The Junior League of Greater Alton collected food from members and added an additional 12 cases of canned food items to this year’s donation to Foodstock in August.
According to The Telegraph, “The mission of Foodstock is to make large annual contributions to local charities, such as food pantries and battered womens’ shelters.”
Read more at https://thetelegraph.com/news/106954/annual-foodstock-event-set-for-saturday.
ALTON, ILLINOIS – Junior League of Greater Alton provided ten brightly-colored backpacks filled with school supplies to the Madison County Child Advocacy Center for their upcoming annual Kids Fair.
The packs will be distributed on Saturday, August 5 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Alton Moose Lodge. With an emphasis on safety and interactive fun, the event includes vision and dental screenings, fire, home, and internet education, and the Bubble Bus.
“We find it so rewarding to be able to do this small act that has such a large impact,” said Rhonda Brinkman, Community Outreach Chair of the Junior League of Greater Alton. “By providing basic school supplies, the CAC is inspiring kids get excited about education.”
“Something as simple as new pencils, crayons and notebooks can inspire creativity and a love for learning. We’re happy to help youngsters start the semester with all of the tools they need to succeed,” said Maggie Kline of JLGA.
For more information on the Madison County Child Advocacy Center, visit www.facebook.com/madcocac.
New Member Recruitment Has Begun
ALTON, ILLINOIS – The Junior League of Greater Alton (JLGA) has installed its new board for the 2017-2018 year, and has begun recruiting new members for its 2017 Provisional Class.
Leading the board this year is President Lauri Sholar, who replaced 2016-17 President Lori Artis.
Sholar joined JLGA in 2013, and served as Vice President last year. She works as an IT consultant, has two children, Vivian and Gus, and is married to John Sholar, Jr., of Alton. Sholar is a committee chair for the Friends of Haskell Park, a member of the Gordon Moore Family Fun Day committee, and a participant in the Fast 15 Charity Bike Ride in honor of Eddie Sholar, Sr.
“JLGA provides incredible opportunities to engage with the community in a meaningful way while also forging friendships with some truly remarkable women,” Sholar said. “The mission of JLGA – developing leaders and improving the lives of women and children – resonates deeply with our members, and provides a focus for the myriad talents of our organization. I am honored to be a part of this dynamic group, and thrilled with the events we have planned for the upcoming year.”
Other members of the 2017-2018 Board include Vice President Laura Inlow, Secretary Lori Fassler, Treasurer Sarah Crause, Project Council Coordinator Andrea Davis, Fund Development Coordinator Stacey Baca and Sponsorship Coordinator Nicole Miguel.
There are currently more than 50 active and sustaining members of JLGA, which is a member organization of the Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc.
JLGA is committed to educating, training and empowering female leaders through volunteerism in the Riverbend community, and has partnered with such organizations as the Boys and Girls Club of Alton, Oasis, Bucket Brigade, and Community Hope Center, among others.
Women interested in joining JLGA are invited to attend a social event from 6:30-8 p.m., Wednesday, July 26 at Johnson’s Corner. Potential members will have an opportunity to learn about the organization and mingle with current members.
“Volunteering in the community has always been important to me, but JLGA offers the opportunity to volunteer while being a part of something bigger than myself,” Inlow said. “We are so excited to share this opportunity with women throughout the Riverbend community. The more we grow, the bigger the positive impact we can make.”
Potential members must be at least 21 years of age to join. To learn more about JLGA and League membership, visit www.juniorleaguealton.org and click “Get Involved.”
For more information on the JLGA Annual Social, please contact Jill Messinger Tueth at jmess44@hotmail.com.
When I think about why I joined the Junior League of Greater Alton a little less than one year ago, it was because I wanted to give my time and talent to help make our community a better place.
But it’s not all donating money and volunteering time–it didn’t take long to realize that with JLGA, members have the opportunity to get back what they put in, in the form of life changing experiences and leadership training and development.
A first year manager of a Media Relations/PR department at Lewis and Clark Community College and a grad student in Organizational Leadership, the opportunities presented by JLGA couldn’t have been more perfectly timed for me. Sure, I have a lot of irons in the fire, but League meetings have become my refuge, my guilty pleasure, my oasis on the second Thursday of each month.
This year–my first full year in League–is also my first on the Board. As Secretary, I had the opportunity to attend the Association of Junior Leagues International Inc.’s Organizational Development Institute in Houston, Texas, last weekend. The experience changed the way I see League and talk about League with friends, and made me so proud to be a part of something so special. So now I want to share that with you.
Whether you’re already a member or considering becoming one, know that the key is becoming the change we wish to see in the world, or more specifically, our community. What I mean by that is we have to open ourselves to learning about the true needs of the Greater Alton community, and be willing to invest the time and energy it takes to learn and train ourselves to become the best possible leaders we can be. It’s what makes League so fabulous. We’ve been empowering women to lead since 1901.
You see, achieving real, lasting, community-impacting change requires leadership, strong and true. That’s why when you participate in one of our fundraisers or community events, you’re not only helping our direct efforts to tackle community issues like hunger and illiteracy, you’re helping to engage the women of JLGA–local women–to keep positive change rolling for decades to come.
And we need more women to join, because the more women we engage, the better our capacity for direct volunteerism and fundraising, but also the deeper the impact we can achieve.
If you or anyone you know is interested in learning what we’re all about–please contact our new member committee chair, Nikki Fiedler, at nikki.a.fiedler@gmail.com. We’re in the middle of planning our new member mixer (details TBA) and would love for interested women to come by and see if JLGA is for them.
You don’t want to miss this opportunity to become a part of something special, and to meet the best group of women around 😉
Hope to see you soon!
Laura Inlow
JLGA Secretary 2016-2017
Provisional Class 2015
lminlow@gmail.com