Seven members and one non-member recognized for extraordinary efforts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                      May 27, 2013

Contact: Lis Erickson, VP of Marketing                                                                                      319.230.1203

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CEDAR RAPIDS – Junior League of Cedar Rapids (JLCR) named Foundation 2’s Rachelle DuVall its 2012-13 “Honorary JLCR member,” and recognized seven current members for going above and beyond their current placement requirements at its Annual Meeting on May 21. Additionally, nine women moved their status from Active members to Sustaining members.

Each award winner was nominated by at least one fellow JLCR member, with nominations detailing specific reasons why that member should be chosen. A committee of three determined the winners. Lindsay Prince received her second “Wheels in Motion” award in two years.

Unsung Hero Award: Jessica Cummings. Presented to someone whose participation has had great impact on JLCR, and has gone beyond the call of duty to get things done.  Cummings secured more than $10,000 in grand funding for JLCR in 2012-13.

Spirit Award: Laurie Wahlert. Presented to the JLCR member who embodies the spirit of League voluntarism in her actions and interactions within the community, and with JLCR members. She consistently inspires others with her caring, understanding, enthusiasm, and pursuit of excellence while embracing JLCR’s values. Whalert also serves as President of her Rotary, and is quite active in many other local volunteer organizations.

Leadership Award: Liz Wardinski. Presented to an active member who has motivated, inspired, and led others to further the vision of the organization through her League placement.  She has had a meaningful impact on other League members and uses her talents to mentor and train other League members.  Wardinski served as Chair of the Nominating Committee.

Wheels in Motion Award: Lindsay Prince. Presented to a member who deserves special recognition for her dedication of time, effort, creativity, and leadership, or who has contributed to a special way to a fundraiser, marketing endeavor, current project or Done in a Day events. This person’s efforts symbolize the “Wheels in Motion” that drive JLCR’s focus. Prince was the Chair of the Guide portion of Bridging the G.A.P., and was a consistent presence for the foster teens invovled in the twice-monthly AMP (Achieving Maximum Potential) program.

You-Name-It Award: “Mentoring”: Natalie Ditmars. Eligibility is limited to an Active or New Member who deserves special recognition for her contributions to JLCR that do not fit in any of the other award categories. Ditmars was recognized for her substantial impact through her work on foster care issues, putting ideas into action, and serving as an informal mentor to a local foster teen.

Sustainer of the Year Award: Pat Cargin. Presented to the Sustaining member who has made outstanding contributions to League and/or the community, has fulfilled the mission of JLCR by maintaining an active role in League and community endeavors during the past year, and has contributed greatly to the success of both. Cargin volunteers with foster youth, and is a constant presence at JLCR’s twice-monthly AMP meetings. 

Rising Star Award: Brooke Zrudsky. Presented to a Provisional member who exemplifies the spirit of League, and is recognized for her leadership potential. Zrudsky was a key component of the Provisional Class project in the fall, and took on significant responsibilities with JLCR’s “Junior League of Cedar Rapids: Fostering Strength” fundraiser.

Honorary JLCR Member Award: Rachelle DuVall, Foundation 2. Presented to an individual, business, or association in the Corridor area whose involvement and contributions to the efforts of JLCR during the past League year have been so great that they should be recognized by honorary JLCR. DuVall coordinates the Achieving Maximum Potential foster youth program in Cedar Rapids, and is JLCR’s main contact for information, knowledge, and assistance with its Bridging the G.A.P. efforts at the twice-monthly AMP meetings.

Nine JLCR members became Sustaining members after a compbined total of 87 years of JLCR experience. They include Cristine AbouAssaly, Kymm Barnes, Jenn Bliel, Kari Cooling, Kati Davis, Vera Howe, Tamara Lymon, Andrea McVeigh, and Mindy Sorg. 

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.

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2013 marks the inaugural ‘JLCR: Fostering Strength’ fundraising event.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                        May 20, 2013

Contact: Lis Erickson, VP of Marketing                                                                                     319.230.1203

CEDAR RAPIDS – In support of the more than 900 children and teens in the foster care system in the Cedar Rapids area and National Foster Care Month, Junior League of Cedar Rapids (JLCR) will host Iowa’s largest foster care advocacy event, Junior League of Cedar Rapids: Fostering Strength on May 30. Featuring New York Times-bestselling author Vanessa Diffenbaugh, the evening will focus the specific needs of foster teens and how adults can help.

Tickets for JLCR: Fostering Strength are $15 in advance, and $20 at the door. Student tickets, with ID, are available for $10, while children under 12 are free. Diffenbaugh will speak at Coe College’s Sinclair Auditorium from 7-7:45 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer period until 8:15. She will sign books during a dessert reception from 8:15-9 p.m. A market featuring local goods and services as well as a giveaway featuring donated jewelry are also part of the night.

“Our Fostering Strength fundraiser gives us a chance to highlight the people we work with – foster teens – in a very public way,” 2013-14 JLCR President Maria Sanchez-Masi said. “This is a key fundraiser for us, as it helps fund our Bridging the G.A.P. (Guide. Advocate. Provide.) project, and means we can support those teens with food and life skills workshops, ‘apartments in a suitcase,’ and through our advocacy efforts.”

Proceeds from JLCR: Fostering Strength support JLCR’s current project, Bridging the G.A.P. (Guide. Advocate. Provide.), a three-part program working with local foster youth. Since 2011, Junior League has partnered with other local nonprofits and governmental agencies to support the approximately 900 youth in foster care in the Cedar Rapids area, 40% of whom are teens.

“These teens face life issues that others their age don’t; JLCR: Fostering Strength is intended to bring light to the special issues that we see these young adults dealing with as they enter the world on their own,” Sanchez-Masi said. “Bridging the G.A.P. is intended to offer some basics to teens as they transition to independent living, as well as connections with adults who are consistently in their lives.”

For more information, or to purchase tickets, please visit http://juniorleaguecr.org/fostering-strength. Tickets can also be purchased through the JLCR office at 319.364.7892. For more information on JLCR’s Bridging the G.A.P. project, please visit http://juniorleaguecr.org/bridging-the-g-a-p.

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.

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Credit: Infinity Portrait Design

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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/

Leah Putney Rodenberg honored by Corridor Business Journal

CEDAR RAPIDS – Corridor Business Journal’s annual list of Women of Influence includes Junior League of Cedar Rapids (JLCR) sustaining member and former JLCR President Leah Putney Rodenberg. Rodenberg serves as a program manager (Iowa and Minnesota) with the Alliant Energy Foundation.

“Leah was instrumental in our advancement as an organization, and we are proud that she has been selected as a Woman of Influence,” JLCR President Kristin Roberts said. “This type of honor for our members is a real testament to the benefits Junior League of Cedar Rapids provides.”

The Women of Influence Award is given to women who have made a difference in the Corridor and who are representative role models as leaders in their fields and communities. The entire class of nine women will be honored Thursday, March 7 at a dinner at the Coralville Marriott. Tickets are available at http://www.corridorbusiness.com/events/women-of-influence.

Current active, current sustaining and former JLCR members honored as Women of Influence recipients since the award’s inception in 2006 include Vanessa Solsebee (2012), Amy Reasner (2011), Diane Ramsey (2009), Lydia Brown (2008), Kay Hegarty (2008), Terri Christofferson (2007), Monica Vernon (2006), Lee Clancey (2006) and Lu Barron (2006).

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.

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2013 marks the 11^th year of the Father-Daughter Dance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                          Feb. 4, 2013

Contact: Lis Erickson, VP of Marketing                                                                                     319.230.1203

CEDAR RAPIDS – For the 11^th year, area fathers and daughters, uncles and nieces, and grandpas and granddaughters have a chance to spend an afternoon dancing, laughing and connecting at Junior League of Cedar Rapids’ Butterfly Kisses Father-Daughter Dance. This year’s event is scheduled for Sunday, March 3 from 1-4 p.m. at the Cedar Rapids Marriott.

“Butterfly Kisses has become a community event we know families look forward to, as well as a fundraiser that makes it possible for Junior League to carry out its mission of improving communities and training and educating its members,” JLCR President Kristin Roberts said. “Butterfly Kisses is really important for JLCR, as it funds our Bridging the G.A.P. (Guide. Advocate. Provide.) project working with local foster care youth.”

Tickets for Butterfly Kisses are $75 for a father-daughter pair, and $15 for each additional daughter. Each ticket purchase includes an auction key, offering the chance to unlock an American Girl Doll theme package and other fabulous prizes. Additional auction keys are available for purchase.  There also is a silent auction for a full-sized (8-foot x10-foot) playhouse that will be delivered, fully assembled, to the auction winner’s home and other great packages.

Proceeds from Butterfly Kisses support JLCR’s current project, Bridging the G.A.P. (Guide. Advocate. Provide.), a three-part program working with local foster youth. Since 2011, Junior League has partnered with other local nonprofits and governmental agencies to support the approximately 900 youth in foster care in the Cedar Rapids area, 40% of whom are teens.

At Butterfly Kisses, girls and the special man in their lives can look forward to perusing the Butterfly Boutique, an eclectic market featuring creative accessories, homemade foods and unique goods for purchase. Other afternoon activities include a light lunch, a glam station by Mary Kay and craft making.

For more information, or to register, please visit http://juniorleaguecr.org/support-jlcr/butterfly-kisses. To contribute an item for the Butterfly Boutique, please contact Tara DeWolf, Butterfly Kisses co-chair, at 319-899-2808.

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.

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Kosama Squat Challenge! Watch the video below. So. Much. Fun. 

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Bylaws, bylaws, bylaws! 

A discussion of President-Elect Maria Sanchez-Massi’s bylaws scrub, focusing on specific membership and voting procedures. Want to know more? Contact Maria.

Chances for Education and Trainings! Chances for Project Hours! Chances for Fundraising Hours! The January GMM Back Page(s) is linked below. Check it out. 

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And maybe, just maybe, best of all: A talk by Laticia Aossey, a foster teen who’s kicking butt in life – and wants your help to keep doing it!

For more information on her talk and her awesomeness, contact Natalie Ditmars, Project-Advocacy chair.

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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THE NEED: Approximately 40% of the roughly 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 launched Bridging the G.A.P. (Guide. Advocate. Provide.).

• GUIDE. JLCR empowers foster youth through the development of life skills.JLCR and Foundation 2 partnered to connect JLCR members with the Partnership of Iowa Foster Care Youth Council’s Achieving Maximum Potential (AMP) local group. As a result, JLCR members and AMP participants interact on a twice-monthly basis, developing bonds between adults and the teens.
• At bi-weekly AMP meetings, JLCR members present on life skills, provide a healthy meal for 20 adults for less than $50, and connect with AMP participants on a one-on-one level.
• Prior to the development of this partnership, AMP participants often would choose to skip dinner to attend the meeting.
• JLCR members have presented on topics that range from developing a responsible online presence to selecting colleges or future careers.

U.S. Senator Charles Grassley and local foster care leaders speak at a community forum hosted by JLCR.

• 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.
• JLCR developed a fall speaker series in 2011 that featured presentations by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, State Representative Renee Schulte, foster parents, AMP participants, foster care alumni, judges, Four Oaks/Iowa KidsNet staff, Foundation 2 staff, and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) volunteers.

An example of the suitcases JLCR provides to local teens aging out of the foster care system.

• PROVIDE. JLCR contributes suitcases with items foster alumni need to live independently.
  • JLCR has provided 25 suitcases for youth aging out of the foster care system. These suitcases include bedding, kitchen utensils, cleaning supplies, pots and pans, and towels.
  • As of November 2012, JLCR has provided 125 suitcases for youth within the foster care system. These children now move between foster homes with dignity, carrying their belongings in luggage rather than in garbage bags.