Checking in ~ Reminder of Active Member Obligations

By Ansley Jentz, Member Resources Committee

The Member Resources Committee wants you to continue to have a fabulous year – AND have a fabulous next year too! We are reaching out to everyone at this point of the year with a reminder of membership obligations. This is to ensure that you are eligible for committee placement in April 2012. Please visit our FAQ page for more details. There is a link to the Active Membership obligations at the top.

Please make sure that you have fulfilled the obligations by April 1, and if there are any questions or issues please contact your MRC liaison. You can find a list of committee liaisons on our web page, as well. If you have not heard from your MRC liaison, please contact Gabriella Cirelli, Chair of Member Resources. We appreciate all that you do for your Committee, your Council, and our Community!

Members who SHINE!

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!

Thanks for Having Us!

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!

Member Recognition Awards - November 2011

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!

Member Recognition Awards - September 2011

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!

Member Resources is Here for You!

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

Pregnant? 10 Reasons to Stay In the League

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.

Time to Reflect and Renew!

By Wendy Garrish, Member Resources Chair 2010-11

A few years ago, the amazing Naomi Chavez Peters, 2005-2006 JLPA-MP President and one of the most dynamic speakers/ trainers I have ever met, did a training for the Community Council on which I sat.  One exercise was to draw a graph of our League careers.  My memory may be a little fuzzy on this, but as I recall it the X axis indicated involvement and satisfaction with the League and the Y axis indicated the year.  Surprisingly, in the case of everyone in the room, the graphs looked a bit like roller coasters.  

Naomi challenged us to consider what was going on in our lives during these high-points and low-points.  In some cases, high-points in the League correlated to more challenging times in one's personal life, as the League helped that person through a rough period.  In other cases, the low-points correlated to the challenging times in one's life, as during those times the League felt like an extra "thing" to do.  However, despite differences in when we were most involved in the League and most enjoyed it, we were all consistent in feeling that the League brought value and fulfillment to our lives over the years.

As you know, it is renewal and placement time for the League.  Every year at this time I remember that exercise and consider why I keep renewing my membership.  I have a gazillion other things going on, as I am sure you do, but this is what keeps me involved:

Impressive Women:  I will be honest, some nights as I drive to the Gatehouse, particularly when it is rainy (quite often these days) or the traffic is bad, I do wonder why I keep doing it.  But, without fail, I always leave with a renewed sense of dedication to the League.  The caliber of women this organization brings together is astonishing.  The 1,000 Active, Provisional and Sustaining members in our League is a very powerful network, and the personal and professional accomplishments truly amaze me.  On the council on which I currently sit, we have wide range of interests and backgrounds, including a member who is a former FBI agent (!!!!). I am literally inspired every time I leave a League event.

Friendly Faces:  Of course, at any JLPA-MP event, there are friendly faces, and the longer you have been around the more faces you start to recognize.  It is always great to reconnect with former committee members and other friends at a General Membership Meeting and other events.  But in addition to meeting new friends, through the League I reconnected with both a high school classmate and a sorority sister!  

Aside from the obvious places you will find the friendly faces of the League, I run into Leaguers all over.  Just the other day, I had to take my son to the doctor for a little emergency.  It had been a stressful few hours.  As we walked back through the waiting room to leave, I ran into another League member.  I don't know her very well, but we recognized each other, and it was so nice to see a friendly -- and supportive -- face in an unexpected place.  Later that afternoon, I ran into another Leaguer in the grocery store.  It was a quick hello, as it was around dinner time and we both had kids with us, but without the League, the trips to Kid Kare and Lunardi's that day would have been far less fun and rewarding.  The League has expanded my circle of friends and friendly faces considerably.

Outstanding Training and Organization:  A couple of years ago, when I had just completed my 6 active years, I decided I was ready to go Sustaining. Then I got involved in a project at my son's school.  It had all the makings of a great project; something in my community that directly affected me, a compelling mission, lots of money raised for education, and something close to home.  But, it was missing great leadership.  Throughout my years in the League, I have never been to a meeting that wasn't organized, that didn't have an agenda and follow-up minutes, and that wasted my time.  I was shocked that other organizations don't run the way our League is run, and I promptly renewed my membership again that year!

Incredible Community Impact:  In just the last 6 months I have met two new friends who work at organizations impacted by the League.  In both cases, they told me they worked in places I likely hadn't heard of.  As it happens, one is a teacher at EPACS (JLPA-MP project from 2003-2009) and the other works at Edgewood Kinship Support Services (JLPA-MP project from approximately 1999-2004).  When I told them I know of their organizations because I am member of the League, they heaped praise on the great work we do and were so thankful for all the time, energy and resources we gave to them.  So very gratifying to hear about the impact we make.  Especially at Boot Camp at 6am!

As our April 1 deadline for renewal and placement looms, consider what value the League brings to you.  Let me know -- are your experiences similar to mine?  What else keeps you renewing your membership?  Where are you on the roller coaster?  If it is a low-point, please contact your Member Resources Advisor and talk through your options; I can almost guarantee we can help you find a placement or situation to help turn things around.