State of the League Address

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 7^th and 8^th 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 4^th 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!