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.
The Junior League of Greater Alton would like to thank everyone for their support and contribution to the fourth annual Bowling Tournament. The tournament was held Saturday, June 10, at Bowl Haven Lanes in Alton.
“Turnout was great this year, and everyone had a lot of fun,” said Jill Tueth, JLGA Bowling Tournament Committee Chair. “I just want to thank everyone who helped make this fundraiser a success – especially Bowl Haven, for letting us use their fantastic venue again this year.”
Junior League of Greater Alton would also like to thank our sponsors for the event:
Funds raised at this event will be used to fund JLGA’s Family Literacy project, as well as the organization’s various Community Outreach volunteering efforts.
JLGA hosts several fundraisers each year to support the organization’s efforts, which include training and empowering women leaders through volunteerism in the community. In addition to an issue based community impact project, JLGA members also take part in various volunteer efforts throughout the community each year, including, most recently, Bucket Brigade and the First Presbyterian Church’s Saturday Cafe.
The Junior League of Greater Alton, established in 1952, is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to empowering women and making the community in and around the Riverbend a better place for a diverse population of children and their families. Upon researching the area’s needs, JLGA most recently teamed up with Lewis and Clark Community College’s GED program to help improve family literacy in the region. JLGA is a chapter of the Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. and is dedicated to the training and development of local women leaders and volunteers making an impact in the community. To learn more, visit www.juniorleaguealton.org.
Members of the Junior League of Greater Alton were honored to supply lunch for Saturday Cafe on February 11, 2017. Saturday Cafe is held at the First Presbyterian Church in Alton (at the corner of 4th Street and Alby) on Saturdays from 11:30-12:30. During this time, those in need are offered lunch and are also supplied Good Neighbor Bags, including toiletries and essentials. On the 11th, JLGA helped to serve over 80 meals. Fifty meals were served to individuals and families dining at the church, while 30 meals were carried-out.
The church’s youth group started the Saturday Cafe years ago as a mission project, and it continues today. The event typically serves between 40-90 people, and allows for guests to eat at the church and enjoy fellowship and to take food to go as well.
For the second year in a row, Junior League of Greater Alton, in partnership with Quality Buick GMC Cadillac hosted a toy drive on Saturday, December 10, 2016. The drive took place at the Quality dealership in Alton, IL . JLGA had 6 members volunteer to collect toys over a 5 hour window. In that time, enough toys were collected to fill 5 large barrels at Hope Community Center. Toys continued to flow in even after the drive that following week which filled a whole additional barrel. Over 60 people came through to donate – a huge demonstration of the caring and generosity in our community!
Event coordinator and JLGA member, Sarah Crause, shared how grateful the staff at Hope Community Center were for the support. She also said,
Quality did such a fantastic job hosting – they are really an amazing family business always supporting our community. I really appreciate Quality, JLGA members and our donors for coming together and giving so many much-needed toys. Such a small gesture of kindness makes all the difference in the world for a child at Christmas! I love Christmas time and the spirit of giving – it’s so fun and rewarding to see our community come together!
JLGA hopes to continue this tradition next year – so be sure to check our website and Facebook page for details. 
The Junior League of Greater Alton, in partnership with Quality GMC, held a Summer Food Drive, Saturday, June 25. We are thrilled to announce that we donated over 450 non-perishable food items to the Salvation Army of Alton. As we know, the summer months are the hardest for food pantries. The Salvation Army was very grateful for the much needed donations. We thank everyone who donated and we thank our partner Quality GMC for hosting the drive!
Members of the Junior League of Greater Alton joined a GED class at Lewis and Clark Community College, Tuesday, June 21, for a Cultural Food event to coincide with the students’ lesson.
The women served food from three different cultures:
“Cannoli were the biggest hit. The shells were provided, but the students prepared the creme filling and filled the shells themselves.” said JLGA Project Coordinator Beth Wiemers. “All of our cultural tables had flags from their country and other cultural items displayed, and recipes for each item served were passed out to students during the event.”
JLGA has chosen to work with L&C’s Adult Education department to help promote Family Literacy in the Greater Alton area. Learn more about the ongoing project and partnership at http://juniorleaguealton.org/community-impact/current-projects.
Junior League of Greater Alton is honored to congratulate active member Tawnya Hooper and former member Stephanie Monroe. They have been chosen as YWCA 2016 Women of Distinction.
The Alton YWCA Women of Distinction event is designed to honor women who, through their boundless commitment to the community through their service to others and through their compassionate leadership, help improve the quality of life for everyone in their communities. The women honored at this event represent the diversity of women’s interests, talents and achievements. Since 1991, 241 area women of all ages and from all walks of life have been recognized as Women of Distinction.
Both Tawnya and Stephanie embody the spirit of community, giving and service. JLGA is honored to have these extraordinary women as part of our League family, and sincerely congratulate them for their achievements!
ALTON – The Junior League of Greater Alton would like to thank everyone who helped support the “Uncorked and Uncapped” wine, beer and spirits tasting held Saturday, March 12th at Jacoby Arts Center. This annual event is always a fantastic time and all funds raised go right back into our community. A special appreciation goes to our 2016 table sponsors:
If you couldn’t join us this year, we look forward to seeing you in 2017!
The Junior League of Greater Alton is a not-for-profit organization of local women that has been promoting volunteerism since 1952. One hundred percent of the proceeds raised by JLGA throughout the year are used to fund projects/agencies supported by Junior League, including Lewis and Clark Community College’s Family Literacy program, which assists parents in attaining their GEDs, career exploration, parenting workshops, family visits with literacy activities, library events and support services; the OASIS Women’s Center, which provides shelter and support for battered women and/or homeless, chemically dependent women and their children; Riverbend Headstart, which provides early childhood education for children living in poverty or who are challenged with special circumstances; and the Riverbender.com Community Center, which provides a safe environment for middle school and high school aged children to interact and learn