We have a new office manager! Welcome to Junior League of Cedar Rapids, Ann Clark! We are so glad to have you as a part of our team promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving our communities. And many, many thanks to our former office manager Elizabeth Smith for being so supportive and helpful during our transition time. We wish her the best as she moves on from JLCR.

Butterfly Kisses exceeded its $10,000 goal! Final numbers to be determined – stay tuned! Congrats, and great job, BK committee! You rock!

Junior League of Cedar Rapids: Fostering Strength (2013). Our spring fundraiser, featuring New York Times-bestselling author Vanessa Diffenbaugh, needs your help! You can make asks for in-kind donations and financial sponsorships, help with marketing, and talk it up among your friends! More information about this fundraiser is at www.juniorleaguecr.org/fosteringstrength

Need to meet your financial contribution? Don’t forget the Annual Fund! http://juniorleaguecr.org/support-jlcr/make-a-gift/

Bylaws, bylaws, bylaws! With AJLI’s advice, President-Elect Maria Sanchez-Masi has spent her year combing through our bylaws, policies, and procedures. Tuesday, she previewed another part of what we’ll vote on in April.

Bring a Friend to League Night! It’s before the April 16 GMM. Bring a friend!

Project Research Proposal presented fom a DisneyWorld campground! Beth McDougall with JLCR dedication FTW. We’ll vote on this in April, too. Look for upcoming Q&As on bylaws, the project proposal, and the 2014 Fostering Strength fundraiser proposal.

Junior League of Cedar Rapids: Fostering Strength (2014): Maria Sanchez-Masi brought forth a proposal for our 2014 spring fundraiser, focusing on bringing a dynamic speaker with state-wide, broad-based appeal to Cedar Rapids. Another vote that’s scheduled for April.

Keep your eyes open for:

Social opportunities over the next few months (including this summer!);

Nomination form for Leadership for Five Seasons; and

Nomination form for 2013-14 VP of Communications.

Look for all of this and more in eNews over the next few weeks.

We’ll see you in April; because of our votes, it’s super-important for us to have as many members in attendance as we can get. Come ready to vote on project, bylaws, and a fundraiser! Have a great month, everyone!

On May 30, Junior League of Cedar Rapids will host Vanessa Diffenbaugh, New York Times-bestselling author of “The Language of Flowers” and founder of the Camellia Network for Iowa’s largest foster care awareness event. There are more than 900 youth in the foster care system in Linn County alone. Come learn more about how we can work together to make life better for those who otherwise might fall between the cracks.

Vanessa Diffenbaugh, Author of New York Times-bestseller The Language of Flowers
Thursday, May 30 at 7 p.m.
Sinclair Auditorium, Coe College
1220 First Ave NE, Cedar Rapids

You can help by:

• Purchasing tickets and attending Junior League of Cedar Rapids: Fostering Strength, with your friends, book club, church group, or neighborhood.
• Donating to the Bridging the G.A.P. project here http://www.juniorleaguecr.org/support-jlcr/make-a-gift/
• Helping us promote JLCR: Fostering Strength at local events
• Attending JLCR’s Speaker Series that addresses issues youth in the foster care system face
• Joining Junior League of Cedar Rapids http://juniorleaguecr.org/join/

There will also be an auction with fabulous prizes at stake! A few of these auction items include a full-sized playhouse valued over $1,800.00 and an American Girl theme package. Below are the details of the event.

When: Sunday, March 3rd

Time: 1:00-4:00pm

Where: Marriott Hotel Cedar Rapids- 1200 Collins Road Northeast Cedar Rapids, IA

Price: $75.00/Father-Daughter and $15.00/Additional Daughter

By attending this event, not only will you make lasting memories with your daughter, but you will also be helping to raise funds for JLCR’s project, Bridging the G.A.P. Bridging the G.A.P. supports foster youth in the Cedar Rapids area. Of these 900 foster youth, roughly 40% are teens. Annually, at least 25 of these teens mature out of the foster care system. They often lack the support and resources that young adults need to live independently. Sign up today at www.juniorleaguecr.org/support-jlcr/butterfly-kisses

MEDIA ADVISORY: JLCR TO HOST ‘ADDRESSING EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES’

Event is a part of JLCR’s ongoing efforts to work to improve lives of foster care youth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                     Nov. 15, 2012

What: Junior League of Cedar Rapids (JLCR) will host “Addressing Educational Challenges for Youth in Foster Care,” an interactive discussion about the issues that youth the foster care system face as a part of their daily lives on Nov. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Featured speakers are Laticia Aossey, a student at Linn-Mar High School, Jennifer Byers from Washington High School, David Kennedy from Linn-Mar High, and Lynette Richards from Metro High School. The event is free and open to the public, and will take place in the second-floor meeting room at the Human Services Campus (317 7th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids).

The program is part of JLCR’s project, Bridging the G.A.P. (Guide. Advocate. Provide.), adopted in June 2011. Since, JLCR’s efforts have resulted in bi-monthly meetings with foster youth, development of a policy statement and advocacy efforts for those in the foster care system, and the donation of items young adults need to enter independent living.

When: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012

Where: Human Services Campus, second-floor meeting room (317 7th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, 52401)

Why does JLCR focus on foster care?: Roughly 40% of the approximately 900 children in foster care in the Cedar Rapids area are teens. Every year, at least 25 of these teens turn 18 and graduate from high school, maturing out of the foster care system. They often lack the support and resources that young adults need to live independently. To fill this important need in our community, JLCR has launched Bridging the G.A.P.

         Guide. JLCR and AMP (Achieving Maximum Potential, a support group for teens) have partnered to empower foster youth in the development of life skills.

         Advocate. JLCR supports efforts to ensure that youth aging out of foster care have the opportunities and services essential to live independently. Further, JLCR sees value in supporting and promoting court-appointed volunteer advocacy for foster youth.

Provide. JLCR contributes suitcases with items necessary for foster alumni to live independently (i.e.: bedding, pots and pans, cleaning supplies). JLCR also provides suitcases to foster youth to carry their belongings in, allowing these children to move through the foster system with dignity.

Quote from JLCR President Kristin Roberts: “Youth in the foster care system can spend time in multiple schools – and even districts – throughout an academic year. Uncertainty in their lives is often compounded by uncertainty in their academic life. Understanding these challenges means JLCR can more effectively partner with community organizations to make these children and teens’ lives better.”

Who: Junior League of Cedar Rapids (JLCR) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

Further information: Lis Erickson, VP of Marketing, Junior League of Cedar Rapids. 319.230.1203

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Are you interested in learning what JLCR is all about? Are you ready to meet new friends in the community who are just as passionate about volunteering as you?

Please join us for our Junior League of Cedar Rapids Welcome Night that will be held on:

Thursday, August 30, 2012

5:30-7:00pm at

Guaranty Bank

302 3^rd Avenue SE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

Please RSVP to Laurie Wahlert at lwahlert@guaranty-bank.com

Ladies Titan Tire Challenge Golf Gala and Meet the Pros Party!

Join us for an evening of food and fun!

Junior League of Cedar Rapids is proud to host the Ladies Titan Tire Challenge each year. For the first time we are also happy to be hosting the Ladies Titan Tire Challenge Golf Gala and Meet the Pros Party! The event is being held to raise additional funds for the event and for our Community project Bridging the Gap. Focusing on teens in Foster care, the project aims to Guide, Advocate and Provide for area teens in and aging out of the foster care system. More…

Ladies Titan Tire Challenge Returns to Hunters Ridge Golf Course
June 4 to June 10, 2012 at Hunters Ridge Golf Course

Junior League of Cedar Rapids (JLCR) and the Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CRACVB) are proud to host the 4th annual Ladies Titan Tire Challenge at Hunters Ridge Golf Course in Marion, IA. The tournament will run from June 4 to June 10, 2012. Titan Tire International has returned as the title sponsor of the 54-hole tournament, providing the $110,000 purse. Titan Tire President, Morry Taylor stated, “We are thrilled to be a part of this event again this year. These women are fantastic golfers and to be a part of helping them reach their dreams is very rewarding. We are looking for 2012 to be the best event yet. We hope people in the community will come out and watch these young professional ladies excel on the course. Titan Tire is very proud to continue to sponsor this tournament.”

The CRACVB and the Sports Tourism Advisory Committee attracted the Symetra Tour (then Duramed FUTURES Tour) to the Cedar Rapids area in 2008. The Ladies Titan Tire Challenge is one of 17 tournaments on the Tour, which prepares young professional women golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. This year’s Tour features 308 players from 38 nations and 38 U.S. states. They bring with them impressive credentials and great success in previous levels of play.

Ladies Titan Tire Challenge has been a success in the Cedar Rapids/Marion area. In 2010, it was voted the #1 tournament on the Tour by the professional players and Tour staff; up from #2 in 2009. The three-day attendance at the 2011 tournaments was approximately 2700. More than 200 volunteers logged over 3500 volunteer hours for the 2011 tournament. The week-long event will allow golf fans to watch and cheer alongside future LPGA stars. In addition to the professional tournament, organizers will offer amateur golfers a chance to play with a professional in pro-am events during the tournament week. There will also be a FREE junior golf clinic for younger golfers.

JLCR is the local host and organizer of the event, which gives Iowans an opportunity to see first-hand the Tour’s world-class women athletes and role models. Proceeds from the event will enable JLCR to further its mission of promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities.

JLCR’s new project, Bridging the G.A.P. – Guide, Advocate and Provide, focuses on teens in foster care. Of the approximately 900 children in foster care in the Cedar Rapids area, roughly 40% are teens. Every year, more than 25 of these teens turn 18 and graduate high school while in the foster care system. These teens often lack the support and resources young adults need to live independently.

In support of these teens JLCR is purchasing and assembling “Apartment in a Suitcase” kits for the teens aging out of foster care. These suitcases are filled with items necessary to live independently such as bedding, pots and pans, and cleaning supplies. This project also partners JLCR with Foundation 2’s existing AMP (Achieving Maximum Potential) program that empowers teens by supporting the development of life skills such as cooking, budgeting, college applications and more.

For more information on the golf outing and the full list of tournament related events, log onto Ladies Titan Tire Challenge website at http://www.titantirechallenge.com.

Founded in 1934, Junior League of Cedar Rapids is an organization of women committed to promoting
voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action
and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

Members from AMP (Achieving Maximim Potential) spoke to the JLCR chapter on Tuesday, November 8th 2011. AMP is a youth-driven, statewide group that seeks to unleash the full potential for personal growth among foster/adoptive and kinship children in Iowa. AMP offers leadership opportunities, service learning projects, speaking opportunities, and educational/vocational assistance. AMP also provides the life skills youth need to become self-sufficient, independent adults.  AMP involves young people as advocates for themselves and as a voice for system-level improvements in child welfare policies and practices.

AMP members are ages 13 and up who have been involved in foster care, adoption, or other out-of-home placements. AMP youth gain many strengths and life skills to carry throughout their years. They train to become advocates for themselves and others, participate in valuable leadership opportunities, educate legislatures, foster parents, the public, child welfare professionals and juvenile court representatives about foster care and adoption from the youth perspective- to name a few.

AMP’s goal is to help foster youth to become independent adults who can successfully educate others about the child welfare system and take an active role in making life better for themselves and others in state care. Please visit their website at www.ampiowa.org to learn more about AMP, and to find locations and times for local council meetings.

Each year about 29,000 young people “age out” of foster care without permament families. These young people face problems with school attendence and performance, substance abuse, financial literacy, teen pregnancy, homelessness, and juvenile deliquency.  Senator Grassley helped to pass the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. This law gives the states an option to extend support for youth remaining in care to age 21, provided they are still in school, working, or otherwise preparing for work.

It is both JLCR’s goal, with Bridging the G.A.P., and Senator’s Grassley’s goal, to provide support to those aging out of the foster care system.

Please visit http://juniorleaguecr.org/support-jlcr/make-a-gift/ to help fill suitcases and support this important project.

A CASA is a trained citizen who is appointed by a judge to represent the best interests of a child in court. Children helped by CASA volunteers include those for whom home placement is being determined in juvenile court. Most of the children are victims of abuse and neglect.

A CASA volunteer provides a judge with carefully researched background details about the child to help the court make a sound decision about that child’s future. Each home placement case is as unique as teh child involved. The CASA volunteer must determine if the best interest of the child is staying with their parents or guardians, being placed in foster care, or being freed for permanent adoption. The CASA volunteer makes a recommendation on placement to the judge and follow through on the case until it is permanently resolved.

National CASA requires that volunteers complete 30 hours of training before being sworn in as a child advocate. The CASA program provides volunteers with training on the child welfare system in Iowa, and the CASA roles of investigator, liaison, and monitor. The first stage of training is the Foundations training, which is 21 hours.  Training is generally scheduled from 1:00pm-9:00pm on a Thursday, and 8:00am-5:00pm that Friday and Saturday. Please note that an interview must first be completed before you can enroll in any training.

During the second stage of training, the Program Coordinators meet with prospective volunteers for a three-hour training to cover the final chapters of the manual, exclusive to the CASA’s. The training covers communicating as a CASA volunteer, how the Juvenile Court process works in the area, getting started on a case, writing reports to teh Court, testifying and monitoring the case on an ongoing basis. The six remaining hours of training are completed in a variety of ways- spending time with the Foster Care Review Board, attending Court, reading on your own, online at casaforchildren.org website, or a combination of these options.

Upon completion of all training hours, a CASA volunteer is sworn into the role by a Judge. CASAs are assigned to a case per Court Order, and accept a case by signing an acceptance that is notarized by the Court. Once appointed to a case, the CASA volunteer becomes a legal interested party to the child(ren)’s Court involvement. The CASA acts as the “eyes and ears of the Judge” and reports to the Court regarding what is in the child’s best interest.

If you are interested in becoming a CASA you will need to complete an application and return to Jennifer Slife as soon as possible. You may visit CASA’s website at https://childadvocacy.iowa.gov/ (CASA’s state website) and at www.casaforchildren.org/ (the National CASA website).