Yours in Volunteering,

Mary-Katherine

After our whirlwind One Millionth reception, the Diaper Bank settled into our distribution routine through the rest of June.  We will be setting up Repackaging sessions over the summer and into the fall, and requests for assistance when the statewide trip is to be made – please be on the lookout for that calendar.  We will likely need to move the many pallets in a storefront at the University Mall this summer as well, and would love help with that project. 

Families and small groups are welcome to come into the Bank at your convenience – just connect with Amanda or Jessica (Rossi).  We have lots of size Newborn, 1s, and 2s to be repackaged – the cute little diapers!

Each month the JLCV newsletter will feature a different committee or chair position to assist members both new and old in understanding the League and all its moving parts. This month's spotlight is on the Membership and Training Committee.

The Membership and Training Committee has a number of roles in the League. This year we’ll kick off recruitment events with Caitlin, Tanya, and Brittani to find potential new members. We will get a nice early jump on this so that we can bring the new members into the fold for our first general membership meeting in September. We will then have a half-day retreat this fall to help the new members develop an understanding of the League and how we provide support to our Vermont community. We also have new member-specific socials during the year, and diaper re-packaging events to help develop the class bond.

Claudia is working on the training side for our general membership meetings through the year. She has done a wonderful job finding fun and engaging speakers to help members develop in areas ranging from leadership, team building, self-care, and more! I am sure she has some great trainings planned for the upcoming year.

Clearly, our last year was a bit of an anomaly with regard to our normal social calendar, but we were still able to have some fun at our virtual and outdoor socials. This year, we will have Katelyn, Kathleen, and Kim programming great social options, including happy hours, book clubs, cross country skiing, etc. Our committee also helps to organize arrangements for general membership meetings, the December holiday party, and the end of the year event in May. I will also be working on the membership awards at the end of the year. This committee truly has a hand in so many different aspects of the League, and I know it to be a wonderful opportunity to meet and connect with the ladies of the League!

Tell us about the position(s) you hold in the League.
As New Member/Recruitment chair I work closely with Membership VP and the new member committee to plan Sip n’ Sees and new member recruitment strategies, plan and execute new member retreat, and help out new members on the new member project as needed. I hope to be a friendly and familiar face to our newest members as we transition to meeting in person again!

What's your favorite JLCV memory?
The Feeding Chittenden Turkey Drive was blast, but I also loved the Christmas party during my provisional year.  I am definitely looking forward to more in-person socials this league year!

What have you learned from being in the League?
The need for our Diaper Bank is GREAT, and our continued work is crucial to this community.

What are some other activities you do outside the League?  
Anything outside- hiking, petting people’s dogs, golfing, drinking VT craft beers, canoeing, & skiing are a few of my favorites!

You never know when a casual conversation could lead to a benefit for our community! Recently, our Treasurer Elect, Jessie Robinson, was volunteering at the Intervale Community Farm, when the woman who organized the event asked what else she was doing that weekend. When Jessie explained that she was attending the annual Board Retreat for the Junior League, the woman followed up to ask what the league was. After explaining our mission to empower women through leadership training and voluntarism, and our work through the Diaper Bank (as well as throwing in a few tidbits about how expensive diapers are and how there is no government-sponsored program to help parents with that expense), the woman was quite impressed and asked how she could support! The next day, Jessie reached out to her and provided the link to our Support page so she could make a donation. It was a great reminder of how important it is to get the word out about our League and what we are doing to make Vermonter's lives better!

As you get together with family and friends over the summer months, or in any conversation, don't forget to mention all the wonderful work that we are doing as a group of women. It may lead to a future member joining or a future donor supporting!