the yogurt parfait station, players rotated throughout the field to play games, participated in bike races to blend smoothies, and learned about important violence prevention programs.

Now, while "womanning" a parfait station isn’t uber glamorous, the staff and director of the Junior Giant’s greatly appreciated the support of our leaguers. This provided a smooth working operation, an extra fun environment with the enthusiasm of our volunteers, and a little less stress in executing the event! Thanks again to all who participated.

Member Resources is Here for You!

2011-08-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

By Ansley Jentz, MRC Member

What a great League year ahead it will be! The eight ladies of the 2011-12 Member Resources Committee have met twice already (mid-July and again in mid-August) for nights of high energy and early focus on the coming League year.

In July, Gabriella Cirelli, Chair of Member Resources, facilitated an efficient agenda, including “get-to-know-you” time, a discussion of goals/expectations/norms, a review of our roles and liaison responsibilities, and of course, delicious dinner and dessert! In August, Gabriella did it again, with a terrific meal from Leticia Gonzalez. As we prepare to learn the ins and outs of our roles as mentors to League members, I came up with a simple list of the things we will do for you this year.

Here it is:

Advise you – we are the Human Resource element in the League. We can describe differences in committees, obligations, stages of membership, etc. Please use us!
Recognize you – we love this part! It’s our job to gather the good news about what our members are doing in the community or in the committee and celebrate them – look for our fun announcements at the General Membership Meetings this year.
Assist you – we are your assistant when it comes to your League experience. If you cannot fulfill your current commitments, or your current experience is not meeting your needs, please reach out to your MRC liaison. We will work to find a solution for you.
Remind you – we are very interested in seeing you maintain your good member status. We sometimes serve as the gentle messenger with regard to your membership obligations. Have you met your Shop donation or your volunteer commitments for the year? We will check in and remind you as needed.
Advocate for you – this is another big part that we love! When it comes to committee or leadership placement, we are YOUR ADVOCATES! We want to hear from you as to what you might want to do in the League. As Placement Night happens (each year in April), we represent you and speak up on your behalf. However, if we don’t know what you’re interested in, we cannot speak up for your interests.

Please stay in touch – we want you to be happy with all aspects of your League experience. So this blog entry became longer than I expected… my very simple message is this: We are here for you and look forward to enhancing the JL-PAMP experience for everyone this year!

Member Resources Committee Members, July 2011 - Photo (L-R): Miriam Huntley, Gabriella (and Donatella) Cirelli, Liz Wood, Stephanie Pearson-Phillips, Marissa Levy, Ansley Jentz, Mary Grundy, and Leticia Gonzalez

JLPA-MP Voluteer for Junior Giants Festival

2011-08-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

By Ann-Christel Graham, Community VP

Crystal Galliher, Beth Greenberg, Brenna Preston, Alyse Benham, Alyse's friend, Lisa, Jen Baker

On August 14, JLPA-MP volunteers participated in The Junior Giants Festival which celebrates Junior Giants teams that successfully completed the Home Run Level of the Round the Bases Reading Program, a campaign designed by the Giants Community Fund to encourage reading throughout the summer. Once all of the players on a team account for 12 hours of reading and reach the Home Run level, their team earns the chance to visit AT&T Park for the festival. These kids also committed to a healthy summer, giving up things like soda and focusing on healthy eating habits. To encourage healthy eating habits, JLPA-MP volunteers manned a parfait station where the Junior Giants teams could build their own parfaits using vanilla yogurt, blueberries and granola.

Laura Rogers (Sustainer) and Brenna Preston

Going into the event, we weren't sure which parfait ingredient we'd run out of first: yogurt, blueberries or granola. We all had our own opinion on what the kids would like the most. We saw multiple kids first respond "no thank you" to blueberries, then change their mind and give it a try, and another kid who really wasn't sure about the parfait concept at all only to see him come and ask for seconds about 5 minutes later. Though I wasn't there at the end to determine what the kids liked the most based on what was eaten, I can certainly say the parfaits were well received.

The excitement wasn't all about the parfaits, however. As a young boy was finishing his while sitting in the SF Giants dugout, he exclaimed: "This is my first time on the field and in the Giants dugout. I am so excited!" That sentiment was shared by all the kids and JLPA-MP volunteers alike.

Meaux Costello and Michelle Bilafer

The Junior Giants event was a great opportunity to serve our community, get hands-on with kids, and partner with a non-profit that we hadn't worked with previously. I heard Vanessa Roach say: "Now this is what I call hands-on!" and another volunteer comment: "Seeing and hearing how appreciative these kids were made this event extra special." I think we'd all like to see this event become a repeatable DIAD for years to come.

Open House at the Gatehouse

2011-08-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Team

This past Wednesday 8/17/2011 was the first time I have ever been to a JLPA-MP Open House. It’s embarrassing to even admit! But after 2 years as an active member, I finally made it to one. I decided to go to the Open House because my friend Jen is interested in joining the league. I know she’d be a great member, and I really want her to join, so I wanted to go with her to make sure she had a good time.

There were so many league members socializing and meeting all the women. It was great. They made her feel so welcome! We were greeted and offered drinks and dinner food (including the most amazing taquito’s I have ever had), and even Sprinkles cupcakes for dessert! Calla Griffith kicked off the meeting, followed by a few words from Meaux Costello, Joy Peacock, Lauren Case and Angie Klein, and Summer Brill. The entire Open House was short and sweet, with equal amounts of time spent on socializing and then educating the prospective members about the league.

The fact of the matter is, I probably didn’t need to go – Jen would have had an equally great time even if I wasn’t there. But I’m glad I did go. It made me so proud to hear the leaders talk about our league with such enthusiasm and pride. Whether you’re an active member or prospective, I highly encourage you to go to an Open House.

There is one more this year on Saturday August 20, so don’t miss out and sign up today! www.thejuniorleague.org

Member Spotlight: What's in Your Bag, Group 4

2011-08-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

This week get to know...

Adi Raz

2011-12 Placement: Transfer to Nashville Chapter

What’s in your bag? Wallet, hair clip, cell phone, Chanel lipstick and perfume.

What has been one of your favorite league events? Provisional Bloomingdales Social

Describe the League in 3 words: Fun, friendship, fantastic.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: I used to be really shy and not like public speaking. I threw myself into planning charity events and got over any fear I had.

Did you meet any new league members last year? Pretty much everyone since I was a Provisional!

Katy Cecere

2011-12 Placement: Training Committee

What’s in your bag? Sunglasses, calendar, phone and camera.

What has been one of your favorite league events? Pancake breakfast. It was my first event when I transferred and it was such a great way to meet people and see what the league was really doing in the community.

Describe the League in 3 words: Impacting, leadership, friendship.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: Spiders. We started getting small spiders in our house, so I will now kill them rather than simply call for my husband. However, I’m sure my fear would come back if the spiders started getting larger.

Did you meet any new league members last year? All members were new to me this year! Amy Truel was a Co-Chair for my committee (DIAD) and she was so welcoming. After the Pancake breakfast, she invited me and another transfer on the committee over to her house to go over information on the league.

Kim Burnham
2011-12 Placement: The Shop

What’s in your bag? Wallet, cosmetic bag, phone, keys, glasses and Tiffany card holder.

Describe the League in 3 words: Fun, shopping, fantastic ladies.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: Spiders; got a boyfriend to take care of them.

Member Spotlight: What's in Your Bag, Group 3

2011-08-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

This week get to know...

Allison Felder
2011-12 Placement: Project Development

What’s in your bag? Apple, wallet, keys and cosmetic bag.

What has been one of your favorite league events? All of the Shelter Network trainings are my favorite events.

Describe the League in 3 words: Hard-working, fun, commitment.

Darice Koo
2011-12 Placement: Project READ

What’s in your bag? Wallet, money, chapstick, comb, hair ties, purse hanger, pens, pencil, Kleenex, photos, glasses, nail clipper, keys, business cards, stamps, phone, ear buds, gum, mints and two folding shopping bags.

Describe the League in 3 words: Friendship, powerful, amazing.

Name a fear you’ve overcome: Speaking in front of crowds.

Kirtina Burns
2011-12 Placement: Leave of absence

What’s in your bag? Sunglasses, medication, Excedrin, PMS Excedrin, wallet, cell phone, camera, cough drops, paycheck stub, powder, powder brush, mints, gum, pen, Tums, JL nametag, lip gloss, lipstick and keys.

What has been one of your favorite league events? Home Tour has been one of my favorite league events. I even got to share the event with my mom and my aunt who really enjoyed it.

Describe the League in 3 words: fun, philanthropy, friendship.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: I’ve always been a dependent person but this year I finally decided to go to Europe by myself.

Did you meet any new league members last year? The people I got to know were mostly in the Enrichment Committee.

Member Spotlight: What's in Your Bag, Group 2

2011-08-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

This week get to know...

Shannon Blote

2011-12 Placement: Fund Development

What’s in your bag? A half-eaten day-old wheat bagel, Nordstrom bill, wallet, keys, notepad and business cards.

What has been one of your favorite league events? The Gold Party at The Shop because there were free lattes!

Describe the league in 3 words: Philanthropic, organized, social.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: Solicitation. I started with groups I was comfortable with and went from there.

Did you meet any new league members last year? Kelly Dayton transferred to the Palo Alto Mid Peninsula league and was on The Shop committee with me.

Alyse Benham
2011-12 Placement: Home Tour

What’s in your bag? Phone, wallet, sunglasses, lipgloss, keys and a pen.

What has been one of your favorite league events? The Pancake Breakfast! It was my first Junior League event and by far my favorite. It set a great scene for all future league events.

Describe the league in 3 words: Fun, inspiring, rewarding.

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: Running has always been a fear of mine, but I am in the process of training for a marathon and conquering my fear!

Did you meet any new league members last year? Yes! I met Summer Tokash, Jen Baker, Lauren Wald and many more.

Christyn Tannenbaum
2011-12 Placement: Communication Team

What’s in your bag? New google t-shirt, umbrella and android.

What has been one of your favorite league events? Home Tour Opening Night Celebration

Describe the League in 3 words: Community, friends, fun.

Did you meet any new league members last year? Yes, Ashley Roussel. I met her through another league member and we all went out for cocktails.

Fostering Families Committee Summer Social

2011-08-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

By Maret Mitchell, Fostering Families Committee

On Wednesday evening, the Fostering Families Committee met in Atherton to enjoy some wine and cheese for a summer social hosted by co-chairs, Caitlin Darke and Kyla Eller. This is the third year that the Junior League of Palo Alto-Mid Peninsula has supported Help One Child through our Fostering Families community project.

Fostering Families helps foster children, many of whom are the victims of abuse and abandonment, along with their families, with coping mechanisms. The sessions are held at Union Presbyterian Church in Los Altos, where we will host a dinner for the children, and then hold workshops that deal with a variety of topics including anger management, bullying, and gossip.

Co-chairs Caitlin Darke and Kyla Eller

As a special surprise, we were treated to the always-delightful Suzi Tinsley as a guest speaker. She motivated the committee with her personal experiences volunteering in various community projects in the past, particularly a poignant experience at East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring early in her League service. Suzi reminded us that while there is uncertainty in the lives of these children, we, in the League, can be a constant that they rely on throughout the year. The Fostering Families Committee is eager to work with these children and make a difference in their lives... And maybe, just maybe, we will learn even more from them.

Back Row: Kristin Hayes, Angela Ragni, Genevieve Ovalle, Sara Einhorn, Jennifer Rickard, Ashlie Emmett, Megan Olesek, Michelle Melen
Front Row: Kristina Alvarez, Maret Mitchell, Monica Khurana, Katie Riggs, Casey Ellis, Heidi Walas

Communications 2.0: Photo Storing and Sharing

2011-08-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

By Summer Brill, Communications VP

Time for another installment of Communications 2.0!

Today we are going to answer the question: How do I submit photos for my social media/blog/Piper submissions? This year we are asking for your help in gathering, centralizing and storing the great photos you take of our League events and social. We have a League Smug Mug account and we’ve already set up galleries for the 2011-12 League year by committee name.

Please upload the photos you take at League events and socials directly to your committee’s gallery as soon as you can after each event and please be sure to add your captions. Why are we asking you to upload your own photos? We as a committee simply do not have the personnel resources to upload the photos of the entire League. By using a central storage site, we can be sure our photos are not lost or spread out among various member’s computers. It is more efficient and this also ensures the correct caption is added to each photo as you are the one who took the photo and have the best knowledge of the event and people in the photo.

Another big plus, this also gives all of our committees the ability to use the photos for various League uses and each committee can just go into Smug Mug and grab the photos they want. No more emailing various committees to see if anyone has a photo of XYZ event or person!

Please be sure to only upload the photos you want to be used for all public League uses. And please do not upload any photos of children if you did not get a signed photo release form: (https://secure.closerware.com/paloalto/npo.jsp?pg=forums&forum=516&tab=Downloads).

Here’s how to upload your photos:

http://jlpamp.smugmug.com/

Login: jlpamp
Password: Available Here

Find and click on your appropriate gallery, click Upload in the top menu bar, click "to this gallery" and follow the instructions. Please be sure to add a caption to each photo you upload (Event Name/Date, Names L-R).

When you submit your Web Form, in the box "Photo description/caption in Smug Mug:" include the description of the photo you uploaded to Smug Mug and want to have us include, we will go into Smug Mug to grab the photo you want us to use.

Stay tuned for more Communications 2.0!

Done In A Day Kicks Things Off With My New Red Shoes

2011-08-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

By Beth Ann Brown, Communications Team

Done In A Day started the year early by participating in My New Red Shoes' annual "Pack for Pride" event. This year around a hundred and fifty volunteers came to stuff back-to-school bags for 3566 homeless children over the course of the day. It was amazing to see so many people eager to help and so many new shoes for those who need them most.

Regine Nelson & Melonie Martinez

The League, which participated in two shifts, had eighteen adults and six kids participating overall. The two Done in a Day co-chairs were in charge of this event on the League side and were enthusiastic about the turnout and the upcoming year. In fact, everyone was cheerful as they participated; it felt good knowing that something so simple was likely going to make a difference in a child's life.

Volunteers took handmade bags and stuffed them with hand written notes, crayons or gel pens and brand new Converse shoes. Each child's name, age and gender was written on a card and they were stacked by shelter (My New Red Shoes services multiple shelters throughout the Santa Clara, San Francisco and San Mateo counties-- including Haven House).

Brenna Preston, DIAD Co-Chair

At the end of the afternoon, we were left with the amazing sight of thousands of colorful bags lined up for children in dozens of shelters. It was hot and many of us were parched but the overall good vibes were practically palpable-- everyone seemed to have a wonderful time doing their part. The best part was seeing the kids getting involved and learning about service. It gave a lot of hope.

For more information on My New Red Shoes and what they do in the community, visit their website: http://www.mynewredshoes.org/

Communications 2.0: Web Forms

2011-08-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

By Summer Brill, Communications VP

Although we are entering our third month of the 2011-12 League year, our members have been hard at work all summer on various projects. The Communications Team started early this League year with our first team meeting in May. We have been hard at work on a number of projects (some of which are top secret for now) and some of which are changes to HOW we as a League will facilitate our communications. You will all hear about these improvements over the next couple months, but we will start telling you about them here on the Blog so you can start to utilize our new communications tools.

Today we are going to introduce our Web Forms. To better facilitate the submission process for some of our communications tools, our current Website Assistant Chair, Ashley Redgrave, has been hard at work with our website provider designing and uploading our Web Forms. Kris Spencer-Jones created our pretty buttons and now it is up to you to send us your posts!

Here are the Web Forms available, please use these to submit posts for:

Social Media (Facebook/Twitter) and eNews
Blog
Event Calendar and Registration
Event Recap

You can access the forms in the Member Area/Communications/Web Forms (tab), or CLICK HERE

Please take a minute to familiarize yourself with these forms and please use them for your posts.

Stay tuned for more training on these and other communications tools!

Mother and Daughter Pack for Pride

2011-07-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

By Ann-Christel Graham, Community VP

On July 17, I participated in the first Done in a Day event of the year: Pack for Pride. This annual event held by My New Red Shoes aims to give homeless children in our area an opportunity to look and feel confident as they start the school year. Pack for Pride volunteers, including 15 League volunteers and their families, packed 3566 bags filled with a pair of shoes, a school supply and a personal note. This bag, along with a $50 gift card from Old Navy, will be handed out to children in more 50 shelters across the Peninsula and San Francisco.

Brenna Preston, DIAD Co-Chair, her daughter Reese Preston and Aubrey Graham (daughter of Ann-Christel Graham)

Haven House donations

Looking around as the warehouse began to fill up with these bags, you felt a sense of accomplishment, feeling like you made an impact by giving just a few hours of your time. At the same time, as co-chair Brenna Preston noted, it served as a reminder for how much need there is in our area and the stark reality that there are so many more children and families who need our help. As Community VP this year, I was very excited when Brenna and co-chair Kristin Najarian, shared that they had spoken with the Program Manager about other opportunities for the League to partner with My New Red Shoes through future Done in a Day events. I look forward to learning more about those opportunities and sharing them with you in future a future posting.

Alyse Benham and Aubrey Graham (daughter of Ann-Christel Graham)

On a more personal note, this event was special to me because it served as the first opportunity for me to introduce my daughter, Aubrey, to volunteerism and to offer her a few life lessons. For years, she's heard about mommy going to "Junior League meetings", and she was really excited about being able to come with me. I had explained what we were going to do, but I thought that a 5-year old wouldn't necessarily understand what I was explaining. Of course, she understood we were going to pack bags with shoes in them, but I wasn't sure she'd understand why.

Kristin Najarian and Brenna Preston, DIAD Co-Chairs

When we arrived and were gathered by the My New Red Shoes staff for an introduction to our challenge and instructions for the event, Aubrey and two of her friends made their way to the front of the group and listened. Once we were told we could start, off they went. The kids were focused. They picked the colors of the bags based on the sex of the recipient. They picked the school supply and personalized card that was age and sex appropriate. They handed over the identification tags to the volunteers who would bring us the right shoes, and they inspected the shoes for accuracy. They packed the bags carefully and helped place them in the right spot according to shelter. During the process, I was able to explain to Aubrey why we were doing this; why these shoes were so special to these children. I read to her the stories of some of the kids featured in the My New Red Shoes press cards. I watched other volunteers doing the same with their kids.

JLPA-MP Volunteers

In the two hours we spent at Pack for Pride, my daughter learned that there are many kids her age who are homeless and who don't have shoes or clothes that fit them. She learned that she is really lucky and that she needs to value that and maybe think about it before she asks for something in the future. She learned that it's important to help others in need, not out of pity but because that's the good thing to do. She learned empathy. There were a lot of life lessons learned that day. To top it off, she's anxious to do it again!

For more information on My New Red Shoes, please visit their website: http://www.mynewredshoes.org/

Training for Bowling

2011-07-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

By Beth Ann Brown, Communications Team

The new Communications Team and Community Council met tonight for a joint social and meeting on July 25th. The first part of the evening was spent bowling and socializing at Palo Alto Bowl. Twelve of the sixteen attendees played and Ana White was the overall winner with a score of 130. (She was also the only person to bowl over a hundred, though Catherine Wilson came close.)

Pro-bowler Summer Brill

After an hour of bowling the group adjourned to a back room for a presentation by the impressively organized Summer Brill. Summer outlined the new system of communications being utilized by the League and walked the group through the usage of the newly created web forms. (One of which is being used to submit this article).

Catherine Wilson & Catherine Ross-Stoll

Overall, the mood was one of excitement among both groups. We're excited to get the word out about what the League's doing-- excited to get the community more involved in what we're doing. All the work and thought that's been put into simplifying the process for all the members is finally coming together and it's amazing to even be a small part of it. It's a great time to be part of the League and a great time to be involved with communications!

Beth Greenberg

Caitlin Darke & Ann-Christel Graham

Horsing around with Gallop Ventures

2011-07-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

By Kathryn Brownstone, Communications Team

On Tuesday July 12 a group of 14 Junior League women got together at NCEFT in Woodside for an equine facilitated woman's leadership training, or in layman's terms, we hung out with an awesome palomino horse named Ben who very patiently helped teach us about our leadership styles. The session started out with observing Ben and two other horses demonstrating their natural leadership techniques which mostly consisted of biting, kicking and trying to make themselves physically higher than one another. Fortunately for us, once the other two were put in a separate paddock, Ben was a perfect gentleman!

Angie Klein attempting to put the harness on Ben.

The training itself consisted of a series of loosely guided instructions that allowed us to explore our instincts in new and unfamiliar situations followed by talking through our experiences so that we could learn from them as a group. Angie Klein bravely volunteered for the first exercise which had her put the halter on Ben despite not knowing how. After a first attempt which resulted in it being put on backwards, Amy talked through Angie's frustrations and then Angie tried again and successfully put the halter on correctly. After a few more exercises, which included five of us leading Ben around the arena with the actual leader rotating, we got to an exercise where you say your goal for the day, be it for your career, family life or personal life, and then lead the horse around while thinking about your goal. Ben definitely reacted to some people differently than others, with some people leading him and him leading others! The highlight of the day came at the end when they had Joy Peacock state her goal and then lead Ben around with no halter or rope!

Sarah Shen, Calla Griffith and Joy Peacock with Ben.

Joy Peacock leading Ben without the halter.

Member Spotlight: What's in your bag?

2011-07-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Member Spotlights are back!

This is a recurring feature to our Blog as a way for us to "Get to Know Each Other" better. We posed a few questions to our Membership and will post a few of the answers on a weekly basis, so be sure to check back to get to know your fellow Leaguers better! We will feature a new set of questions at each GMM and occasionally online for you to participate, so keep an eye out for Communications!

This week, get to know Michelle Rodriguez, Joette Young and Emily Cunningham

Michelle Rodriguez

2011-2012 Placement: Provisional

What’s in your bag?
Zyrtec, umbrella, travel brush, phone, planner, keys, gum, wallet, Kleenex, camera

What's been your favorite League event this year?

Home Tour and socials with my Provisional Class!

Describe the league in 3 words:

Empowering, service, social

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it: I overcame coming into the league only knowing one person, but then realized it was so easy to meet new people.

Did you meet any new league members this year? If so, who and where? Neighborhood meeting, provisional retreat, Done in a Day, Provisional Meetings

Joette Young

2011-12 Placement: Provisional Committee

What’s in your bag?
Makeup bag, wallet, car keys, cell phone and meeting invite

What's been your favorite League event this year?
Home Tour Opening Night

Describe the League in 3 words:
Service, friendship, fun

Did you meet a new League member this year?
Yes, I met many new League members this year. I met Crystal Galliher at church, Meredith Pfeffer at the gym and Tara Rousell at the nail salon.

Emily Cunningham

2011-12 Placement: Membership Enrichment

What’s in your bag?

Lipstick, wallet, sunglasses, phone and car keys

What's been your favorite League event this year?

Home Tour Opening Night

Describe the League in 3 words:

Volunteerism, community, friendship

Name a fear you’ve overcome and how you did it?

I had a fear of big dogs, but have overcome it with my friend in the League’s dog (Jackson).

Did you meet a new League member this year?

I met Ashley Holmig at the first meeting. She was a new transfer from the Dallas league. I was also on Provisional Committee and met so many wonderful new members.

The Kelly Martinez Act (Post-Natal Depression) Passes!!

2011-07-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

By Catherine Carlton, CalSPAC Chair

I am delighted to inform you all that ACR 53, the Kelly Martinez Act, passed out of the Senate Floor and will be soon enrolled and chaptered. Senator Carol Liu presented it yesterday and it received unanimous AYE vote!

Assemblymember Roger Hernandez, Catherine Carlton, Raul Martinez, Kimberly Wong, and Joy Burkhard on the California Assembly Floor

We received the following message from Raul, the husband of Kelly. This bill is named after Kelly, who killed herself when her baby was a few weeks old. Raul has spoken at legislative hearings for the past two years, and has helped a great deal to have this and our previous peri-natal depression bill pass.

"Thank you all so much for your efforts. Words can't describe how much this means to our family. Thank you. Raul"

Thanks to everyone for your efforts in supporting the passage of ACR53-- another success in addressing the needs of people who may suffer from peri-natal depression!! Cat

Fundraising Training with Kay Sprinkel Grace

2011-07-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

Noted presenter Kay Sprinkel Grace imparted a great deal of information on donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship to a room filled with League members and guests tonight. The training was sponsored by the Endowment Fund and the Training Committee. Some of Kay’s key points included:

Kay Sprinkel Grace Fundraiser Training held at Hewlett Foundation

(1) When you ask for money, it’s not about you, it’s about the donor.
(2) You need to be passionate, a believer and convey your enthusiasm when you make your ask.
(3) Shared values are the focus between an organization and its donors.
(4) You have two ears and one mouth, use in that proportion when meeting with a donor.
(5) Stewardship of donors is the most neglected area in the non-profit world, but it is critical.
(6) A hand-written note to thank a donor is always well received.

League members listening to Kay Sprinkel Grace

Her talk, which included questions from attendees as well as dialogue with the audience, lasted about two hours. The event was hosted at the Hewlett Foundation in Menlo Park and included social time before the presentation.

Sally Falkenhagen gives Kay a thank you gift

Personal thoughts: A great deal of useful information was presented in a gracious and engaging manner. Everyone who attended should now be more comfortable with the mechanics of fund raising through soliciting donors, as well as being better at stewardship of donors. Very much worth the time!

Open House at the Gatehouse, 6/29/2011

2011-07-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

By Summer Brill, Communications VP 2011-12

What a wonderful evening at the Gatehouse! We welcomed over 30 prospective members at our first Open House of the summer. I was excited to introduce two of my friends to our League members and meet more women who are interested in learning more about the League.

Calla Griffith and Regine Nelson welcoming prospective members.

Calla, Regine and their committee set the stage for a fun evening with good food, margaritas, wine, and of course, cupcakes! After some social time, Calla gathered everyone outside and welcomed everyone to our Open House and introduced Meaux, our President. She gave a brief history of the League and shared some of her experiences over the years with fellow League members who are still good friends of hers. Next up was Joy Peacock, Membership VP. She gave an interesting run-down of the demographics of our League and a brief overview of our Community Projects.

Next up, Angie Klein and Lauren Case, Co-Chairs of the Provisional Committee this year. They outlined the Provisional year and welcomed everyone who attended our Open House and invited them to consider joining the League if they felt it was the organization they were looking for.

Naomi Chavez Peters with prospective members

We then had more time to socialize and it was so fun to walk around and watch and hear the animated conversations between current members and prospective members. It was a fun and lively event and we hope to see everyone at our Provisional Retreat on September 10th! We look forward to our remaining Open Houses this summer, if this Open House is any indication of future events, this is going to be a fun and lively summer season!

Lauren Case, Angie Klein and Kate Hurley.

If you are interested in learning more about our League or joining us for a summer Open House, please click here for more information.

Member Spotlight!

2011-07-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Member Spotlight! This week get to know:

Amy Truel
Current Placement: Done in a Day Co-Chair 2010-11
2011-12 Placement: Content Chair - Communications Council
Most Memorable Placement
My first Active year I had the opportunity to sit on Community Council in a special project capacity. I learned so much about how our projects work as well as the internal structure of the league. It was great to be involved at a strategic level, and really helped me navigate within the league more proficiently in my current placement.

5 Things You Don't Know About Me
1. I had a beer can collection when I was growing up.
2. I now have a pop-up book collection-none with beer cans though :)
3. I love rollercoasters!
4. I am a perpetual organizer.
5. I love modern art!

Angie Klein
Current Placement: Provisional Committee 2010-11
2011-12 Placement: Provisional Co-Chair

5 Things You Don't Know About Me
1. I come from a long line of brewery workers. (Dad, Uncle and Grandfather all worked at Olympia Brewing Co.)
2. I met my husband via a wrong number.
3. I received the dubious honor of the Howdy Doody look-alike award in high school.
4. My best friend and I have known each other since the first grade.
5. I love mixing cocktails and drinking them (wine and beer too -- a direct influence from item #1)!

Get To Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part XIII

2011-06-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part XIII of a series of interviews of our 2011-12 Board of Directors. Be sure to check out our introductory post on 5/19/11.

Jovita Honor Finance VP 2011-12

Jovita joined the League in 2003, and most of her roles since then have been finance related. Her first committee was the Habitat for Humanity IDA program in which she worked with adults who had purchased homes with the help from Habitat on their budgeting and financial skills. From there she went on to serve as the Holiday Boutique Treasurer for two years and was then on the Board as Treasurer and Finance VP. Most recently she was a Provisional Chair, a departure from the rest of her finance related League career, but one she immensely enjoyed.

Having served as Finance VP once before, she couldn’t be more prepared for the role. She has also worked with Meaux on committees in the past, and didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to work with her again. Jovita is especially looking forward to getting to know the other members of the Board. She mentioned that working on the Board allows for the greatest impact, and is the best way to meet more people.

Jovita admitted that this past year allowed her more balance between work and the League because it was not a financial role. I was surprised to hear that since I know that chairing the Provisional committee can be extremely time intensive. But Jovita is accustomed to working hard, because the harder you work, the more you can "play". And Jovita is not one to shy away from the social activities!

When Jovita's not working, she likes to read, plan trips or hang out at home with her husband and dogs. She is always up for a new challenge and trying new things. Although the Finance VP role comes with more familiarity, the economic landscape will certainly put a twist on managing the financial components of the League. But she never walks away from a challenge; to prove it, she just started learning to play golf. Good luck Jovita!

That's it for our Board of Director interviews! Thank you ladies for participating!

Get To Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part XII

2011-06-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part XII of a series interviewing our 2011-12 Board of Directors. Please check out our introductory post on 5/19/11.

Rahela Abbas, President Elect 2011-12

Rahela transferred to the JLPA-MP from the East Coast, and started out with only a single friend in the Bay Area. Today she probably has hundreds of friends because of her involvement with the League. She met Vanessa Roach and other members at a JLPA-MP Open House when she first moved to the area and knew immediately that this was the League for her.

Rahela is the President-Elect this year, and although she'll focus on being a sponge to Meaux in preparation for her Presidency, she plans to stay busy with her involvement on the Strategic Planning Council. The Strategic Plan is a huge priority, one which Rahela believes can take our League to the next level. And Rahela is the kind of motivated and organized leader to make those changes happen!

This will be the fourth year Rahela has been on the Board. She is currently wrapping up her position as Membership VP, and in the past has Co-Chaired Spring Gala, Provisional Committee, and worked on Done in a Day and The Shop committees. She is also active in the community as a Board member for Rebuilding Together Peninsula and is currently the Director of Donor Relations in the Development Office at Stanford. She's lucky that her career and Junior League activities are closely related which I'm sure benefits both parts of her life.

Rahela will be celebrating her 10 year wedding anniversary next year, and keeps busy at home with her two children. But aside from her family, the Junior League is her top priority. She is working on saying "no" to other organizations who want her involvement, because her priority is with the League.

Rahela is an events gal - she loves to eat, drink and socialize. But in her free time, what she really loves the most is connecting with friends - old and new. She told me during our conversation that she would walk to the ends of the earth for her friends if she had to. Staying in touch is very dear to her. She shared with me a personal practice that she's implemented into her daily life, something I think we all could follow. Every day Rahela strives to acknowledge four different people in small and big ways. She might thank a colleague for getting her a report, or thank her husband for putting gasoline in her car. I think whether you thank one or four people, just that change in perspective and way of carrying out your day can make a huge difference in the world.

Stay tuned for more Board Member interviews!

Get To Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part XI

2011-06-24T08:13:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part XI of a series interviewing our 2011-12 Board of Directors. Please check out our introductory post on 5/19/11.

Polly Neumann, Sr SPAC Delegate 2011-12

For those who don't know what SPAC is, it's the State Public Affairs Committee, and I promise this won't be the last time you hear or read about SPAC within the League. Polly Neumann is the Senior SPAC Delegate for this League year, and she has a busier job than ever. Polly never imagined she would be this involved with government affairs and legislation, but like so many Leaguers, she has a tremendous League mentor that has influenced her to get involved in SPAC. Cat Carlton is the California SPAC 2011-2012 President, a huge honor, and the reason Polly is the Sr. SPAC delegate for next year.

Cat and Polly met as Provisionals and have been close friends since. When Cat began to coach Polly on the power to make changes through SPAC, Polly was immediately hooked. Polly considers herself very fortunate to have found a mentor like Cat, and feels that as a team they can accomplish anything. They have already come so far, celebrating both of their leadership positions and their sponsored bill that will be presented in Sacramento (you will hear more about this soon).

Although my intention was to speak about Polly, I cannot talk about her role and success in the League without mentioning Cat. Without her support, Polly might not have gotten to where she is today, which is an important one because she has the power to make real change in the world. Polly is a real estate agent and works long hours, but she partners with her mom so they're able to balance the work load between the two of them. She also leverages her husband, who couldn't be more supportive of her Junior League involvement. The power of support, whether by friend or family, can allow you to tackle the challenges of the League and might possibly make a difference in the world. And in Polly's case, passing a bill that would give the parents of foster children the same rights as birth parents (in terms to accessing their child's health records), could really change lives.

Stay tuned for more Board Member interviews!

Communications Team Summer Social

2011-06-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

By Beth Ann Brown, Communications Team

It might be summer, but the Junior League of Palo Alto Mid-Peninsula is in full swing. The Communications Team had their first official social event at the home of our lovely Communications VP, Summer Brill. The event was family potluck style filled with delicious food and fun conversation.

The turnout was great with several spouses and children (all boys!) in attendance. It was fun watching the young boys race around, playing baseball and doing other activities. The highlight of the afternoon was getting to know the League ladies who I'll be working with and getting to know better over the next year.

Judging by today, it's going to be a good year!

Communications Team members (left to right) Crystal Galliher, Ashley Redgrave, Catherine Ross, Kris Spencer Jones and their guests.

Get to Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part X

2011-06-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part X of a series of interviews of our 2011-12 Board of Directors. Please check out our original introductory post on 5/19/11.

Joy Peacock, Membership Development VP 2011-12

Joy Peacock will be championing Membership Development next year. She has recently experienced a lot of newness in her life including a new job at the Santa Clara University Law School. When she started her new job she told her manager, who was already aware of her Junior League involvement from the interview process, that she would be highly involved in the Junior League and that her participation in League activities was a priority. She is acutely aware that she will have a lasting impact on the Junior League community, and her success and learning will allow her to do the same for the law school community. And her boss totally agreed. Way to set priorities, Joy!

Joy is very much aligned with Meaux in terms of membership goals. They both agree that a large part of the strategic plan for the League needs to be towards new member recruitment, training current members and retaining them. Membership Development has combined Membership Enrichment and Training, which were previously separate committees. Joy's focus for next year is to align her committee with active members, ensure that Nominating is placing the right person in the right leadership position, and that overall there is more open communication and interaction.

Joy realizes that it's a huge challenge for non-profits to retain their volunteers, and even harder during a down economy. The JLPA-MP has a healthy membership, but must continue to focus on expansion and growth. She acknowledges that women join the League to meet other like-minded women and to volunteer in the community. But where we take that next step, how we attract and retain, is the same reason Joy continues to be a very active member and not sustain - she constantly meets new and interesting people, who have added to her personal and professional network of friends. And to provide that opportunity to prospective members and current members who may not be as front and center will make the biggest difference in our membership.

Stay tuned for more Board Member interviews!

Get to Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part IV

2011-06-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part X of a series of interviews of our 2011-12 Board of Directors. Check out our introductory post 5/19/11.

Meaux Costello, President 2011-12

Meaux Costello didn't plan on being the 2011-2012 President of the JLPA-MP - she actually never planned on being League President. But somewhere down the line, after holding multiple placements and sitting on the Board for four years, she realized all her learning and development experiences had enabled her to be a strong and effective leader. This realization prompted her to get in the line to be a future JLPA-MP President. And as life would have it, everything got moved ahead when the originally slated President Elect had to step down.

Although Meaux had planned to have an extra 12 months to prepare for the role, she accepted the position a year early like a true leader.

Meaux is all too familiar with changing directions. She recently left her job after being a lawyer for twenty years to care for her sister who was recently diagnosed with cancer. It was a big decision, but with the support of her husband and family she has been able to make it all work. The League is such an important part of her life that she accepted the role during a time when it probably would have been easier to focus only on family.

Meaux has a strong sense of pride and ownership in the League and is fiercely committed to its cause. Her top priorities for the year are finance and community. She mentioned in our conversation that the impact on the economy was delayed in how it has affected the JLPA-MP. There has been a decrease in underwriting for the Home Tour, a decrease in donations and purchases at The Shop, and fewer anticipated new members in the League. As a result she is determined to turn things around. Meaux also plans to stay in close contact with our Community Board of Advisors, evaluate our grant process, and ensure that we engage the best projects that are fulfilling for League members while satisfying the Junior League Mission.

Meaux clearly has a lot of big plans for next year, and fortunately has a great team to help her accomplish these goals. Many of the Board members expressed their excitement and eagerness to work with Meaux. She has many supporters and mentors in the League who have enabled her to get to where she is today. The League has helped her in her professional and personal life, including running better meetings and being more persuasive and greater examples like being a better lawyer, sister, wife and friend. Meaux has been inspired by the League and its leaders since she joined, and is a firm believer that the League offers some of the best practices for home, work and life in general. She plans on pushing that philosophy forward and establishing an even stronger sense of connectedness among League members, because she believes that we all have the potential to be great leaders and sit in her seat one day - and she's going to do her best to help us get there.

Stay tuned for more Board Member interviews!

Perinatal Depression: Cat Carlton's Interview with US News and World Report

2011-06-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

Cat Carlton, CalSPAC Chair and active member of the Junior League of Palo Alto Mid-Peninsula was recently interviewed by US News and World Report on Perinatal Depression. You can read the article below or on the US News website.

Postpartum Depression: Finding Affordable Help
By Kimberly Palmer, US News and World Report
Posted: June 14, 2011

Postpartum depression affects as many as one in eight new moms, and it becomes most serious when it’s left untreated. “It’s rare, but the symptoms are very severe. You start losing touch with what’s real and imagined, you can have delusions and unpredictable actions,” says Catherine Carlton, an advocate for awareness about postpartum depression through her work with the Junior League of Palo Alto-Mid Peninsula. In the most extreme cases, she adds, women can kill themselves or their babies.

To prevent that tragic outcome, women suffering from postpartum depression usually need professional help, but seeking it out can be difficult, especially when new moms are worried about the stigma of struggling with a mental illness or the financial challenges of paying for treatment. Women are most likely to get postpartum depression if they have a history of depression, experienced other big stresses such as relationship problems around the time of the birth, and suffer from financial problems. Having strong support from family and friends can help reduce the risk. We spoke with Carlton about the best ways to afford treatment for this serious condition. Excerpts:

How widespread is postpartum depression?

Generally, about 80 percent of women across the world experience some form of the baby blues, or just feeling really overwhelmed and cranky and not able to get any sleep. One in eight will really get postpartum depression, where they’re really sad, confused, anxious, irritable, and afraid they’re a really bad mom. And for one in 1,000 women who don’t receive treatment, it can become postpartum psychosis, where people start dying.

Why does it go untreated?

Some cultures are more open about it than others, but even in America today, people might think you’re weak. What should women do if they think they might be suffering from postpartum depression? The initial things that make a difference are just talking about your feelings. Talk with a doctor. It helps to ask friends and family to care for the baby so you have a chance to get sleep and eat a healthy diet. There are a lot of postpartum support groups online and in-person. If you’ve been feeling sad and cranky and it doesn’t go away after three weeks, then look into getting some help.

Can you recommend any free resources?

The great website run by Postpartum Support International has a postpartum scale with ten questions, so you can determine the level you might be at. They also have a Wednesday online chat with an expert, and you can find a map to help you find a list of local coordinators, doctors, and group meetings. It will tell you everything that’s available locally. (Volunteers offer to contact visitors within 24 hours.) Seven states, including Minnesota, New Jersey, and Illinois, have created state agencies to help deal with this problem, too. Postpartum Progress is another great site providing peer-to-peer support.

How do you know if you need to meet with a doctor?

It depends on the level of postpartum depression. If you have the baby blues, then online support might be enough, or sometimes even the information at babycenter.com. It has a good online board you can chat on, which is great for people who don’t feel comfortable opening up to family. It’s a great way to feel like you’re not going through this alone. Statistically, the soon you get help, the quicker you can get over it.

Get To Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part VIII

2011-06-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part VIII of a series of interviews of our 2011-12 Board of Directors. Check out our introductory post on 5/19/11.

Amy Aldrich, Treasurer 2011-12

Amy Aldrich has been in the League for seven years, and will be taking on the role of Treasurer next year. This will be a significant change for her since she has spent most of her League time doing community projects. She has always had an interest in finances, so she's especially excited about this role, starting with reviewing the League budget. If there's a better way to manage the budget so that the League can give more money back to the community in grants, then she believes we have an obligation to our members to make a change. And Amy is determined to find improvements! She's highly organized and intensely motivated to do the best job possible next year. And during this economy, she realizes the importance of managing every dollar that comes in and out of the League, which is why she's perfect for the position.

When she's not coming up with better ways to manage the budget, you can probably find her participating in an assortment of activities. She does a lot of needle work and cross-stitch (fourth generation in her family) and runs the family football pool during football season. She's also an avid skier, and has never missed a ski season since she was five years old (except for when she was pregnant). Although skiing and football sound a lot more fun, she's just as excited to get the winning score in her role as Treasurer.

Stay tuned for more Board Member interviews!

Communications Team Kick-Off for 2011-12 League Year

2011-06-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

by Summer Brill, Communications VP 2011-12

The Communications team had a great first official business meeting on June 6th at the Gatehouse. We started off with dinner of In-N-Out burgers, generously provided by Michelle Hostrup (Social Media Assistant Chair) with beverages and a homemade strawberry shortcake provided by Ashley Redgrave (Website Assistant Chair). A great way to kick-off a very busy meeting!

We then broke out into groups by various communications roles to get to know each other better and start sharing ideas for the year. We were also fortunate to have Kristin Fabos-Livingston (outgoing Communications VP) attend our meeting. She was instrumental in developing the Content Chair and Reporter roles for this League year, so she met with them during the breakout session to share her vision of the roles during development.

The room was abuzz with discussion and laughter and it took several attempts to break apart the breakout session so we could move on with our other business!

We had a very productive meeting and everyone participated in sharing ideas. We also had a full house with 100% member participation!

It was a great first meeting of the League year and I’m so energized by this team. I can’t wait to share more with the League as these dynamic women execute our Communication goals for the year. We will be in touch with committee Co-Chairs to schedule Communications training sessions as we implement some improvements to our Communications process, likely closer to July and August.

In the meantime, continue to follow the League Blog to learn more about your Board members, read Member Spotlights and reports from League members. This is a great way to keep in touch with League activities and we encourage you to share your League experiences. Email socialmedia@thejuniorleague.org to submit a Blog post or an idea for a Blog post.

Have a great week!

www.facebook.com/jlpamp

@JLPAMP

Get To Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part VII

2011-06-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part VII of a series of interviews introducing our 2011-12 Board of Directors. Check out our introductory post on 5/19/11.

Vanessa Roach, Special Projects/Community Member At Large (MAL) 2011-12

I wasn't surprised when Vanessa Roach told me that she was the JLPA-MP President two years ago; the League runs in her blood. Her mom was League President while Vanessa was in high school, igniting her desire to be a leader at a young age.

Like other Board members, Vanessa is looking forward to working with Meaux in the Special Projects position next year. Meaux actually held the position (Special Projects) when Vanessa was President. In addition to coordinating the Board retreat and working closely with the Community Advisors, Vanessa's main focus for next year will be on the Strategic Plan. She's currently working on the taskforce that will be involved in looking at retention in the League and our community involvement.

Having first-hand experience as President, she can offer Meaux guidance and support. Vanessa mentioned that having a mixed Board (newer members and some veterans) is the key to a successful leadership team, and she is confident the Board this year is going to be awesome. In her specific role, she will focus on the bigger issues the affect the immediate future of the JLPA-MP. In our ever changing world, it's important to have people like Vanessa who can be a cheerleader and also step in and aid in the projects that really matter.

Vanessa has a lot on her plate. In addition to the League, she keeps busy as the Executive Director of the Gamble House, entertaining family and friends, gardening and playing with her dog Kassy. I have to mention that we had such a good time talking, that we ended our conversation with her inviting me to the Glee concert this summer. We discovered that we were both Glee fanatics, and I was tickled that she would on-the-spot invite me to join her at the concert. What a true affirmation of the type of women "League" women are!

Stay tuned for more Board member interviews!

Project READ: Chapter 1

2011-06-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

By Ashley Redgrave, Project READ Committee/Website Chair

Project READ Committee at Milagros in Redwood City

Back row from left to right: Holly Tambling, Vanessa Roach, Kate Yagen, Kathryn Taft, Melissa Hollatz, Moolani Napolitani, Lauren Wald, Ashley Redgrave, Kirsten Crum.

Front row from left to right: Darice Koo, Rosa Singh, Marisa Dittmer, Aida Smailagic.

The Project READ Committee had its first meeting of the year on June 7th at the Redwood City Library. Our wonderful co-chairs, Holly Tambling and Kirsten Crum set up a night of introductions, learning more about Project READ, and a social. The committee's job this year will be to tutor some of the nearly 40 students that come to the library each night for tutoring in the Family Literacy Center.

First, we learned a little bit about each member of the committee with a discussion of our favorite childhood books. Many of the titles like Goodnight Moon, The Giving Tree, and Amelia Bedelia brought back great memories. After a discussion around expectations and coordination, the team met with Kathy Endaya, the Director of Project READ. Kathy introduced the JL team to her Project READ staff and gave a tour of the Family Literacy Center.

After learning about the work we'll be doing this upcoming year, we walked across the street for a delicious dinner at Milagros, where we got to know one another better. My side of the table had a blast talking about everything from case job interviews to natural disaster preparedness and everything in between. I'm coming home from the meeting looking forward to tutor training and with a plan to purchase an earthquake kit.

Thanks to Holly and Kirsten for creating such a fun way to kick off the year!

Get To Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part VI

2011-06-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part VI of a series introducing our Board of Directors, check out our introductory post on 5/19/11.

Ann-Christel Graham, Community VP 2011-12

Ann-Christel Graham joined the League in 2002, initially because she wanted more volunteer opportunities. She has always considered herself a community person and volunteer-orientated, so it's no surprise that she stepped up to the plate to be the Community VP next year. In the past she has chaired community projects such as Children's Place, First Teachers, and Project Development, never shying away from a new challenge. It's evident that this Board position is the culmination of all her community experiences –-she's earned it!

Ann-Christel has big ideas for the League and is looking forward to executing them in her new position. She especially wants to capture how the Junior League impacts the community (similar to Summer's goal). Her concern is that community members don't understand what the League does, nor are they aware of the difference we make or the impact we have. Ann-Christel talked about the sense of pride she felt after the grant recipients were announced at last year's May Annual Meeting, and having more of that type of transparency in the League so that people will understand us better.

Ann-Christel understands that we are all busy, including herself, and shared practical ways the League could be more efficient. For example, why not schedule more conference calls or Skype calls as opposed to in person meetings? We can all agree that meeting face-to-face is important, but some days it would be much easier to dial in, and might help increase meeting attendance. Ann-Christel see's the big picture, and is eager to start making some improvements.
Bringing new ideas to the table is not something she only does for the League. She likes to explore different kinds of cooking and food, and often experiments on her family. Evidently she's been successful, as a few nights ago her son requested crab for dinner. If she can get her four year old son to eat crab, I'm confident that she can bolster the face of the Junior League to the community and our other constituents.

Stay tuned for more Board Member interviews!

Get To Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part V

2011-06-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part V of a series interviewing our Board of Directors for 2011-12, see the introductory post 5/19/11.

Summer Brill, Communications VP 2011-12

As I mentioned in my first blog entry, Summer Brill was the Web Marketing Assistant Chair/Social Media this year and will be the Communications VP for 2011-2012. For someone who has been in the League for only three years (including her provisional year), she has quickly demonstrated how to become a leader, and is a great role model for anyone aspiring to get more involved.

I was shocked and in-awe when Summer told me that shortly after she got married, she quit her Investment Banking job and traveled around the world with her husband for a year. Since then she's gotten settled back in California, started her family and now has two young boys and devotes a lot of her spare time to the League.

Summer credits her initial passion and excitement for the League to her friend and League mentor Jessica Gowdy. Jessica made her feel like she could do anything, and is the person she attributes most of her League success to. Summer admits that while she had an awesome Provisional Year, her first active year was different than what she expected and had doubts about her involvement in the League. But she was reminded by Jessica that she was the only one who could make her League experience what she wanted it to be. And from there, she rolled up her sleeves and put 110% into every project she was involved in. And now she's on the Board of Directors!

The League has never had a Social Media Chair before Summer. Not only did Summer go above and beyond her expected job responsibilities by developing a Social Media Policy for the League and single-handedly managing Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the Blog, but she used the opportunity to meet as many people as she possibly could and truly network.

Summer is excited for her role next year and taking communications a step further than what it historically has been. What's especially important to her is that people (in the community) know what the League does, and what the League represents. She plans to do this by building our image through branding and expanding our internal usage of the Blog and Facebook.

With two young sons she doesn't have a lot of free time, but has found that using her iPhone is a great way to stay connected and communicate with League members. She's been out of the job market since her sons were born, but plans to enter the residential real estate business this year. I mentioned how surprised I was to learn that she quit her job to travel. Well, the surprises don't stop there. When I asked where she'd most likely be on a sunny summer weekend day, she answered, "With my husband and kids in Santa Cruz at a Grateful Dead-esque concert." Rock on Summer!

Stay tuned for more Board Member interviews!

Get To Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part IV

2011-05-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part IV of a series introducing our Board of Directors, see our first blog post 5/19/11 for the introduction.

Naomi Chavez Peters, Sustainer Director 2011-12

Naomi Chavez Peters is a Junior League legend. For those who don't know her, she is actually a Sustainer, but will be the Board next year as Sustainer Director. She is a past JLPA-MP President, and the year she was President, Meaux Costello was the League Treasurer. I also learned that the year Naomi chaired the Provisional Committee, Meaux was in her Provisional class.

Naomi was an active League member for about 15 years before she went Sustainer. And although we didn't talk about what she did during those years, I know she made an impact - she has a passion for the Junior League that runs deep. In the upcoming year, she is excited to provide counsel to Meaux, and also excited to provide leadership and development opportunities for members of the League. When she's not working or involved in Sustainer activities, she instructs leadership seminars for the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI). I wasn’t kidding when I said she was a Junior League legend!

What struck me the most about Naomi is how strongly she feels that the League has enriched her life. Instead of distancing herself after she became a Sustainer, she stayed heavily involved and is still committed to helping and improving our League. With her experience in leadership training and development, she is a huge resource to the League. In addition to working closely with Meaux next year, her main emphasis will be in continued leadership development for our members. Naomi is very aware of the intelligent, driven, and capable women we have in our League, and has made it a goal to bring out our hidden talents.

Stay tuned for more Board Member interviews!

Get To Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part III

2011-05-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part III of a series introducing our Board, see Part I on 5/19/11 for the introduction.

Courtney Charney, Fundraising VP 2011-12

Courtney Charney was one of my Provisional Chairs, so I didn't need to interview her to know what a dynamic leader she is. Courtney has held many leadership positions within the League, including Chair/Co Chair of Enrichment, Fundraising, the Spring Gala, League PR, and the Provisional class. Courtney admitted that she'll miss chairing a committee, but is eager for the chance to work with Meaux.

Courtney is slated for Fundraising VP. During a time when fundraising is down for many non-profits across the US, she definitely has her work cut out for her. But she learned a lot of practical techniques from the Home Tour Committee which she plans to apply to her position next year. Specifically, Courtney learned that during a tough economy you have to be creative about spending money. For example, last year the Home Tour partnered with Tiny Prints for all the printed materials at a discounted price. In addition, the Home Tour utilized Sustainer relationships to host the Home Tour cocktail party and even called on League members to make beverage donations. These were all smart decisions that saved the League a lot of money.

During our interview we talked about the importance of raising the consciousness of the League members as it relates to fundraising activities in the current economic environment. "We have to do things differently in order to effectively raise money and give as much as we can back (in grants) to the community." She couldn't share all the details of what she has planned, but I know she has creative, practical and smart ideas for raising money in the year ahead.

Courtney has an extremely busy schedule being a Real Estate Agent. Fortunately she has flexible working hours which allows her to balance her time, plus she's super organized! When it comes to her responsibilities in the League, she told me that she sets guidelines and expectation in advance, that way she can fit everything in (work, the League, life, etc.). Fortunately her husband is a huge supporter of her involvement in the League, especially when he's invited to attend some of the fun social events. And when she's not doing League related activities, you might find her traveling or playing golf (as you can see from her picture above).

I felt a sense of comfort in knowing that Courtney was going to be our Fundraiser VP for next year. She is so passionate about keeping fundraising strong, and focused on how we move forward with fundraising in our ever changing world.

Stay tuned for more Board member interviews!

Annual Membership Meeting in Pictures!

2011-05-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

by Summer Brill, Social Media Assistant Chair 2010-11

My favorite meeting of the year is always the Annual Membership Meeting in May. That's when we announce our annual grant recipients, welcome our incoming President, honor our Community Projects and celebrate our outstanding members.

The Junior League of Palo Alto-Mid Peninsula distributed a total of $34,000 in grants to Bay Area non-profits including: East Palo Alto Kids Program, Wings Learning Center, Environmental Volunteers, Blossom Birth, Foundation for a College Education, Hope House – Service League of San Mateo, Resource Area for Teachers, RAFT, Youth Community Services, InnVision

Saying good-bye to First Teachers as we launch it back into the community, League members took part in a popular First Teachers exercise illustrating how reading to our children and doing activities with them daily connects the synapses in their growing brains.

We are saying good-bye to our First Teachers community project and welcoming our new community project, Project READ. Stay tuned to future posts with more information on our exciting new project to promote literacy in school-age children.

Celebrating Lisa Malloy (2010-11 Website Chair) for going "Above and Beyond" this year for all her hard work keeping our website fresh, improving website navigation and implementing our new website design. Pictured with fellow Communications members Michelle Hostrup, Kristin Fabos-Livingston (Communications VP 2010-11) and Summer Brill (Social Media Assistant Chair 2010-11).

Congratulations to our 2010-11 President's Cup winner, Eugenie Atherton! (pictured with her family) Eugenie has served our League and led by example for over a decade. She has been an inspiration to each of us, thank you Eugenie! Your impact on our League has been tremendous!

Our outgoing President, Stefanie Bruggeman, incoming President for 2011-12, Meaux Costello and President Elect 2011-12 Rahela Abbas.

Get To Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part II

2011-05-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2011-12

This is Part II of a series introducing our 2011-12 Board Members. See Part I on the 5/19/11 blog post.

Sarah Shen, Secretary 2011-12

I met Sarah for the first time last year - we were in the same Provisional class. I was excited to schedule a lunch date with her at Café Borrone's to talk about her upcoming position on the Board. I was genuinely curious about how she managed to land a seat on the Board of Directors after having been in the League only one active year. I assumed that Board members had to have many years of League experience before being asked to participate. She told me that when speaking with her Member Resources representative, she expressed interest in a leadership position, plain and simple. And her actions and involvement along the way have proven her worthy of a position.

I learned that Sarah was initially interested in the Treasurer role. She served as the Treasurer for The Shop this past year and really enjoyed the experience. With her financial background as an accountant she would be perfect for the job. Even though the Treasurer position had already been determined for 2011-2012, she didn't give up. Her tenacity and enthusiasm for a position on the Board impressed the Nominating Committee, because they asked her to be Secretary.

Sarah has a great attitude around work-life balance. Being an accountant she works long hours, but she made it clear that making time for the League is a top priority. She considers this opportunity, to sit on the Board, not only an honor but a way to learn even more about the League. As a Provisional she was impressed by how organized the meetings were, and how dedicated the Co-Chairs and committee members were (our mentors) to making it such a positive experience. She is excited to build a network of friends, and develop relationships with women she knows she would be able to call on if she ever needed support.

Sara is excited for this upcoming year, especially learning more about how the League operates during a down economy and how things are done differently in terms of fundraising and financials. The League is a top priority for her, even with her crazy work schedule. And when she's not crunching numbers or taking notes at the Board meetings, you might find her at the San Francisco Opera. She's no longer a ballet dancer, which she was for 15 years, but has developed a passion for the performing arts. She has a variety of interests including opera, accounting, and the Junior League. When she has a passion for something, she dedicates herself to it fully and makes it a part of her life.

Stay tuned for more Board Member interviews!

Get To Know Our 2011-12 Board of Directors, Part I

2011-05-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Hostrup, Communications Committee 2010-11 and 2011-12

My name is Michelle Hostrup and I have been a member of the Junior League of Palo Alto-Mid Peninsula (JLPA-MP) for two years. Over the past month I've had the opportunity to interview each incoming Board member for 2011-2012. The process of talking with these women has been truly inspiring and motivating to be a leader within the League for myself. Over the next few weeks I will be posting articles about each Board member that I interviewed. I hope you follow my blog posts and get to know each of them as I have. But before I kick-off my interview articles, I wanted to provide a little background as to why I joined the League and what I learned from this project.

When I was in the 7th grade my mom and I joined the San Marino Chapter of National Charity League. The experience was one of the most significant of my life. For those who aren't familiar, NCL is similar to the Junior League in that it's an organization for women (mothers and daughters in this case), dedicated to volunteerism and supporting philanthropies. NCL taught me the importance of service and community, but it also helped me to be confident and comfortable in new surroundings. Joining the Junior League was an extension from National Charity League for me, an outlet for me to give back, establish relationships, and continue to develop my character.

This past year I was on the Marketing/Communications Committee. And I am very happy to say that I will remain on the Communications Team next year (2011-12). Summer Brill, the current Web Marketing Assistant Chair/Social Media and incoming Communications VP for 2011-2012, approached me about an interview project, something I'm so glad I said yes to. While the project appeared slightly daunting in writing, it ended up being an incredible experience. As I spoke with each woman, I was inspired by their journey to how they arrived in the position they will take on next year. The women who make up the 2011-2012 JLPA-MP Board of Directors are a truly amazing group of women, all of whom have a many other commitments outside the League but still dedicate endless hours and energy to the JLPA-MP, because the League is that important to them.

The League provides something different to every member. For some it may be additional friends, or a chance to do something different than what you do for a living. For others it might be the development and training opportunities, or volunteer work. For all of the women I interviewed, the JLPA-MP is all that I just mentioned, plus a trajectory for women to become leaders. I am inspired to become a leader in the League, and I hope these articles inspire you as well.

Marfrisa Geronimo Gipner, Administrative VP 2011-12

Within minutes of emailing the incoming Board to introduce my project and request an interview, Marfrisa responded wanting to schedule time to talk. And I thought it was going to be hard tracking down these busy women! Marfrisa has been in the League for four years, and has been double placed the last two years - something I didn't even know people did. We talked on the phone, and after getting the courage to ask her how to pronounce her name properly, we had a great conversation. Her position for next year is Administrative VP, a huge role that includes all the administrative responsibilities you might suspect from the title, but also overseeing the Human Resources function within the League and managing the Gatehouse and The Shop employees. It's a huge operational position, but Marfrisa sees it as an opportunity to focus on the "in house" League responsibilities as opposed to the development and fundraising roles she's had in the past.

In addition to being excited for her leadership position, she's even more eager to work under the leadership of Meaux Costello, our President for 2011-12. After their first meeting Marfrisa was inspired by Meaux's vision and strategic direction. Marfrisa shared with me that she has big shoes to fill herself, taking over the position after two years of Jan Hickman doing a great job. Marfrisa is looking forward to being the voice and liaison for the employees of the Gatehouse and The Shop, two crucial relationships the League depends on for its success and longevity.

Marfrisa is a wife, mother, career-woman, and leader in the community. She joined the League because she is committed to making our community a better one, and is acting that out now. Stepping into this leadership role is important to her because she's gained so much from the League, and now wants to give a lot of that back.

When not working or doing League related things, she continues to be a busy woman. She's currently planning her college reunion! She's also a proud mother, and I've included a picture of her and her daughter so that you'll recognize her and can say hello at the next General Membership meeting.

Stay tuned for the remaining Board member interviews!

If you are interested in learning more about how you can join the League, please visit one of our Prospective Member Open Houses this summer:
Wednesday, June 29th 6:00-8:00pm
Saturday, July 16 10:00am-12:00pm
Wednesday, August 17 6:00-8:00pm
Saturday, August 20 10:00am-12:00pm

Endowment Fund Board-Tory Burch Raffle Winner!!

2011-05-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

By Bonnie Smyth, Endowment Fund Board 2010-11

Congratulations Dawn Stansfield! Dawn won the handbag raffle at the Endowment Fund Board -Tory Burch Event! Enjoy your new Tory Burch Dean Oversized Hobo bag (graciously donated by the Palo Alto Tory Burch store at Stanford Shopping Center)!

Nominating Hosted New Leader Social

2011-05-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

by Summer Brill, Social Media 2010-11

I had the opportunity to attend the New Leaders social hosted by the Nominating Committee last week on Cinco de Mayo, it was so fun! Of course, the Nominating Committee had the Gatehouse decorated in line with the festive Cinco de Mayo holiday with great food and beverages. Ashely Roussel handed out fun and bright flower combs and we all had a great time catching up with one another. For those who had their counterparts for next year in attendance, there was even some Transitional chatter!

Miriam Huntley led Nominating this year and she took a minute to introduce her fantastic Committee who worked so hard to place our Leadership roster for the 2011-12 League year (which begins in a few weeks!).

The Nominating Committee 2010-11: Laurie Brown, Laura Redmond, Ashley Roussel, Miriam Huntley (Chair 2010-11), Beth Greenberg (not pictured: Nichole Neal, Frederique Dame and Tara Roussel (Chair Elect))

She also brought our attention to some Leadership training material her committee developed and posted on our League website. You can always find Leadership training and support materials in the Member Area in the Leadership forum, click here.

These are the topics you can currently find in the Leadership forum on our website, please login and read this material if you are in a Leadership position this coming League year, they are so helpful!

2010 2011 Leadership Transition Checklist
Template - Committee Roster
Template - Meeting Agenda
Template - Committee Norms
Leadership Essentials Training 2010-2011
Facilitation - Primer (What, Why, How and more...)
Facilitation - Developmental Facilitator
Facilitation - 5 Stages of Group Development
Leadership - 25 Tips to Keep Volunteers
Leadership - Basics for Committee Chairs
Leadership - Checklist for Committee Chairs
Leadership - Behavior of an Effective Leader (from AJLI)
Leadership - Fundamentals for Committee Chairs
Leadership - More on Leadership Styles
Leadership - Skills you'll learn in JLPA-MP Leadership

Don't forget, the new League year begins June 1st, if you haven't yet scheduled your Transition to your Leadership position with your counterpart, you only have a few weeks left!

Hope to see you all at our Annual Meeting on May 18th. We have some important items to vote on at this meeting, please check out the voting material ahead of time on our website, click on the green button click here.

Name That Council: The Answers!

2011-05-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

Did you Name that Council???

Did you guess "Endowment Fund Board"? If so, you did it! Now for the faces!

Endowment Fund Board

Back: Lucy Kohlmeier, Bonnie Smyth, Pam Brandin, Jane Stocklin, Meredith Schneider, Marcie Brown, Cat Carlton, Martha Edwards, Sally Falkenhagen (Chair both years), Sherri Douville, Rachel Crawford, Joan Sanders

Front: Kim Boyanowski, Jovita Honor, Stefanie Bruggeman, Marcia Rehmus, Marfrisa Geronimo-Gipner, Justine Franklin, Meaux Costello

Name That Council!

2011-05-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

Ready for another round of Name That Council???

Who are the lovely ladies behind these hats and to which JLPA-MP Council to they belong? Check back Monday for the answers!

Congratulations to JLPA-MP Member Cat Carlton!

2011-05-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

by Summer Brill, Social Media 2010-11

Cat Carlton (center) pictured with Joy Burkhard and Diana Gilbert, Co-Chairs for SPAC 2010-2011

We would like to extend CONGRATULATIONS times-two to our Junior League of Palo Alto-Mid Peninsula (JLPA-MP)member Cat Carlton. She served as our League Senior State Public Affairs Committee Delegate (SPAC) during the 2010-11 League year.

FIRST, she was elected President of the California State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC) for the 2011-2012 League year. In this role, Cat will be leading 32 Junior and Senior SPAC representatives from the 16 Junior Leagues of California in legislation advocacy, helping to support and co-author bills relevant to our focus areas, for passage into law up in Sacramento. This is a great honor, and Cat is only the third JLPA-MP SPAC Delegate to be named SPAC President in JLPA-MP history. Congratulations, Cat - thank you for representing us so well!

AND, Cat just received the Above and Beyond Award at the Junior League of California SPAC state conference. Here is what they had to say about Cat when they honored her with this award:

California SPAC Above and Beyond Award: Cat Carlton
This honor is awarded to a Junior Leagues of California SPAC delegate who made significant contributions to SPAC by working above and beyond her role or the normal call of duty. The recipient has demonstrated outstanding initiative, exemplary leadership, and helped advance the development of SPAC itself. Through consultation with League Presidents, SPAC delegates, and Sub-Committee Members, the Above and Beyond Award is given by the SPAC Chair on behalf of the delegation for outstanding service to SPAC.

"Cat's work goes above and beyond. She continues to lead our organization in all things SPAC, and now, will be leading all the Jr. Leagues in California. We are so proud of her and her accomplishments. This award is well-deserved recognition for her talents and leadership. Congratulations Cat!" - Stefanie Bruggeman, President JLPA-MP 2010-11

Join Us in Congratulating Cat Carlton, the California SPAC 2011-2012 President!

Project News: Shelter Network Extended for Two Years!

2011-05-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

by Amy Hamilton, Shelter Network Co-Chair 2010-11 and 2011-12

League Member Allison Felder working with Haven House residents during a Lifeskills workshop

The Junior League of Palo Alto-Mid Peninsula (JLPA-MP) is excited to announce that our collaboration with the Shelter Network in conducting the Lifeskills Workshop series will be extended for another two years! The project's success is due to the timeliness in our current economic climate and relevance to Shelter Network clients in transitional housing. The Lifeskills Workshops focus on basic but important skills such as Money Management, Time Management, Interview Skills, and How to Keep a Job for 10 clients per workshop. The goal is to provide training and confidence to the participants and ensure that the basic skills obtained are long-lasting. Some of the changes to the Workshops for next year include lengthening the Workshop sessions and a focus on communication of their successes.

The JLPA-MP was highlighted in The Shelter Network spring newsletter (Special 2009-10 Annual Report Edition), on page 5. Included below is the article text, to access the newsletter, click here.

Skills for Success
With a more competitive job market, our clients are seeking to improve their skills either in preparation to find work or to maintain existing employment. In response, the Junior League of Palo Alto Mid-Peninsula partnered with Shelter Network to provide life skills workshops at two of our largest shelters (First Step for Families and Haven Family House). "The information we received is very helpful," says Jeannie, a participant at a recent class. She and her husband were laid off last year, and have a 17-month-old toddler and a baby on the way.

"The workshops are timely because of the challenges in the economy," said Carla Cravalho, Junior League Project Co-Chair. "This is information that clients need now." She and project partner Amy Hamilton developed the curriculum, which includes interview skills, time management, tips for maintaining a job, and budgeting. Twenty members of the Junior League teach the workshops, which we recently learned will continue until 2014. For clients like Jeannie, the workshops offer practical assistance and hope.

Read more about our Community Projects, click here.

Community Partner, Help One Child Event Kicks Off National Foster Care Month

2011-05-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

by Summer Brill, Social Media 2010-11

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a charity event to benefit Help One Child (HOC), the JLPA-MP's community partner on our Fostering Families community project. League members Joy Peacock (Community VP 2010-11) and Michele Bilafer (The Shop Committee 2010-11) generously hosted a table at this event and I jumped at the opportunity to hear more about one of our relatively new community partners.

Joy and Michele have a history with the League's relationship with Help One Child, as they were on Project Development and helped bring Help One Child on as our community partner. They also helped develop the project (along with HOC) that we now call Fostering Families.

Sustaining member Mary Marsh also attended this event and she has a history with Help One Child as well. She was a volunteer with the organization prior to HOC's relationship with our League.

Says Mary, "It was a nice evening with League members. I volunteered for six and a half years with Help One Child. I believe that helping children with their issues when they are young will keep them out of jail in the future. I am so glad our Junior League supports this group."

League Members at Help One Child event: Summer Brill (Social Media 2010-11), Joy Peacock (Community VP 2010-11), Michele Bilafer (The Shop Committee 2010-11), Mary Marsh (Sustainer Director 2010-11), Meaux Costello (President Elect 2010-11)

It was a well organized event and we had the opportunity to hear from the founders of Help One Child, Mark and JoAnne Morris. We also heard special guest testimonies from a woman who was a foster child along with her sister. She is now a newly licensed foster parent herself. We also heard from a woman who became a guardian to her relative's infant at a time when she was young and did not have the resources to adequately care for a newborn. She shared how Help One Child stepped in to help her through the legalities of her situation, as well as provided the basic necessities and parent training for her in her new role.

The League's Fostering Families M-Power program was also highlighted.

It was a very moving experience and I really enjoyed hearing more about a program our League is involved with. May is National Foster Care Month and there are still six DIAD spots available for the May 9th Fostering Families M-Power workshop. If you have not yet fulfilled your DIAD requirement, you want to preview Fostering Families for a future placement or you just want to give back to your community, this is a great opportunity. I did it in February and really enjoyed it!

If you want to learn more about our League's Community Projects, click here.

Leadership Training: JLPA•MP Committee Transition Checklist

2011-04-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

by Miriam Huntley, Nominating Chair 2010-11

We are heading into May, and you know what that means, Transition Time! This is the time of year our Leaders pass the baton as we begin our next League year June 1st. You may have already scheduled your transition meeting or you may be planning to talk about transition at the Nominating Sponsored Cinco de Mayo meeting in May. Nominating created a Transition Checklist to assist in your Transition. If you have any questions about Transitioning or this checklist, contact your Nominating Advisor.

JLPA•MP Committee Transition Checklist

1. What are the important dates in the upcoming League year, for this committee?

2. Does this committee have a budget? If so, how much?
What are the key expenditures for this committee (if any)?
What is the copier code?

3. Who are the community or fundraising partners that the incoming committee chair(s) should know? Please share the appropriate contact information.
For fundraising committees; what are the most appropriate fundraising guidelines?

4. Which league relationships (either person or position) were key?

5. What are the League communication processes most frequently used by this committee?

6. What did you try that was new and/or different from previous years?
What would you:
Stop?
Start?
Continue (including useful tips/tricks for committee success)?

7. What do committee members find the most satisfying about this placement?
What is the most challenging, for committee members?

8. Are there any recurring challenges for the Chair(s) for this committee? How did you address them?
What is most satisfying about leading this committee?

9. Please provide the following support materials:
Job descriptions
Calendar map or timeline
Meeting agendas and/or meeting notes
Copies of Piper articles, meeting flyers or other communications about your committee
Editorial Calendar used for Social Media marketing
Any other support materials (contracts, agreements, relevant notifications, etc.)

Pregnant? 10 Reasons to Stay In the League

2011-04-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

By Joy Peacock, incoming Membership VP 2011-12

Having a baby can seem overwhelming, especially if it is your first. Many members feel that they need to resign or become an inactive member due to the new pressures and time constraints of having a baby. For me, staying in the League during and after having my children turned out to be one of the best decisions I made!

Starting a family was a HUGE transition for me. I hadn't been married for very long, I left my career as an attorney, and I moved from San Francisco to the Peninsula. The League helped me through this transitions in so many ways. Here is my top ten list of why you should STAY in the League if you are having a baby:

1. You Get to Talk to Adults!
And not just any adults, like-minded, smart women that are worth listening to.

2. You Can Wear Something Other Than Your Yoga Pants.
Attending a League event gives you a reason to wear those cute new shoes, or cute old shoes!

3. You Can Bring Your Baby, and Dress Him or Her Up!
A baby is always the best accessory, and a League meeting is a great opportunity to put on that cute outfit from Grandma.

4. The League is the Ultimate Mom's Group.
Forget about PAMP Mother's Club. Our membership knows it all, from which stroller to buy (and where to get the best discount) to the best lactation consultant. Our members have been there, done that, researched it, made a spreadsheet and maybe even written a book on it.

5. Honey, It's Parenting, not Babysitting
A League meeting is a great bonding opportunity for your little one and your husband or partner.

6. Emphasize the "Me" in Meeting
A night out for a League meeting is a great way to spend and plan "me" time. A League meeting is "me" time. Time to connect to the community, see and meet friends and learn things. The Gatehouse is just minutes from Trader Joe's, Keplers and Stanford Mall. So plan a little time before or after a committee meeting.

7. Keep Your Skills Updated and Contacts Growing
I didn't work for eight years while I was raising my children. Going back to work was daunting. However, I quickly found a job in large part due to the skills that I developed as a League Leader and the contacts I made.

8. Set an Example
Membership in the Junior League and volunteering in the community is a great way to set an example for your children.

9. Learn Parenting Skills While You Volunteer
Many of our community projects focus on delivering quality education and skills to children. Did you know that Fostering Families has a curriculum that teaches coping skills that are applicable to all children? Our new project, Project Read, will train you to teach your child to read. Kids in the Kitchen teaches you the importance of healthy eating and ways to prepare healthy food for your family. This type of training is highly valuable and would cost hundreds of dollars if you enrolled in similar types of training programs.

10. Learn to Be A Community Leader
As your babies grow and enter school, there will be many opportunities to be a school volunteer. The League prepares you to take on these roles so that you can make an impact. Many of our current members and sustainers are PTA presidents, sit on educational boards, and are school board members or trustees. Ask any of them and they will tell you the League prepared them for these leadership roles, as well as leadership roles in other community non-profit organizations.

To further discuss your placement options in the League, contact your Member Resources advisor.

Name That Council: The Answers!

2011-04-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Andrea Brandt, Council Assistant MarCom 2010-11

Name that Council Answers!

How did you do?

Did you guess "The Communications/MarCom Council"? If so, you were right!

Back L-R: Kris Spencer-Jones, Leslie Liu, Lisa Malloy (Website Chair), Lauran Bloom (MarCom Chair)
Front L-R: Michelle Hostrup, Andrea Brandt (Council Assistant), Cynthia Munoz

Thanks for participating Ladies!

If you would like to submit your Council/Committee photo for Name That Council, email both photos to socialmedia@thejuniorleague.org.

SPAC Sponsored Legislation

2011-04-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Cat Carlton, Senior SPAC 2010-11

This is an article in the Monterey County Weekly about the State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC) of the Junior Leagues of California sponsored legislation for breakfasts in public schools, and a good illustration of how an idea comes through our "There Ought to be a Law" contest to SPAC, and eventually becomes law.

Below is the text of the article, to access the original article, click here.

BUILDING UP BREAKFAST
California takes on school breakfast after Monterey County girls say nutrition matters. 

Research conducted by Monterey County girls is paving the way for statewide legislation that could improve access to school breakfast for tens of thousands of students. Now a long way from the Greenfield High School classrooms where students interviewed their peers about health concerns in 2009, a federal school breakfast program participation bill, AB 839, passed out of the California Assembly Education Committee on April 13.

When the Women's Fund of Monterey County wanted to identify health concerns among young women, it enlisted 57 high school students to gather data. "One of the central tenets of the project was to have girls in the lead," says Tobi Marcus, then-director of the Women's Fund.

The findings - that 51 percent of the 1,200 respondents wanted more information about healthy eating, and girls identified weight or healthy eating as their biggest health concerns above sex, illness or substance abuse - prompted Marcus to take the data to the Junior League of California, where she volunteers as a legislative liaison.

Eyeing nearly $5.7 million of federal assistance that went unclaimed by Monterey County schools last year because of low participation in school breakfast programs, the Junior League partnered with Oakland-based California Food Policy Advocates to sponsor the breakfast bill.

The bill would require schools to report on participation levels and evaluate how well different service models work. Some schools find that "second chance" breakfasts offered mid-morning improve participation for those students who don't come in early. Considering 70 percent of low-income students do not eat school breakfast, the bill would set the stage for strategies to improve access.

Even if students eat 10 meals a week at school, they still consume most of their meals outside the cafeteria. Still, "School meals are essential tools for helping kids stay healthy," says Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. "Schools set an example. If schools serve junk food, kids quickly learn that eating this way is normal."

Shifting norms towards healthier eating also is a public health priority for the 120 students at San Ardo Elementary School, where a weigh-in last year found 44 percent of children were obese, and a quarter of girls were "severely obese," meaning they fall into the 99th percentile for body mass index.

Now, as part of a healthy eating effort in partnership with the County Health Department, the school is transitioning from a menu that previously offered no fruits or vegetables. The cafeteria introduced a salad bar in early April, a financial struggle considering the $2.72 per meal, per student federal reimbursement.

School board member and parent Irma Guerrero says one of her daughters is already losing weight and is more attentive to healthy snacking at home. "There is a need for more education, not just for the children, but for the parents," she says. "It's going to take not just the kids, but everyone in the community to be involved in the process."

One girl behind the Women's Fund study wants to stay involved. Jeanette Corona of Greenfield, now a freshman at UC Berkeley, plans to study public health. "It's very rewarding," she says, "because any work that comes from that little small town never gets noticed."

To learn more about SPAC, click here.

Name That Committee!

2011-04-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

photo submitted by Andrea Brandt, xxxx Committee 2010-11

It's time for another round of Name That Committee! Can you name the Committee and it's Members below? Stay tuned for the answers on Monday!

Member Spotlight!

2011-04-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Member Spotlight! This week get to know Ansley Jentz, Joy Peacock, Tara Roussel, and Meaux Costello. Enjoy!

Ansley Jentz
Current Placement (2010-11): Member Development Council Assistant & Member of Strategic Task Force
2011-12 Placement: Member Resources

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
My experiences on Nominating Committee are my most memorable & treasured. The people/friends have meant the most and I'm proud of all the great work that we accomplished. Highly recommend it-teaches so much about the League.

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I just created a new company so I can turn my hobby/passion into a career!
2. I find it hard to shop for myself these days - buying for kids is so much easier.
3. I can't wait to go on Spring Break!
4. My favorite color is yellow - it's a soft yellow
5. Life is good-I'm thankful for each day!

Joy Peacock
Current Placement (2010-11): Community VP
2011-12 Placement: Membership VP

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
Fostering Families - awesome team and great impact!

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I hate lamb
2. I like Sesame Street
3. I like Justin Timberlake
4. I used to go by "Beth", my middle name
5. I have two left-handed kids

Tara Roussel
Current Placement (2010-11): Nominating Chair-Elect
2011-12 Placement: Nominating Chair

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
Serving on our Board of Directors. President Jan Woolsey inspired me with her unique, warm brand of leadership. It was a joy to work with her and all the Board Members, to further our important work in this community!

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I love to sing!
2. I hate cooking
3. Fellow Member Ashely Roussel is my sister-in-law (OK, maybe you already know that!)
4. I'm still in my mid-20's
5. I think Summer Brill is HOT!
6. I think I'm hilarious

Meaux Costello
Current Placement (2010-11): President Elect/Provisional Committee
2011-12 Placement: League President

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I love to needlepoint. I find it very zen, but sadly I don't get to it as much as I would like.
2. Chef Boy-ar-dee Ravioli is one of my comfort foods (Don't Judge :))
3. I have five sisters and one brother and I am the shortest of my siblings
4. I'm very proud of my stepdaughter Deirdre, who got married over the summer. She lives in Boston.
5. My favorite color is Blue

Member Spotlight!

2011-04-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our weekly Member Spotlight. This week, get to know Helen Ungerman, Anne Vitullo, Brooke Lopez, Miriam Huntley and Jovita Honor.

Helen Ungerman
Current Placement (2010-11): Home Tour Co-Chair Elect
2011-12 Placement: Home Tour Co-Chair

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
Nominating - I enjoyed meeting so often. It really allowed me to get to know each of my fellow Committee Members and establish a team.

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I am musical - sing & play piano
2. Give me a cup of coffee and I'm high all day!
3. I worked with J.Lo in the music biz!
4. I love to hike
5. I'm a sucker for a dirty martini, extra olives please!!

Brooke Lopez
Current Placement (2010-11): First Teachers Co-Chair

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
1st year on Children's Place. Being a child of an addict, I learned things I didn't even know I needed to learn at our training. It was emotionally hard, but it made me stronger.

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I'm terrified of snakes
2. I believe toilet paper rolls out top
3. Brooke is my middle name
4. I once touched a killer whale
5. I can't sleep with the closet door open

Miriam Huntley
Current Placement (2010-11): Nominating Chair
2011-12 Placement: Member Resources

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
My favorite placement has been any placement with Ansley Jentz. Without the Junior League, we would not have met and we became good friends!

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I'm intensely loyal
2. In wintertime, I get pedicures in CRAZY colors, much to the delight of my three year old girl!
3. I've known my husband more than half my life
4. I've never been to Tahoe
5. My 7 year old boy thinks I have eyes in the back of my head.

Anne Vitullo
Current Placement (2010-11): 2010-11 Board of Directors

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
I loved serving as chair of the Shop Committee where we helped to set a new record of funds raised for the League.

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I grew up in Niagara Falls, New York
2. In high school, I was the statistician for the varsity football team
3. In college, I was a sweetheart of Sigma Chi
4. My husband grew up in Hawaii - and I'm now Hawaiian by adoption
5. I make really good spaghetti sauce!

Jovita Honor
Current Placement (2010-11): Provisional/Endowment
2011-12 Placement: Finance VP

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
Provisional - had the opportunity to meet many Members and work closely with the Committee. It also stretched my skills.

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I'm not artistic, I can't even draw a stick figure
2. I'm shy with new people
3. I have a motorcycle license and used to own a motorcycle
4. I learned to swim in my late 20's so I could go snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef
5. I was named after my grandmother.

Member Spotlight

2011-04-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Member Spotlight! This week get to know Heidi Bullock, Regine Nelson, Jaquetta Lannan and Tina McMinn.

Heidi Bullock
Current Placement (2010-11): Enrichment Co-Chair

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
Enrichment! It was fun handling all the General Membership Meetings and getting to know more people and better understand how the League works. I also made special friends!!

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I am a molecular biologist by training
2. I like working in Excel - Really!!
3. I own Orchids and they are alive
4. I love the oatmeal cartoon
5. I would tackle someone for a pair of shoes (Prada, Miu Miu = 38)

Regine J. Nelson
Current Placement (2010-11): Member Outreach/Enrichment
2011-12 Placement: Member Outreach/Enrichment

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
Enrichment. Coming up with creative centerpieces and my committee members.

Five things you don't know about me:
1. My first language is French
2. I once studied screenwriting
3. I graduated from Barbizon modeling school at age 11
4. I love whales and dolphins
5. I'm the eldest of 4 girls

Jaquetta Lannan
Current Placement (2010-11): Enrichment

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
Enrichment because of the great people I met!

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I have a small but growing collection of Junior League cookbooks from around the country
2. At 22 I travelled Europe by myself for 3 months
3. My favorite accessory: my mini-poodle, Lola
4. I currently work as a litigator but I am looking for other opportunities
5. Saturday mornings you'll find me pulling weeds in my veggie garden

Tina McMinn
Current Placement (2010-11): Fostering Families

Please share your most memorable placement and why:
Fostering Families - The children are so open to learning and experiencing new things. The parents are so appreciative!

Five things you don't know about me:
1. I have a fabulous dog!
2. I walk 5 miles a day
3. I read a book a week
4. I attend Menlo Park Presbyterian
5. I am one of 5 siblings and the only one to leave the mid-south

Thank you for sharing! Stay tuned for the next Member Spotlight!