JL Journal - Summer 2007

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Issue Highlights

• Perspective from Newly Minted Past President Susan Lerner
• Congratulations! JLM 2006-07 Annual Award Winners!
• Message from the New President
• Annual HQ Update: Phase IV to Commence Soon
• Welcome, Provisionals, to the JLM!
• Saluting a Successful Membership Drive!
• Community Service Awards & Scholarship Program
• Volunteer Service Award
• 4th Annual Golf Tournament
• ITS: JLMers Shine Helping Families
• Kids in the Kitchen 2007!
• Community Projects for 2007-08
• Community Grants for 2007-08
• Nominating Committee: Reflection on Their Role, Their Year
• Questions for Michelle Ramirez-Patricios
• Gratitude
• The Junior League of Miami has a HEART!
• Legislative Session 2007 Report
• Tributes!
• Pictorial: Thanks, Board of Directors 2006-07, Congrats New Sustainers!
• HQ is Going Green!
• Placement Wrap-Up
• Stepping Stone: Peggy Sapp
• Tribute to Kim Prebish, Our Bookkeeper

Perspective from Newly Minted Past President Susan Lerner

By Susan Lerner

Admittedly, just one month out is not much time to gain meaningful perspective. But, over the past few months as the incoming leadership team took shape, I began to reflect upon my placement as president this year. I saw the power of teamwork as the common thread that has made our year so successful, from the fundraisers to our community projects and all-important member morale.

At Annual Meeting back in May 2006 when Andria Hanley handed the gavel over to me, I told the membership, “In the coming year, our goals are to recruit a large, diverse Provisional class, expand program development and enhance member training.” We had definite goals that only teamwork could achieve.

From the start, the Membership Outreach committee led by its chair Alison Simon began recruiting from all segments of our diverse community. Other Actives, Provisionals and Sustainers joined in too by inviting friends, colleagues and family members to our General Membership Meetings, Open Houses, Lunchin’s with the League, fundraisers and Inside InStyle. The result: another large and diverse incoming Provisional class.

In true team spirit, League members outside the Program Development committee introduced potential projects to JLM as the chair Alise Johnson led the search, hosting the very well-attended orientation reception in October and project presentations in January. This team effort also reaped great results, giving us many exciting new and renewed projects and grants for the coming year.

Wanting to enhance training but also mindful of our members’ limited time, we launched the general membership meeting speakers’ series, again through the collective efforts of our members who recruited judges, authors, and business and community leaders to train us throughout the year.

We even managed to weave teamwork into our first ever “Done in A Meeting” in April. Community Council VP Leanne Tellam, the ITS chairs Jill Falke and Keith Landon, ITN chair Brigid Cech and their committee members planned and prepared all of the goodies for us to assemble into beautiful Mother’s Day gift baskets for our community projects.

We are quite a team indeed! Thank you all for working together to make this year such a success.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

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Congratulations! JLM 2006-07 Annual Award Winners!

Read full article about their accomplishments.

Message from the New President, 2007-08

By Lauren Harrison Genovese

There are four primary focus areas that I have asked our 2007/2008 Leadership Team to develop next year to the fullest extent possible. The first is Community Impact. To me, those words mean not only improving the Miami-Dade community in a significant and measurable way, but in making our results known. We need to serve the populations that our Community Projects represent and assist those organizations in gaining needed resources.

We will strive to maintain an open and ongoing dialogue next year with our Project partners. Further, we will help our projects to become self-reliant so that they can continue to blossom and develop on their own after JLM has moved on to assist others. Dana Martorella, VP Community, shows brilliance in her compassionate understanding of these issues.

Our JLM membership will hear from our Project Chairs about lives touched and quantifiable accomplishments. Through close coordination with Mary Killen-Griffith as Public Relations Chair and many others on the Communications Council, JLM will get the word out to the community about the dollars spent and volunteer hours contributed toward helping others, and the tens of thousands of dollars that we will soon be giving away in the form of cash grants to deserving local charities.

We will continue to align our legislative priorities with our project focus areas. Kimberley Thompson is a not-for-profit lobbyist by trade and, fortunately, also our Public Affairs Chair. Kimberley will again keep in close contact with our Community Projects so that she can speak up to our representatives about key issues. Kimberley will also be educating us this year about a critical upcoming election – the reauthorization of The Children’s Trust, which provides $85 million in funding per year from property taxes for the welfare of our children. Whether we are eradicating literacy, educating our members about how they can help to preserve critical public school funding, or publicizing JLM’s 2007-08 Community Project Funding and Grants, we are making a Community Impact!

The second goal of the 2007/2008 Leadership Team will be to Develop the Potential of Women. Candace Vassillion will be leading JLM in generating both internal and external training opportunities to prepare our members, as well as community participants, for taking on leadership roles in tomorrow’s not-for-profit organizations. Further, we will be learning (through GMMs and the Journal) about the amazing accomplishments that many of our Past Presidents and Sustainers have made.

Bonita Whytehead, as DIAD Chair, has planned a rigorous schedule of monthly events for her dedicated team of volunteers next year. Together with our community project programming, our DIAD projects are the primary vehicle that JLM employs to accomplish our third focus for 2007/2008, Promoting Voluntarism. All League members, Actives, Provisionals and Sustainers, are invited and encouraged to participate in the DIAD events. Through these outreach events, JLM is able to work with some charities that we are not currently partnering with in our Community Projects. Past President Maggie Blake has volunteered to assist DIAD this year, and is also serving as our Sustainer Liaison to promote Sustainer involvement in these projects. DIAD is also planning events whereby JLM will encourage community volunteer involvement, thereby achieving a greater Community Impact!

Finally, the fourth area of dedicated focus of our 2007/2008 Leadership Team will be to CONNECT. By connect, I mean simply to reach out to others in the League and get to know them. Our League is ripe with smart, accomplished, caring and competent women. Amazing things will happen for each of us by getting out of our comfort zones to really get to know someone new through our placements, one of the new “interest groups” or at a monthly member event organized by Maria Maloof and Mara Menachem-Karlinsky!!

We have recently increased our JLM Active membership by almost 20% with the incredible 90 women who have just completed their Provisional Course! In order to retain our members, we must have a sense of being connected to other members and also must find fulfillment in our League activities. This brings me to my final point…THIS IS YOUR LEAGUE! MAKE YOUR LEAGUE EXPERIENCE A POSITIVE ONE BY STAYING INVOLVED AND BEING COMMITTED! Have a wonderful summer and I look forward to spending a great year with you next year!

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Annual HQ Update: Phase IV to Commence Soon

By Julia Bianchi, JLM HQ Board

The HQ BOD has been busy sprucing up our historic building. The past months have seen numerous improvements including:

• re-staining the front door
• repairing, sanding and re-staining the wood floors
• cleaning, filling and sealing the marble floors
• repairing walls and areas damaged by water intrusion and roof leaks
• repainting baseboards
• touch up painting of walls throughout the building
• replacement of broken exterior light fixtures
• garden and landscape refurbishment
• repair of roof leaks
• repair of air conditioning system

Phase IV Renovation

The scope of the Phase IV renovation will include replacing all existing windows in the building, with the exception of the glass windows at the front of the building, with impact resistant glass windows. Weight bearing issues preclude the replacement of the windows to the front of the building so in the event of a hurricane we will continue to place existing shutters in these areas. The exterior of the building will have all cracks and holes repaired then the building will be sealed and repainted.

Plan of Action

Thorn Grafton, the grandson of Kay Pancoast, JLM President 1939-40, and the original architect associated with Phases I, II and III of the building’s renovation, has been contacted and the plans which he drew in 2004 have been procured. The structural engineering firm Douglas Wood and Associates currently has the plans and is preparing structural engineering calculations for the impact glass windows.
The Junior League and JLM HQ are currently discussing various methods for funding the Phase IV renovation. These ideas include but are not limited to:

• The Junior League of Miami, Inc. granting funds to JLM HQ Inc. from the proceeds of the sale of ITN.
• JLM HQ Inc. adding on to the existing loan
• JLM HQ Inc. conducting a capital campaign.
• JLM HQ Inc. seeking grant resources

Please contact Vicky Hucks or Julia Bianchi with questions or ideas. We’d love to hear from you!

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Welcome, Provisionals, to the JLM!

By Christina Ureña

On April 17, 2007, at The Commons, the Provisionals, along with the Provisional Committee and several Board Members, celebrated the Provisional Class’s acceptance into Active membership to the Junior League of Miami.

After welcoming the Provisionals to the festivities, Christina Ureña recounted the successes of the year and their appreciation for the hard work of the Provisional Class. League President, Susan Lerner, congratulated the women on their new Active status and praised them on their many accomplishments during the year. President-Elect Lauren Harrison Genovese spoke to the women about new Active opportunities and challenged them to fulfill their commitment to the League with enthusiasm and passion. The new Actives also received a certificate of completion and a pink rose, as a token for their hard work as Provisionals.
Several awards were given for achievement that evening:

• Attendance to GMMs: Melissa Arnold, Camilla Corbitt, Rita Fidalgo, Sarah Goldfarb, Karlyn Hunter, Sarah Knight, Marcia Koo, Elvira Larrain, Christine Molinares, Melissa Nieves, Luly Sixto-Yero and Anita Uppaluri.
  Attendance to Provisonal Trainings: Melissa Arnold, Sarah Knight, Elena Luca and Luly Sixto-Yero
• Special Recognition for Achievement: Michelle Austero, Felicia Bradford, Marcia Koo and Ana Rosa Ramirez
• Provisional of the Year: Elvira Larrai

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Membership Outreach: Saluting a Successful Membership Drive!

By Alison Simon

The Membership Outreach Committee has concluded its search for new members to join our community volunteer efforts. All year long, the committee has urged all members to break out their address books and contact anyone that may be interested in joining the League to let them know about our membership drive. It has also conducted membership outreach events at various places including Race for the Cure, University of Miami’s Omicron Delta Kappa Volunteer Fair and the Inside InStyle event. The membership drive was concluded with a very successful Open House on April 18, where 61 prospective members attended and an equally successful outreach event at Inside InStyle drawing approximately 80 new prospective members!

All in all, the Membership Outreach Committee expects proposed 157 women for membership in the League! Congratulations to the entire Committee who has tirelessly made phone calls and sent emails to encourage women to join our fabulous organization of women dedicated to community service!

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Community Service Awards & Scholarship Program:
High School Girls Honored for Service, Academics

By Holly Troup

The Junior League of Miami hosted the Kathryn Menke Miller Community Service Award & Scholarship Honoree Reception in March at the Country Club of Coral Gables. The reception enabled League members to honor the 26 senior high school girls who have demonstrated exceptional service to their community, both in and outside of school, while excelling in their academics.

In addition, the awards and $2,000 scholarships were presented from the JLM to three deserving honorees: Brittney Jones of Miami Jackson Senior High School, Jasmin Qyyum of South Miami Senior High School, and Giselle Serrano of the Miami Lakes Education Center.

Brittney Jones’ outstanding community service efforts include her involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters where she mentors and tutors younger students, has served as President, and where she was awarded Mentor of the Year three times.

Jasmin Qyyum’s community involvement includes her interaction with patients at Miami Children’s Hospital. She is the coordinator of the Embracing Life Pages in which child cancer patients create scrapbooks about themselves to preserve their memories.

Giselle Serrano’s community service projects include her School Diabetes Screening project in which she coordinated a partnership between NOVA’s Health Division and her high school’s faculty, staff, and students to have over 1,200 students screened for Diabetes. To follow up with the Screenings, she formed support groups that encouraged students to live healthy life styles. In addition, she coordinated the Cell Phones for Soldiers Campaign in which she contacted local newspapers and community leaders and collected and recycled cell phones for calling cards that were sent to the soldiers in Iraq.

The three distinguished Awards & Scholarships are made in memory of a past Junior League member, Kathryn Menke Miller, who was the “epitome of a hardworking, caring and loving volunteer” and who was dedicated to our public education system.

Susan Lerner, Holly Troup (left) and Migna Sanchez-Llorens (right) flank winners Brittney Jones, Giselle Serrano and Jasmin Qyyum.

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Volunteer Service Award

By Bonita Whytehead, VSA Administrator

Every year, thousands of Junior League volunteers across the Association contribute millions of hours to building stronger communities. League members use their exceptional training, talents and time to make a real difference in the lives of others. U.S. League members who contribute at least 100 volunteer hours to League projects in a 12-month consecutive period are eligible to receive the U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award.

The U.S President’s Volunteer Service Award is an initiative of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, administered by the Points of Light Foundation in Washington DC. The Council, established in 2003 and comprised of a mix of government, media, business, entertainment and non-profit leaders and community volunteers, was charged with the task of finding tangible ways to recognize the valuable contributions made by tens of millions of citizens who have made a sustained commitment to volunteer service. The Council created the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who by their demonstrated commitment set an example and inspire others to engage in volunteer service.

The Junior League of Miami, Inc. 2006-2007 Volunteer Services Award Recipients

Gold Level – 500 or more hours
Susan Lerner, Lauren Harrison Genovese, Bonita Whytehead, Bibi Cruz-Ledon Sears.

Silver Level – 250-499 hours
Michelle Ramirez-Patricios, Lorrie Martin, Leanne Tellam, Caroline Blake, Aniella Gonzalez, Jennifer Stearns Buttrick, Christina Ureña and Kathleen Duran.

Bronze Level – 100-249 hours
Erin Knight, Jana Hertz, Betsy Harper, Stephanie Demos, Kathleen Warr, Jill Falke, Melissa Gutierrez, Betty Lopez-Castro, Sara Courtney-Baigorri, Barbara Oikle, Gema Santos, Mallorie Marshall Berger, Kimberley Thompson, Melissa Lowry, Anika Allen, Adriana Garcia, Alise Johnson, Brigid Cech Samole, Jennifer Wilson, Keith Landon, Kim Sarkisian, Jamie Adams, Maria Byrd, Kameelah Brown, Kara Sharp, Lucy Ulmer, Sharon Kendrick Johnson, Jenny Han, Luly Sixto-Yero.

Congratulations to our 41 volunteers who have been awarded the Volunteer Service Award. Thank you to the 103 volunteers who contributed to the 11,000 volunteer hours logged in by JLM in serving our community!

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Inn Transition South: JLMers Shine Helping Families

By Keith Landon

Once again, the INN Transition South Committee of the Junior League of Miami has been busy ensuring that all the residents receive great skills training opportunities and fun interactive programs for the kids. And in true JLM style, the ITS Committee went above and beyond!

In January, we started off our year with a de-stressing workshop for the moms and some fun crafts for the kids. Everyone loved working with our fabulous speaker, Beverly Tate, who came and worked with ITS residents for three sessions this year. She had some great deep breathing exercises and relaxation techniques we all found very useful.

By February, ITS Committee members Mary Cadman, Christine Scholl and Kari Garland, planned an amazing program all about developing resumes and career planning. We had three great speakers, coming from backgrounds in real estate, marketing, human resources and restaurants. The kids enjoyed a series of relay games with Spiderman and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. This was one of the best-attended of our programs all year, with nearly 30 of our residents in attendance and nearly 200 kids!

In March, ITS Committee members Tina Epstein and Carolyn Scornavacca planned a fantastic family literacy program. There was a puppet show for the kids and speakers for the moms addressing the importance of building a family of readers. We partnered with another JLM Community Project, All Aboard Even Start Family Literacy (Children’s Psychiatric Center), to make this event happen. Throughout the year, our ITS volunteers, along with help from other JLM members, have been building and expanding ITS’ fabulous library. We even have a teen/young adult library section now!

As if all that great stuff in March was not enough, Provisional Committee member Romi Salerno orchestrated an amazing volunteer ITS cleanup/spruce up day at the same time as our Family Literacy event! This was part of JLM’s “Gloves are Off” project. The residents and staff of ITS were treated to many, many upgrades, including new landscaping all around the facility, repainted playhouses on the playground, a more vibrant wall mural, and a whole wall painted with chalkboard paint completely dedicated to “self-expression.”

In April, we teamed up with JLM’s own Done in a Day Committee for a wonderful day of “Veggie Olympics!” This program was a huge success and loved by all in attendance. Special thanks to the entire DIAD committee, Chair Molly Osendorf, Bonita Whytehead, and Kathleen Duran for making this happen.

We ended our year of great fun and fortune working with these extraordinary families of ITS with a bang on May 5th – as we celebrated Cinco de Mayo! Remember, ALL JLM volunteers are ALWAYS welcome to attend any and all monthly ITS events throughout the year.

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Creative Expressions Bids Farewell

By Diane Doolan

Regardless of our placements within JLM, at the conclusion of each project in May, we all leave with a very special feeling. For those of us on the Creative Expressions Committee, we were all especially thankful for the opportunity to work with our group of girls. A handful of us were returning to volunteer at Gladstone because of such positive experiences.

Creative Expressions’ purpose provided an outlet for foster care girls, 7-17 years old, to be imaginative and carefree. This year’s activities included t-shirt painting, purse-making, poetry, memory boxes and more. In addition to our weekly workshops, we were lucky to partner with a Provisional group during the holiday season. A fun celebration was enjoyed by all—from Santa’s visit to decorating gingerbread houses, our girls had a permanent smile…and we did too!

I know that the Committee will miss our Thursday meetings together and at times reflect on the laughs that we shared. We all learned so much from one another, and our involvement with this committee was a terrific way for us to understand, educate and give back to the community.

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Kids in the Kitchen 2007!

By Kathleen Duran

Question: I’m brown on the outside and green on the inside. I’m named after a bird native to New Zealand. I contain very small black seeds. You can eat my fuzzy skin. What am I?

This was just one of nearly 100 “Yes, I can!” ticket booth trivia questions in need of an answer in order to receive a ticket to play a Nutrition Adventures game at Inn Transition South on Saturday, April 14th. Twelve game stations were set up on the lawn and included: Coconut Bowling, Bell Pepper Toss, Apple Toss, Grapefruit Shot-Put, Cucumber Javelin Throw, Melon Weightlifting, Potato Sack Race, Carrot Hop, Strawberry Cereal Relay Race, Food Pyramid Challenge, Lemon Tic-Tac-Toe and Guess the Mystery Vegetable. More than 30 of the 185 children at ITS actively participated and had a great time and got a fantastic workout running back and forth between the ticket booth and the games! A taste-testing station offered the children the opportunity to sample all of the fruits and vegetables that were utilized in the games. Many of the children bravely tried such fruits and vegetables as grapefruit, coconut and mushrooms for the first time!

Dole Food Company, Inc. created Nutrition Adventures for the Dole “5 A Day” Program. It is a fun-filled nutrition event that reinforces the importance of “5 A Day” and physical activity through various games, activities and taste testing opportunities. The format allows children to become familiar with different fruits and vegetables, learn about nutrition and the Food Guide Pyramid, taste new fruits and vegetables, and have fun while being physically active. The purpose of Nutrition Adventures is to expose children to different fruits and vegetables in fun, interactive and active ways. Coupling games that focus on fruits and vegetables with physical activity reinforces the “5 A Day” message and helps foster life-long healthy habits.

Delicious Organics graciously supplied all of the produce that was enjoyed at the taste testing and game stations. Stearns Weaver Miller Weisler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A. generously provided all of the signage needed for the games as well as copies of Fuel Up & Get Fit, a complimentary brochure available through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is a committed supporter of the Association of Junior Leagues International’s Kids in the Kitchen initiative and provided complimentary copies of the brochure My Pyramid for Kids. The Junior League of Miami supplied copies of Dole’s 5 A Day Kids Cookbook and There’s a Rainbow on My Plate! activity book. Kraft donated copies of their magazine Food & Family. Martha Stewart Living enthusiastically donated copies of Everyday Food and Good Things for Kids.

Chef Ann Cooper is the current Director of Nutrition Services for the Berkeley Unified School District and is also known as a renegade lunch lady. She has emerged as one of our country’s most influential and most respected advocates for changing how our children eat. Chef Ann was instrumental in securing copies of her book Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children written with Lisa M. Holmes. The books were a handsome donation from Harper Collins Publishers. Each of the 56 families at Inn Transition South received a Publix “Stop the cycle – Recycle” canvas tote bag from JLM to hold all of these materials that would allow them to further their nutrition education and enable them to create wholesome, nutritious and delicious food at home.

Junior Leagues share a 105-year history of positively impacting family nutrition. Thanks to the Done In A Day and Inn Transition South committees as well as the many other Provisional, Active and sustaining JLM members who volunteered to make April’s Nutrition Adventures an outstanding success, we have contributed positively to that history. In its first year, over 225 Leagues held Kids in the Kitchen events and media coverage reached over 80 million people with messages about the problems surrounding childhood obesity and the Junior League’s initiative to address these issues. We were among over 160 Leagues who chose to participate in the second year of the AJLI’s Kids in the Kitchen initiative; the focus of which is to provide communities with the education and tools needed to fight the growing pandemic of obesity and poor nutrition. Together with our sister Leagues, we have an extraordinary opportunity to help combat potential health problems among today’s children and help put the issues related to childhood obesity on the top of our nations’ agendas.

Answer: Kiwi Fruit

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Community Projects for 2007-08

By Alise Johnson, Program Development Chair

As one of the largest volunteer service organizations in Miami, the Junior League of Miami has approximately 1,000 volunteers who contribute more than 100,000 hours of service annually. Nine committees support the community needs of Miami as well as the institutional needs of the organization. Our purpose is improving the lives of women and children in Miami by working with community-based organizations and public agencies to deliver services and assistance directly to those in need. To ensure consistency and a concentrated level of direct service, the community programs are focused on four areas: Family Violence and Homelessness, Women & Children’s Health, Foster Care and Early Childhood Education.

The Program Development Committee received a record number of applications for proposed Community Projects and Grants this year. This year $81,295 has been awarded in Community Projects and $78,380 in Grants to organizations in Miami working to address the unique concerns of women and children involved in our focus areas. The League is pleased to announce the following Community Projects and Grant Recipients for the 2007-2008 year:

The Children’s Bereavement Center’s mission is to provide community based peer support groups, education, and advocacy for children who have suffered the death of a significant loved one. This is a continuation of the project the JLM started two years ago in which League volunteers worked with the Center to provide peer group support to grieving children and their families.

Done In A Day. This committee provides trained volunteers in response to requests from the community agencies for short-term service by volunteers for special events. The committee’s primary focus is to assist in community events within the League’s focus areas.

H.E.A.R.T. Program (Health Education, Awareness, Resources and Teaching) has the objective to fulfill the Junior League of Miami’s first priority and goal of its strategic plan to “maximize community impact within our focus area of ‘families at risk’” and “improve women’s health by supporting selected outreach programs.” The program will provide coordinated, systematic community-based, outreach education to underserved and at-risk women and children.

Inn Transition North The League’s flagship project for the past 17 years has provided housing and resources to women and children who are victims of domestic violence as part of a public-private partnership with Miami-Dade County. Our League volunteers mentor a family and participate in regular outings with the families in residence.

Inn Transition South The Junior League of Miami assisted Greater Miami Neighborhoods in building a 56-unit complex in South Date to address the needs of victims of domestic violence and homelessness. ITS provides transitional housing for families and works to empower mothers to build strong families and harvest new opportunities. League members plan monthly life skills/parenting events for the women and organize activities for the children.

Institute for Child & Family Health (All-Aboard Family Literacy) This non-profit organization's mission is to provide mental health and prevention services to children and their families. In the All-Aboard Family Literacy Program’s Family Night at Riverside Elementary, just north of downtown Miami, our League volunteers assist in the coordination and facilitation of family literacy nights, provide dinner, conduct storytelling and thematic activities that encourage children and caregivers to practice both verbal skills and print literacy. We also distribute related books and materials.

Kathryn Menke Miller Community Service Awards college scholarships to high school senior girls for outstanding academic performance and community service. In spring 2007, 26 senior high school girls were honored and three also received scholarships. 2007 winners were Brittney Jones of Miami Jackson High, Jasmin Qyyum of South Miami High, and Giselle Serrano of Miami Lakes Education Center.

Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired League volunteers will facilitate playgroups as part of the Blind Babies program. Volunteers will help to further develop the skills of the children and parents and provide social support through these weekly sessions that work with blind and severely visually impaired children from birth through six.

The Sundari Foundation – Project Lift for the Lotus House is a women’s shelter in Overtown operated by the Sundari Foundation, is a newly established shelter providing transitional housing, job training and support services for homeless women. Project Lift proposes League members coordinate donations of furniture, delivery and set-up of the apartments of women transitioning from the Lotus House into their new homes.

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Community Grants for 2007-08

A grant in the amount of $10,000 to America Scores Miami, a non-profit national after-school program that uses soccer, literacy and service activities to engage at-risk youth in the Little Haiti/North Miami area and in Homestead. Using soccer, literacy and civil engagement strategies, students improve their health, education and community life. Photo: Lauren Harrison Genovese with America Scores Executive Director Sam Joseph.

A grant in the amount of $10,000 to the Community Smiles program to provide dental care for youth aging out of foster care. This program will provide services for 10-50 youth depending on what services each student needs, including braces, crowns and bridges.

A grant in the amount of $5,380 to the Community in Schools program to purchase the Leap-Frog Read-it-all program. The Leap-Frog Read-it-all program assists students ages 6-16 improve their literacy skills in after school and summer programs. The Community in Schools program works with 3,000 students per year.

A grant in the amount of $3,000 to Continental Societies, Inc. of North Dade-Broward County to fund educational programs at Little River Elementary School, an under served school and at COPE Center North, an alternative program for pregnant teenagers. Programs will focus on health, education and employment, sponsor a chess club and a reading program.

A grant in the amount of $4,500 to Kristi House to assist in the opening of a satellite office in north Miami-Dade County. Kristi House is a child advocacy center that serves child victims of sexual abuse. The funds would make the new office child friendly and provide easier access to therapy. www.kristihouse.org

A grant in the amount of $5,000 to Neat Stuff, a store that provides new clothing to abused and abandoned children and allows the children to shop in a safe and affordable environment. The grant will go to purchase clothing.

A grant in the amount of $4,000 to Notre-Dame d’Haiti Church to fund their summer camp program. Through its summer camp Notre-Dame provides safe and educational activities for children in the Little Haiti area, ages six to ten. This program serves 80-100 children each week and will take place from June 18 to July 27.

A grant in the amount of $2,500 to Pumps, Pearls and Portfolios, Inc. to fund a “Domestic Violence Empowerment and Leadership Training Program” for new and expectant mothers of Domestic Violence that will proved 60 women with specialized training in safety, job skills, health and nutrition, self-esteem and empowerment.

A grant in the amount of $10,000 for a Shake-A-Leg/Gladstone Center for Girls partnership. The program will provide the girls at the center with educational water sports recreation and enrichment opportunities, including swimming lessons, and behavioral interventions.

A grant in the amount of $7,000 to Thomas Armour Youth Ballet to support the purchase of dance clothing and shoes for over 400 disadvantaged youth who are receiving free dance training with TAYB. Through ballet, the students gain new options for success, self-esteem and opportunities for community outreach.

A grant in the amount of $10,000 to the Voices for Children Foundation’s Transitioning Youth Emergency Fund. This grant will allow Voices for Children to provide foster teens aging out of foster care and served by the Guardian Ad Litem Program with food and clothing and funds to cover living and educational expenses.

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Nominating Committee: Reflection on Their Role, Their Year

By the 2006-07 Nominating Committee

A few years ago, the by-laws were amended to ensure that all League members were well represented on the Nominating Committee. This Committee selects the candidates who will lead the organization the following year. To ensure sufficient knowledge of our membership, the committee is made up of three groups of women, all with varying lengths of service so that each individual can bring her unique knowledge of proposed League members and help guide the Committee’s decision making process. The nine members of the Committee, as well as the chair, each have a unique and equally powerful voice to select the Leadership team.

It is never too early or too late in your JLM path to sit on this Committee, so please consider submitting your name for the Nominating Committee on the Straw Ballot this fall. This past year, those of us who sat on this fabulous Committee wanted to share with you how amazing and fulfilling this experience was for all of us:

“I truly cannot express the experience I had with all of you amazing women this past […] I am PUMPED up to finish out an outstanding year and even that much more excited about Lauren’s year. I think we did an amazing job and have all the confidence that we have chosen an incredible group for Lauren’s Board, they are the best choices for the JLM! You all are absolutely such a blast, I learned so much about the League and myself and it was an honor to serve on this committee with all of you. […] Not only does the nominating committee give you the opportunity to choose the future leaders but I think it gives you the opportunity to get to know a group of women that you might not have gotten to know otherwise, or at least not as closely as I think we got to know each other. Thank you guys for all that you bring to the JLM and for making this week one I will never forget!! LET’S CELEBRATE.” –Caroline Blake.

“…thank you all for making this experience so INCREDIBLE for me. I enjoyed working with each and every one of you. This Committee gives new meaning to the word ‘togetherness!’ You are all amazing and I will really miss being on this committee next year.” –Jen Green, Chair.

“Jen, you were an amazing chair and Leader and a tough act to follow.” –Betty Lopez-Castro, Chair-Elect.

“I had a blast. It was a wonderful group of ladies. I felt like we were picking the Pope or something. We should have blown some black smoke out of Vicky’s chimney last night!!! Jen, you were the BOMB!!!! Love y’all. –Lori Tashman-Corrada

“Jen: THANK YOU! What a great leader and a great Committee we had. And Betty, we are so lucky to have you helping pick our leaders the following year!” –Vicky Hucks
Jumping on the nominating love bandwagon. What a meaningful experience! I have such a multidimensional view of the League now, thanks to you smart and sassy women!” –Austin Elaine Garilli, Ph.D.

“What a wonderful experience the nominating process was! I loved learning from each of you. Can we all please get together for champagne to celebrate the accomplishment of choosing a wonderful Board of Directors?” –Candace Vassillion

“THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for your INCREDIBLY sweet emails!! You are all TREMENDOUS women and made my job SO EASY!!! It is my privilege to work with you all!!! –Jennifer Green

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President Elect: Questions for Michelle Ramirez-Patricios

Where were you born and raised?
I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and moved to Coral Springs, Florida in December 1979. We did a short stint in Houston, Texas in 1982, but returned to Florida.

What were your favorite things to do as a child?
I have always loved the beach - I'm an island girl.

Where did you attend college and what did you study?
I attended the University of Miami for both undergraduate and law school. Go Canes!

Tell us about your career.
I work as a prosecutor for the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It's very busy and there's always something interesting going on.

Tell us about your family life and hobbies.
I am married to a wonderful husband, Leon Patricios, who is also an attorney. I have three beautiful children, Anna Sofia (8), Nicholas (6) and Anthony (3).

How do you balance your busy life and family?
I don't. I think it's more of a juggling act than a balancing one.

What inspired you to join the League and then to commit yourself as a Leader?
My family, especially my mother, has always instilled in us a tradition of volunteerism. I feel I have a social responsibility to my community. To whom much is given, I think much should be expected. My good friend Barbie Alderman asked me to join and it seemed like the perfect way to continue my volunteer work with a great organization.

Tell us about your path to President Elect of the League.
After my first year as an Active, I took on a leadership role as chair of the Done in a Day Committee, then as Chair-elect and Chair of Inn Transition North, our signature project. (Susan Lerner was the Chair when I was chair elect and I learned a great deal from her). After that ,I agreed to chair the Women Who Make a Difference Luncheon which gave me great experience in the development and fundraising side of the League since I had previously only done community projects. I then went back to my first love as VP of Community. Last year, I was VP of Membership which I also loved. I think I’ve been lucky to get some experience both in-League, out of League, and in different areas.

What is your vision and wish list for our members during their League experience?
My wish is for our members to put their respective talents and their commitment to volunteerism to good use in their placements. We are an amazing group of very talented and bright women who have the power to truly change this community by setting common goals and working together to achieve them. My wish is that as we simultaneously improve this community, our members will find ways to improve themselves as well.

What do you think the League will look like in 2026?
My hope is that it reflects the beautiful, diverse and vibrant community that we both live in and serve.

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Gratitude

By Leanne Tellam, Outgoing VP Community

I am writing this with the benefit of our May 19 Leadership Training to help me reflect upon our past year on Community Council. And as our AJLI trainer Jane Peck spoke about the power of words, the word that came to my mind most frequently was gratitude.

I am a lawyer by trade, so I have been schooled in and have practiced the power of words. But sometimes it takes experience to fully understand the depth of meaning one word can possess. We have all heard the directive, “practice random acts of kindness.” During my incredibly challenging year helping to manage our nine community projects and PAC, I have found myself feeling and witnessing random acts of gratitude. I am grateful to have the opportunity to share a few of these with you.

First is my gratitude for my amazingly capable committee chairs, for their expert management of our projects and for their friendship, both old and new. You made my year as VP nearly seamless, truly enjoyable and educational.

I am also thankful for how much I have learned about the League and myself. After 10 years of membership, I had perhaps started out the year a bit smug. Having served many years on various community projects, I may have initially viewed this position as strictly a teaching post. And now I hear our trainer saying, “Enjoy the learning curve!” I certainly have. I am grateful that I finally “got it” concerning several key JLM issues, such as the fact that it is equally important to train our members as it is to serve our community.

That leads me to my appreciation for the opportunity to be trained by some of the best leadership instructors available. I am grateful for the opportunity to attend AJLI ODI (that’s the Association of Junior League International’s Organizational and Developmental Institute, a/k/a a girls’ road trip to Tampa with Lorrie Martin, Bibi Cruz-Ledon Sears, Maria Byrd, Kathleen Duran and Aniella Gonzalez). I learned SO MUCH and look forward to passing on information to anyone that will listen in the coming year. And yes, this was the first year I actually understood what all those letters represented! And I am grateful my position as VP allowed me to pass that new-found knowledge along to council members.

I believe I can speak for all the women on my Council when I say that we are grateful to be able to participate “hands on” and see the difference JLM makes in our community. Whether we were at ITN, ITS, Riverside Elementary for All Aboard Story Hour, Gladstone Center for Girls, or any of our other MANY locations each month, we were able to deliver the goods, educate and improve the lives of many, and witness heartfelt connections made by both JLM members and project beneficiaries.

It is important to bring this experience back to the part of our membership that takes care of all our other vital duties, so I was thankful that Keith Landon and Jill Falke brought letters written by the ITS moms to our general membership meeting. When Susan read these words, I could see it on the faces in the audience that you understood what a difference we make in the lives of these women. Battered and abused, they come with their children to a place we built and receive safe haven and the training needed to ensure they do not cycle back into more abuse. I am humbled by their words and by their gratitude. It keeps me grounded and grateful.

The challenges and accomplishments of this year’s Community Council were so extensive that books could be written on the wonderful experiences we had from August through May. But instead of flooding the membership with the details, I would invite each of you to take at least one year of your JLM experience and “toil in the trenches” of our fabulous community projects. We do important work, and when you get to be a part of it, there is nothing like that feeling that comes over you – that feeling of pure and simple gratitude.

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The Junior League of Miami has a HEART!

By Mallorie K. M. Berger, Chair of HEART Committee

One of the new 2007-2008 community projects focuses on the JLM’s first priority and goal of its strategic plan to “improve women’s health by supporting selected outreach programs.”

The H.E.A.R.T. Program, which stands for Health, Education, Awareness, Resources, and Teaching, will provide coordinated, systematic community-based outreach education to underserved and at-risk women and children in Miami-Dade County.

The first pressing health issue that will be addressed is breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 178,780 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur in women in the US in 2007, and 40,910 women will die from the disease. Breast cancer in the United States is: the most common cancer in women, no matter your race or ethnicity; the most common cause of death from cancer among Hispanic women; and, the second most common cause of death from cancer among white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaskan Native women.

Miami unfortunately, has the highest cancer incidence and mortality in the State of Florida.

Therefore, the first partnership will be with the American Cancer Society and the first outreach initiative that will be incorporated is the Triple Touch® program (which represents the three components of a good breast health plan including breast self-examination, clinical breast examination, and mammography, all of which make up the core content of the educational curriculum).

The committee will also work throughout the year to add additional learning interventions by collaborating with other local organizations and resource groups addressing the most pressing health concerns (cervical cancer, cardiovascular diseases, childhood leukemia, etc.) of low-income and minority women and children in Miami-Dade County.

For more information on the H.E.A.R.T. Program, please contact Mallorie Berger.

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Legislative Session 2007 Report

By Kimberley Thompson, Public Affairs Chair

All in all, Legislative Session 2007 was one of small victories and bigger disappointments for Florida’s children and families. Although the state of our children was covered extensively by the media, and the Governor along with the Chief Financial Officer were vocal in support of many important initiatives, the Legislature choose to put sales tax holidays, payments to HMOs, benefits to the film industry, and pet projects in front of the needs of children and families.

Despite the challenges of a contentious legislative session, I would encourage all Junior League members to take solace knowing that each legislative step forward builds capacity and opportunity for the future. Along those lines, I would like to encourage every Junior League member to read more about recent legislation that will soon impact many of the community projects we all hold “near and dear”: (please see www.myfloridahouse.gov or www.flsenate.gov )

VICTORY/DISAPPOINTMENT: Physical Education (Education & Childhood Obesity
Under a bill passed the Legislature and expected to be enthusiastically signed into law by Governor Charlie Crist, Florida's elementary school students will be required to have 150 minutes of physical education a week - four times more than many schools now provide. It was approved by the House, but appeared in danger in the Senate, where Sen. Lisa Carlton, R-Osprey, the appropriations chair, held it back for a look at the cost. Ultimately, no new funds for P.E. were added to the State budget. However, Senator Carlton finally released the bill to a unanimous Senate vote, saying she was convinced it would not burden schools.

To reduce costs, lawmakers added amendments to allow non-gym teachers to instruct the P.E. classes. And, instead of requiring the Department of Education to provide professional development classes to gym teachers, teachers will be directed to a Web site with links to online exercise teaching plans.

Another aspect of the debate during Session involved the allocation from the state. The current $18+ million allocated by the House and Senate will not reverse the disturbing trend of Florida returning unspent federal matching funds and could result in having future federal allocations cut. Legislative “spin” puts the total funding at $50-million but this includes the federal match. What was needed was $50-million in new state dollars that would have brought down more than a hundred million in new federal funds.

DISAPPOINTMENT: Universal Pre-Kindergarten (Education)
Degreed teachers for Pre-K did not pass this Session, but with support from Governor Crist, CFO Sink and other legislative leaders, and the visibility that publicity around the state has raised, this issue will certainly be addressed next Session along with other improvements to the pre-k program.

Florida Legislators adjourned at one of the earliest times in the past 20 years (you have to go back to 1979 when the Legislature adjourned at noon to beat it), 4:10 p.m. on Friday, May 4th, the Senate and the House dropped the handkerchief on Session 2007. But they’ll be back....

A special session on property tax is set to start on June 12, 2007. One of JLM’s top legislative priorities will be addressed as our legislators seek to find workable solutions to insurance and property tax.

TO BE DETERMINED: Affordable Housing

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Tributes!

Congratulations Susan for a job more than well done.  –Julia Bianchi

Good luck to Lauren Harrison Genovese and the 2007-08 Board...we look forward to an amazing year!

Thanks to all the ladies of the 06-07 Communications Council for an awesome year. –Bibi

Congratulations Lauren! Looking forward to a great year working with you and your BOD. –Julia Bianchi

Thank you Lorrie Martin for keeping us on our toes!  –HQ BOD

Thank you Kathleen Duran for keeping us so well nourished this year – your food is divine! –HQ BOD

Congratulations Bonita for your successful year as VP Planning. –Your Pals

Congratulations to Miami Magic and the amazing revenues generated from our anniversary celebration!

Congratulations to Susan Lerner and the 2006-07 Board of Directors for a fabulous year! –Natalie Brown

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Thanks, Board of Directors 2006-07!
The membership thanks you...the community thanks you!

Congratulations New Sustainers! And welcome to retirement!

See Annual Meeting Photos in the Photo Gallery!

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HQ is Going Green!

In an effort to help the planet, we at JLM Headquarters have made the commitment to do our part to reduce fossil fuel usage and to recycle our waste. Within the next few months, you'll notice that the light bulbs have all been changed to energy efficient fluorescent and that we have obtained recycling bins for our cans and bottles. Please help us help our planet by recycling, as well as shutting the lights and turning up the AC when you leave the building in the evenings.

Placement News

By Jana Hertz, Placement Chair

Thank you to all members for completing your placement selections in April. Your timely participation enabled our committee to successfully notify our membership of their placement at the May General Membership Meeting. You can also view your placement on your profile page of our online database. We worked hard to accommodate your placement requests and build strong committees. Please feel free to contact Barbara Oikle or Austin Rivers if you have any questions throughout the upcoming year concerning your placement, League requirements or for status changes. You will be contacted soon by your new placement advisor.

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Stepping Stone

By Debra Williams

Peggy Sapp has been involved with the Junior League since 1972 when she moved to Miami after marrying her husband who was from the area. Originally from Virginia, Peggy joined the league and immediately embraced the concept of “demonstrating the effectiveness of a trained volunteer”. She took a fairly innovative approach to the position of Education Chair and implemented seminar training sessions with nationally renowned speakers, Ren Fortier, famous for his “Management By Objective” instructional theories, and Alina Morris, who educated League member with her “Today For Tomorrow” program that stressed career development and guided people on how to focus energy to get a successful outcome.

Needless to say, Peggy was a force within the League in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s and took on the position of Community Vice-President.

“My intent with the League was always with the community,” says Peggy.

While raising and caring for her husband and two daughters, Peggy launched into yet another project that grew from her awareness work at the League and a conversation one night at her kitchen table with 8 other civic-minded individuals. During this time the nation was in the throws of a movement to stop drug abuse among adolescents and teenagers. Peggy and her group believed that the first step in this process was to educate parents. Thus ‘Informed Families’, a non-profit, grassroots and volunteer organization was founded with the mission to train and teach parents and schools how to raise drug-free kids. 25 years later, the headquarters proudly spans 8,000 and has touched countless individuals and families in its tireless effort to strengthen our community at its core.

Peggy gives much of the credit to the group’s initial success in getting off the ground to her League experience. She proudly states, “I realized that the skills I had learned from the Junior League helped me organize and go after the goals we had set for ourselves.”

Today, Peggy is still the President and CEO of Informed Families and sits on President Bush’s Drug Policy Advisory Board, as well as the former Gov. Bush’s Drug Policy Advisory Board.

www.informedfamilies.org

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Project Spotlight: CHARLEE

The Junior League of Miami and CHARLEE Homes for Children's Gladstone Center for Girls have joined forces over the last several years through “Creative Expressions.” This art-based project is where women from JLM mentored the girls of Gladstone during weekly art projects allowing the girls a way to overcome their pasts, learn to express their emotions and most importantly, gain trust in women who care about their well being.

A year and a half ago privatization of the foster care system in Miami changed the way foster care was being addressed in our community. As a result of the transition from State care to private care, CHARLEE’s population grew from 500 to 1,000 children overnight. It has been a challenging but positive change for many children in foster care who were not in the care of private agencies such as CHARLEE. CHARLEE has embraced those changes and challenges and is moving to care for the children in the new day of privatized care.

Since privatization, many of the children who meet admission criteria for Gladstone are now being served by one of the seven other private full case management agencies. Many are placed in foster homes and/or with relatives and referred to Kristi House (a multidisciplinary program providing therapeutic day treatment for victims of sexual abuse) for therapy. This has decreased the number of girls cared for at the current Gladstone Center in South Dade. With utilization down, the Center has been operating at a substantial financial loss this year and consequently the facility is being closed (the lease expires on July 30th). CHARLEE is exploring opportunities to continue the program in a smaller setting and is currently exploring the possibility of using one of their family care homes to meet the needs of girls who suffer sexual abuse.

CHARLEE has changed in the 24 years since their doors opened to care for children. This willingness to embrace change – to remain flexible and adapt as needed – is an orientation critical to the achievement of CHARLEE's stated vision for children: CHARLEE focuses on families because safe children and stable homes equal hopeful futures.

CHARLEE is also exploring new programs that will focus on early intervention and kinship care and they will continue to aggressively pursue adoption for any child that cannot be re-unified with their family. More than ever CHARLEE needs our community’s support for the children they serve. The staff at CHARLEE is as dedicated as ever and totally committed to meeting the needs of Miami-Dade’s foster children.

www.charleeprogram.org

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Tribute to Kim Prebish, Our Bookkeeper

By Lorrie Martin

Photo: Susan Lerner honors Kim Prebish at Annual Meeting as Bonita Whytehead looks on.

Kim Prebish, our bookkeeper, is the lifeline to the numbers, and the keeper of the accounts for all of the companies that make up our financial organization. Kim is leaving our Magic City and we wanted to let you know a little bit about her, and to thank her for the years of helping train each of the new Officers and Treasurers that have served in that time.

Kim was originally from Boston, and she became familiar with Junior Leagues through her mother, who was a member of the JL of Boston. At the time, she did not have an interest in joining, but that would soon change.

With her husband, Kim moved to Miami in 1987, where she met Mary Dodd Russell, who encouraged her to join the Junior League of Miami, and felt that by joining she would be able to get involved with the community and make new friends. Mary proposed Kim as a member in 1989.

Almost all of her placements were on the administrative side of the League. She started on the auction committee and then became Auction Chair in 1992 the year of Hurricane Andrew. Kim worked, with Laurie Schobelock, on the Hurricane Relief Project, which she says “was very fulfilling” Their hurricane disaster plan received AJLI recognition at the annual meeting she attended in St. Louis that year. Kim was chair of Public Relations, which she says “was quite a learning experience”. She served on the Board for many years, and as VP Volunteer Resources (now called Membership).

Kim told us “I would have to say, though, that my most exciting year was 1995/96 when I was an assistant to Jayne Abess. It was the most challenging and exciting year I had. I learned a great deal about JLM through executive committee meetings; board meetings and GMM with Jayne. That was also the year we held the ribbon cutting ceremony for Headquarters. Honestly, I loved all my placements. I worked with wonderful women and learned life’s lessons that will be with me always.”

Just before Kim went Sustaining in 2000, she took over the bookkeeping role from Holly Battle in 1999. In addition to the Junior League of Miami, she counts among her non-profit clients The Viscayans, The Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade County, and she previously worked for the Miami City Ballet. She is also the Treasurer of her Homeowner’s Association in Idaho.

Kim said, “We decided as a family that life was too short and that we should move to the most beautiful place in the world.” So, Kim and her family are now off to Jackson Hole, Wyoming where she will apply for a full-time accounting position, and part-time as a ski instructor.

As we say “best wishes” to Kim, we also welcome the firm of Al Corrada, CPA who will be transitioning into the bookkeeping duties during the next several weeks.

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