This address was given by President Michelle Dinger at the September 16 General Meeting of the Junior League of Midland.
As you all know, every January the President of the United
States gives a State of the Union Address to let everyone know where we stand
as a nation and what the President’s plans are for the year. I am in no way comparing myself to the
leader of the free world, but I would like to give a quick “State of the
League” address to begin our year together. For those of you who were not able to attend the May meeting
and have not read about our theme, I’d like to introduce it again. Our theme for the year revolves around
the idea of finding the potential that exists within all of us to do great
things. I have been fortunate
enough to find many supporters throughout my time in our League who showed me
that I possessed potential that I did not see in myself. They believed in me
and helped me to see the spark that existed within me. This spark drives the
passion that I have for service. This year my goal is for every member to find their own spark
and realize the potential that they have within themselves to do amazing
things! There are so many women
within the League that are here to offer support and encouragement. As I gaze
out into the crowd, I can think of dozens of ways the women I see have impacted
me and made me want to strive to be the best version of myself everyday. Your spark and potential is already
living within you, and some of you put it out on full display for all of us to
see everyday. If you are one of these people, I treasure that about you! If you
aren’t quite convinced about your inner spark, all you need to do is open your
heart and mind, and I promise that the women of this League will help to strengthen
your spark and help you fully realize all that you can do.
For many of us, the League year began months ago. The
2014-2015 Board of Directors spent an evening in late April attending a Board
Retreat. Laurie Johnson of the Non-Profit Management Center facilitated the
retreat along with me. The Board learned how to responsibly run our
organization so that we may lead to the very best of our ability. The Board of Directors has already met
three times to make several decisions that impact the League. We will continue
to work together as a Board to ensure the future of our League. The Leadership
Team (which consists of the Board and the Chairman of all committees) met for
two nights in early June for a retreat. At the Leadership Retreat, all Chairmen
were trained on how to lead their committees and about the “ins and outs” of
the League. On the committee level, Laura Nodolf and her Public Relations
Committee have been been working diligently all summer long to create a “Social
Media” Campaign that will change the way we communicate among ourselves and
with the general public. I could not be more excited or more encouraged by what
they have accomplished in just a few short months. The brand new Volunteers in
Midland Committee led by Jessica Louder has partnered with several other non profit
organizations in town. Our partnership gives support to these non profits with Junior
League volunteers to help their programs and events successful. Jessica Rule
and the rest of our Tumbleweed staff
mailed out the first issue of our publication with a new design artist and a
new layout. Wasn’t it amazing? The Tumbleweed
Committee will continue creating the magazine each month. This year will
feature an extra issue in March and they will implement much needed technical
and digital changes to the publication.
Ashley Lamb and her Rummage Sale Committee have been
tagging, organizing, sorting, and labeling all summer long for our sale that
will support the Endowment Fund Campaign. Our Provisional Training team led by
Myranda Pachlhofer, has also been hard at work getting ready to start a brand
new Provisional Course that will train our new members to conquer community needs.
They began a few weeks ago and things are going great! And finally, we have already completed
one of our community projects for the year. Journey Summer Camp was held the
week of July 28-August 1 at Rays of Hope Grief Centre and was tremendously
successful. I was able to be a part of this experience and I’d like to say how
proud I am of Chairman Angela Burton and each and every member of our League
that made Journey Camp possible. The director of Rays of Hope shared with us
that two years ago, before our partnership began, they served 12 children at
Journey Camp. This year we served 35 kids. We tripled the amount of kids that
are able to experience this camp that focuses on giving kids tools to cope with
loss and change.
We have accomplished so much in three short months since our
League year officially began in June, but we’ve only just begun to find our
spark! This year we will gift the community with eight more community projects.
Volunteers in Midland will continue to provide opportunities to serve
throughout the year. Don’t forget that each Active member is required to
volunteer four (4) hours of service through the Volunteers in Midland program.
We will present two Suits with Skills programs, one in the fall at Safe Place led
by Erin Armstrong and one in the spring led by Rebecca Patterson at Buckner
Family Place. We will also partner
with Rays of Hope again to present two HopeWorks sessions. Ellen Wheeler has
generously agreed to Chair both sessions, one in the fall and one in the
spring. Face the Race will expand to all four Midland junior high schools this
year. Marina Stanaland and Megan Newton have worked on the project all summer. I
can’t wait to see the impact that this will have on the lives of 7th
and 8th grade girls in our community. Jennifer Lopez’s Reading
Olympics Committee began sessions at the Boys and Girls Club this month. They
are focusing on fostering literacy and a love of reading. KidsFirst, Chaired by
Diana Culp, partners with Centers for Children and Families and will begin
facilitating visits between children and their non-custodial parents very soon.
The Scholarship Clearinghouse Committee hit the ground running with a brand new
Chairman, Megan Yancey, who took over in July. Scholarship Clearinghouse has
big plans this year to impact more lives. We can’t wait to see what they
accomplish!
Our In-League placements will also do great things this
year. Paige Evans, Michelle Garcia and the rest of their committee will present
our 4th Annual Shotguns and Stilettos Fundraiser this year. The
Spring Fling Market portion of S&S will move to the new facility at the
Horseshoe Arena and provide vendors and shoppers with an excellent experience.
Our Clayshoot and Bash will provide a fun and exciting way for our community to
come out and support us, as well as allow us to generate the funds we need to “do
what we do.” Monica Tucker will lead our Nominating Committee that will be
separate from the Placement Committee for the first time in 13 years. They will
be trailblazers and set the standard for electing our future leaders. Our
Placement Committee, led by Ashley Boren, will look differently than it has in
the past. Each advisor will take on more advisees and provide social
experiences and support for our members. Natalie Cargile’s Project Research &
Development Committee will evaluate our programs this year and make sure we are
living up to our potential. Elizabeth Rainey and Anna Hawkins will write grants
to generate funds and allow our programs to be successful. Charity Rohlfs will work
to improve our building and make sure that we are presenting a quality facility
that can be used not only by us but also the rest of the community. Mary Baker will lead the Advisory
Planning Committee to make positive changes to our League. Webmaster Kate
Wolbert will continue to work with Digital Cheetah to improve our website. She
will also offer trainings so that we all will learn to navigate our new system.
And lastly, Caroline Spears and her Arrangements team will create spark-filled
training experiences for us and ensure that our meeting time together is fun
and beneficial.
Thank you all for giving your time and resources to this
wonderful organization. Together we can put a spark in the city that we live in
and love. I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you. I am looking
forward to a wonderful League year!
