We will be voting in our new members, finding out committee placements for next year, and more!

Register on Digital Cheetah here: (LINK)

April is National Volunteer Month! Let’s celebrate and recognize the contributions of our members at the Junior League of Annapolis (JLA). As an organization committed to promoting volunteerism and meaningful community service, we are thrilled to share some of the projects we’ve worked on over the 2023-2024 league year.

The Discoveries Community Pantry

During our October GMM, JLA members packed hundreds of kits filled with period supplies to donate to The Discoveries Community Pantry. 

Read the full blog post and see pictures from the project: https://bit.ly/46XMjrK. 

Most recently, JLA supported Discoveries at the Mall’s newest initiative, the AACPL Prom Boutique, with a formalwear drive. We collected dresses and suits from the community and donated them, where they were available to teens for a free shopping event in early April.

More info about the pantry: https://www.aacpl.net/services/discoveries/pantry

Maryland Food Bank

Volunteers from JLA regularly support the Maryland Food Bank by sorting and packing donated items, including shelf-stable food, fresh produce, and toiletries. 

Find out more about the Maryland Food Bank here: https://mdfoodbank.org

Sarah’s House Dinner

JLA Members volunteer their time at Sarah’s House for dinner service, which requires light kitchen duties and some engagement with the Sarah’s House residents. 

Sarah’s House is a supportive housing program for homeless women, children, and men in Anne Arundel County providing case management, childcare, transportation and employment services. The Anne Arundel Department of Social Services performs initial screenings for potential guests of Sarah’s House.

Read more about Sarah’s House here: https://cc-md.org/programs/sarahs-house/

SOUPer Bowl benefitting The Light House

JLA returned to Heritage Baptist Church to support the 18th Annual SOUPer Bowl! Some volunteers assisted Chef Zachary Pope behind the scenes and helped make and monitor the soup, prepare salad bar items, and support food service. Other volunteers helped with decorations and food service.

The SOUPer Bowl benefits The Light House Homeless Prevention Center, which  supports local homeless individuals and empowers them as they transition toward employment, housing and self-sufficiency.

Learn more about the SOUper Bowl here: https://www.heritageloves.com/souper-bowl-2024

West Annapolis Pop Up Pantry

JLA regularly supports the operations of the West Annapolis Pop Up Pantry by packing bags for the food distribution effort and sorting and arranging diapers and clothes in the Baby Pantry.

Read  about the West Annapolis Pop Up Pantry here: https://www.marshallhope.org/

Woodside Gardens

In December, JLA helped to stock a holiday pantry for parents and guardians to select gifts for the community’s youth.

In February, JLA had our annual  Galentines Brunch where we set up a station to create Valentines for the senior citizen residents of Woodside Gardens. In addition to making cards, JLA members upcycled the floral arrangements from our event by delivering them to bring cheer to the Woodside Gardens seniors. That week we also put together 20 kindness bags to deliver to senior citizens at their weekly social on February 14th. It was a blast!

Woodside Gardens is a low-income housing community in Annapolis with 144 units serving families at or below 60% area median income.

The Blue Ribbon Project: Backpacks of Love

JLA works with The Blue Ribbon Project to help source and stuff backpacks with the essentials a child needs while they transition into the foster care system. In addition to volunteering at their facility, this year JLA  donated over 400 backpacks to support them.

Read more about it on our blog here: https://www.jlannapolis.org/jla-donates-400-backpacks-to-foster-kids-in-the-blue-ribbon-project/

Junior League of Annapolis, Inc has a membership of nearly 300 women dedicated to positively impacting the greater Annapolis community. Our members work tirelessly  to support our community partners, and we look forward to continuing that service into the future!

About the Junior League of Annapolis:
Junior League of Annapolis, Inc. is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training. It reaches out to all women of any race, religion, or national origin who demonstrate an interest in and a commitment to voluntarism.https://www.jlannapolis.org

Would you like to subscribe to our blog?
Each Monday there is a new blog post, you will receive an email in your inbox. Sign-up here: http://eepurl.com/bMpulD

Members Only Event:
Mark your calendars for our April 23 General Membership Meeting (GMM) at the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center at 7pm!

JLA will be celebrating the diverse cultures of our membership during the April GMM. Sign-up here (LINK) to contribute to this event by bringing a dish to share and/or memorabilia to display. (LINK FOR SIGN UP)

REGISTER HERE!

REGISTER HERE!

Founded in 2014 by the Junior League of London, the Little Black Dress Initiative (LBDI) is a social media-driven awareness campaign and fundraiser. Advocates wear one black dress (or outfit) and a LBDI button for 5 consecutive days to:

1. RAISE AWARENESS of Women’s Poverty Issues
2. ILLUSTRATE how limited resources affect daily life; and
3. RAISE FUNDS TO FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF ANNAPOLIS.

The funds raised will help us sustain our efforts in assisting our community partners address the unmet needs of individuals living in poverty. We have addressed and supported efforts with food insecurity,  period poverty, diapers,supporting theunhoused, seniors in poverty, and women suffering with substance abuse. Some of the partners include:

• Discoveries Pantry
• Annapolis Light House Shelter
• Salvation Army
• Sarah’s House
• Maryland Food Bank
• Tyler Heights Elementary
• West Annapolis Pop Up Pantry
• Blue Ribbon Project
• AAMC Foundation
• Woodside Garden Community

Visit our Facebook to learn more and support this year’s campaign! (LINK)

“Every day, I’m inspired by the women who raise their voices for equity, who challenge us to think differently, and who show us that our strength lies in our diversity,” shares Aisha Hilliard, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belong (DEIB) of the Junior League of Annapolis (JLA) as she reflects on the National Women’s History Month’s theme for 2024, “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion”. 

This Women’s History Month, JLA is not just looking back; we are looking to the future. We are calling on the community to join us in celebrating the women who have laid the groundwork for a more inclusive future and developing women to do a world of good.

We ask you today, who are the women in your life deserving of recognition? Let’s honor them, not just with our words, but also by following in their footsteps. Here are some of our members who are doing a world of good in our community:

Ellen Shiery, coordinator of the JLA 2024 ALIGN Series, brought together over 100 people for this two-part DEIB training.

JLA in the Community:
JLA Volunteers have given over 100 hours in the first two and a half months of 2024! Throughout the entire League Year, projects range from helping alleviate food insecurity, providing supplies for foster kids, donating  supplies to reduce period poverty, and supporting early learning/literacy programs.

Leading in our Community:
This League year, we had several JLA Members appointed to local commissions. Kellie Gaither was recently appointed to the Commission on Environmental Justice Sustainable Communities (CEJSC), and three of our JLA members were named commissioners for the Anne Arundel County Commission for Women (Aisha Hilliard, Stacie Spragins, and Monet Proctor).

Leading us into the future:
The 2024 New Members class has dedicated their class project to collecting the supplies teachers requested to help enhance the learning experience for Hilltop Elementary students. Hilltop Elementary School is a Title I school in Anne Arundel County, with 80% of the student body coming from low-income families. They are working to make a positive impact and foster an atmosphere conducive to learning and growth. If you would like to support their efforts, please visit their Amazon storefront at https://tinyurl.com/usrwe4sd and help us provide tools to help educate children in our community. 

For more information about the Junior League of Annapolis, please visit our website at www.jlannapolis.org. 

###

About the Junior League of Annapolis:
Junior League of Annapolis, Inc. is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training. It reaches out to all women of any race, religion, or national origin who demonstrate an interest in and a commitment to voluntarism.

About Women’s History Month:
Women’s History Month is observed each year during March. This is a time specifically set aside to pay homage to all of the great accomplishments of the women in our community. This observance began in 1987 and is a time to celebrate women’s contributions to history, culture, and society. The observance of Women’s History Month began in 1980 as a weeklong celebration when President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 2-8, 1980, as Women’s History Week. Seven years later, in 1987, Congress passed a law proclaiming the month of March as Women’s History Month across the United States. Since 1995, each United States president has issued proclamations naming March as Women’s History Month.

Each year, the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA) announces a theme for Women’s History Month. This year’s theme is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” This theme recognizes women who understand the need to eliminate bias and discrimination entirely from our lives and institutions.

In partnership with the United Way of Central MD, JLA is pleased to bring their 30I30 Experience to our membership. The 30I30 Experience is a powerful online, interactive session that reveals why so many hardworking people can’t make ends meet. The virtual simulation highlights themes like financial instability, resource scarcity, and mental health.

A FEW IMPORTANT NOTES FOR PARTICIPATION:

• This is a 90 minute virtual session and prompt attendance is requested.
• 2 step registration is required:
  1. Please respond in Digital Cheetah: https://tinyurl.com/4p8j78bs
  2. Most importantly, please sign up via this link: https://rb.gy/8h4jfb
• REGISTRATION CLOSES 24 HOURS PRIOR to the training.
• A desktop or laptop computer is recommended for this session (content is not easily transferrable to a mobile phone or tablet).

United Way of Central MD asks us to please create a distraction free environment while you participate in this experience.

**Attending this experience is worth 50 Membership points**

Are you interested in chairing a JLA committee next league year or anytime in the future? The Placement Committee is hosting a Chair Q&A Panel composed of past chairs. Current and past chairs still interested in chairing are also welcome to attend. Attendees would learn about the process of becoming a committee chair, the responsibilities of the post, and the ways they can prepare for that leadership position.

Topics to be discussed:
• Roles and responsibilities of being a chair
• Skills needed to be an effective chair
• What a chair does on a day-to-day basis that is different from a committee volunteer
• Benefits of being a chair
• Challenges of being a chair
• The chair selection process
• The differences across councils and committees

This event would be the perfect opportunity to ask the experts what it really takes to develop your volunteer career at the JLA. Each chair will delve into the reasons they were interested in becoming a chair, what they have learned from the experience, their biggest successes and challenges, and how much responsibility the job entails.

March 21st 7-8pm in person JLA office (25 membership points)

We’re seeking your gently used, great condition, ready to wear formal wear, to support the Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) Prom Boutique, a new initiative led by the Discoveries: the Library at the Mall and Annapolis High School. Drop off your donations at the Big Bean at 888 Bestgate Road location. Drive up or walk in your donations. 

Accepted items:
Teen and women’s dresses, wraps (i.e. formal wear shoulder wraps, etc.), clutches/small formal handbags, teen and men’s suits, vests, shirts, and ties  
*ALL ITEMS SHOULD BE IN GOOD CONDITION!*

• Membership Points will be awarded for donations as follows: 25 points for 1 item donated, 50 points for 2 or more items donated
• Door prize: The Big Bean has donated a $50 gift card to JLA, which we will giveaway as a door prize for those who donate formalwear! Upon arrival you will receive a ticket for entry
• Please feel free to swing through with children, spouses, etc.
• This is a rain or shine event. Please look for balloons in the parking lot area to indicate the location of drop off.

SIGN UP HERE