Junior League of San Antonio

It's Another Wine Wednesday!

2012-02-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to Wine Wednesday! This week, our guest blogger is Sheila Mayfield, Fête du Cuvée Silent Auction Chair. Read on, as Sheila gives us a sneak peak into the auction items for our upcoming inaugural Fête du Cuvée!

Prior to moving to San Antonio in 2007, I worked in wine marketing in Napa and San Francisco for Robert Mondavi, and then Constellation Wines. I loved my time in the wine world, and still carry the mission card we received at Robert Mondavi in my wallet at all times! "Our vision: To enrich life through wine." Wine is an integral part of gracious living, and I am beyond thrilled to be involved with the Junior League's newest fundraiser, Fête du Cuvée, the first charity fine wine auction in San Antonio. I'm proud of the Junior League's long history of initiating projects and programs to meet the rising needs of the thriving San Antonio community. Fête du Cuvée has provided the opportunity to work with an amazing team of women volunteers to put on a fabulous black tie event that will raise critical funds for the Junior League of San Antonio.

There will be six chef's stations around the ballroom of the Bright Shawl for an evening of exceptional wine and fine dining. Each chef has personally selected a red and a white wine to pair with their dishes. Chefs include Jeffrey Balfour from Citrus at the Hotel Valencia Riverwalk, Steven McHugh from Lüke San Antonio, John Brand from La Mansión del Rio’s Las Canarias, Stefan Bower from Feast, James Moore from Max's Wine Dive, and Ernie Estrada from Francesca's at the Westin La Cantera. In addition to the wine at the chef's stations, there will also be eight other featured wineries around the room. We'll have a live and silent auction, and entertainment from the Monte Vista Jazz Band following the auction.

We are so grateful for the generous support of wineries, distributors, and private donors, and thanks to them, we have secured some spectacular items for the auction. Here are a few of my favorites that I'll be watching closely at Fête du Cuvée!

Live Auction Highlights: (and these are just 4 of the 14 awesome packages!)

A trip to Napa including a two night stay at the Villa Valentine guesthouse on the Terra Valentine Winery estate where you will have the entire 75 acre estate at your leisure to explore the vineyards. I have been dreaming about this one for months! We have lined up some phenomenal winery tours and tastings, including a private tour and champagne reception at Opus One. Opus One is part of the Robert Mondavi/Constellation Wines portfolio, and I've had the pleasure of visiting several times. It is a very unique winery, and the tour and tastings will blow you away!
A trip to Oregon including a tour, tasting, and dinner at REX HILL Vineyards. Spurs Head Coach Popovich is a winery partner, and dinner at a winery is an unforgettable, bucket list experience! The package also includes a stay at a nearby guesthouse, a tour and tasting at Bergström Winery, and a magnum of REX HILL Pinot Noir to enjoy at home. There is also a bonus stay at the Sunriver Resort including a round of golf.
A trip to Santa Fe to attend Pioneer Wine's exclusive, invite only Renegade Party. Dallas' esteemed Suze Chef/Owner, Gilbert Garza, will prepare an out-of-this-world dinner, paired with winemakers' wines, in a showcase home on the outskirts of Santa Fe. Package includes first class accommodations for six at Casa Milagro, a breathtaking vacation home in Sante Fe.
San Antonio Staycation! Spend a weekend at the Hotel Valencia on the Riverwalk, and enjoy dinners at Citrus and Lüke. The package includes tickets to the San Antonio Symphony and a $150 gift certificate to Rent the Runway to make sure you have a fabulous dress to show off that weekend. How fun is that?!

Silent Auction Highlights:

A bottle of 2002 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon - Robert Parker gave this wine a perfect score of 100!
A magnum of Cakebread Cellars 2007 Dancing Bear Ranch, Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon presented in a wood box signed by winemaker, Bruce Cakebread
A magnum of Schramsberg 2008 Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine signed by winemaker Hugh Davies - Schramsberg is often served at White House dinners and is my favorite sparkling wine
A magnum of Ridge Vineyards 2007 Montebello - I have to put in a plug for this incredible winery located in my hometown of Cupertino, CA
Hotel stay at the luxurious Four Seasons Chicago with a tour/tasting at Lynfred Winery outside of Chicago
Tickets to the 2013 Rodeo including terrace level seats, reserved parking, and dinner - once you Rodeo this way, you'll never want to go any other way!
Night of Discovery at Fleming's including appetizers and wine pairings for 16 in a private room - buy this one for your next birthday party!
Wine and appetizers for 10 at 20nine Restaurant & Wine Bar - this is one of my favorite spots for girl's night out
$100 gift card to Max's Wine Dive - I just had Sunday brunch there - yummy!
Sitting fee and 10x14 portrait at Langmore Photography - okay, so this isn't wine related, but if you have kids, you will forever treasure a Langmore portrait of them!

And this is just a taste. There are so many other bottles of fine wine, tours/tastings, gift certificates, and other superb items. I look forward to seeing you all at Fête du Cuvée! Buy your tickets now - you won't want to miss this fantastic event!

And the Winner Is.......

2012-01-31T15:41:00.000-08:00

Hello Ladies and thank you to all that entered our Holiday Blog and Facebook contest! We officially have a winner. Drum roll please...

Our winner is ERICA ELLIS!

Erica, congratulations, and thank you for spreading the word about our fabulous League and our blog! We will present you with your winnings at the February General Meeting.

Ladies, continue to spread the word about our blog and league happenings through social media such as Facebook and Twitter! We have a lot of exciting events coming up, including Fete du Cuvee and Brunch at the Bright Shawl. You and your friends won't want to miss them!

Join a Junior League....Make a Difference!

2012-01-24T06:28:00.000-08:00

It's a fact, ladies: Junior League women make things happen. Even though we're a little past the beginning of the new year, why not add another resolution to that list of yours and JOIN the Junior League of San Antonio? Or, if you're already a member, why not resolve to bring a friend into JLSA?

Have you heard about all the benefits Junior League members experience? Here are a just a few:

*Improve the communities they live in
*Build leadership skills
*Make INSTANT friends that share the same passion of volunteering!
*Enjoy fun and productive networking opportunities
*Get to the attend the hottest, hippest, and most happening events around town all while making a difference
*Drink wine and shop (at Fete du Cuvee and Holiday Ole Market!)
*Sleep better at night (okay, that one hasn't been completely proven) :)

Right now, we are in our yearly membership drive to find new women to join our premier women's volunteer organization, where women work together to build a better community through leadership and community service. And we want YOU as a new member and an important part of our organization.

Now, if all those amazing benefits listed above didn't catch your eye, then are you a name dropper? If so, you're in luck, because by becoming part of JLSA, you have the opportunity to share a bond with some amazing women, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Sandra Day O'Connor, Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Nancy Reagan, Katherine Hepburn AND Shirley Temple. That's right - they were all Junior League women! And, if you're looking for some big names in your own community, look no further than JLSA members Kara McCarthy Cleveland, VP and COO of Eureka Connect Research, and Emily Jones, COO of San Antonio Museum of Art. These two amazing ladies will be honored this Thursday at the Omni Hotel in San Antonio for receiving the "Top 40 Under 40 Business Leaders" award presented by the San Antonio Business Journal.

Why not add your name to that stellar list of women TODAY?

Already a member? Then help spread the word through your own testimonials of events you have volunteered at and invite women you may know that would benefit from this exciting opportunity to make a difference.

For more information, contact Jane Mozingo, 2011-2012 Admissions Chair at admissions@jlsa.org

"Those who can do. Those who can do more volunteer!" ~ Author Unknown

The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions~This Weekend

2012-01-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

Heather Russo, Met Opera Chair, along with her amazing team, has been working diligently to prepare for this weekend's auditions.

Here's a quick summary of what's going on this weekend, as well as some deep-rooted history on this placement and how important this partnership has been through the years for the Junior League of San Antonio.

The Metropolitan Opera National Council Southwest Region will celebrate its 53rd annual auditions with the Finals Concert held Sunday, January 15. This event will be at the Ruth Taylor Fine Arts Center on the campus of Trinity University. The public is invited and encouraged to attend at no charge to hear some of the most promising young singers in the world of opera. Curtain time is 2 p.m.

Attending the Met Opera regionals is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear national and international talent compete in this year's competition. These rising stars offer an exciting performance before a panel of three distinguished judges. On hand for this year's competition will be Scott Altman, General Director for the Arizona Opera, Bruce Stasnya, Young Artist Program Director for the Palm Beach Opera and Gayletha Nichols, Executive Director of the MONC. Singers will be accompanied by Thomas Jaber, Professor of Music at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music.

The Southwest Region winner announced at the end of the performance will receive coaching from the Metropolitan Opera's artistic staff, and then compete at the National Semifinal Auditions at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in March. The Grand Finalist named at that competition will perform on the stage of the Met with full orchestra before an audience eagerly anticipating the professional birth of future worldwide opera stars.

These auditions have produced more than 35 national finalists, with many joining the permanent roster of singers at the Met. JLSA members are especially fortunate, because we've had the opportunity to enjot their stellar performances at our General Meetings!

This tradition of the MONC Southwest Region auditions in San Antonio began in 1959 with Margaret Batts Tobin. One of San Antonio's strongest arts philanthropists, Mrs. Tobin was pivotal in developing the National Councils regional auditions program to identify and develop top operatic talent throughout the United States. Mrs. Tobin was a very active and involved member of our Junior League and she helped establish the auditions program right her in San Antonio, as well as create that strong partnership with the league, recruitment of volunteers, and awareness of this program.

We hope you can spend part of the long holiday weekend at the Finals Concert and feel like you are in the audience of the Met in New York City. Who knows - you might actually be hearing one of their future stars!
(Thank you to Kim Biffle, Publicity Chair. For more information Kim can be reached at 210-573-0684)

Happy Holidays Contest!

2011-12-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel, Kala Christouyenna, and Froehliche Weihnachten!

Around the world and in just a few hours we will be celebrating Christmas. What a wonderful time to participate in deep-rooted family traditions as well as create some new traditions along the way! Being half-German, our family has a tradition where we hide a glass pickle ornament on the tree! On Christmas Day whoever finds the pickle first is given an extra present from St. Nick and good luck for the next year. The whole family loves to participate and it has been a tradition we have continued for years.

I recently created a new tradition that I was able to share with my kids. The Sunshine Singers invited fellow Junior League members to come caroling with them at area retirement homes. I took a fellow friend and Leaguer, Crystal Fuller, along our kiddos. Singing to the seniors, we saw a sea of smiles beaming holiday cheer back at us. Some seniors evens sang along with us, and at the end of our performance we were able to visit with the residents. I thought we would be blessing them with good tidings but instead they touched our hearts. We have now decided as a family to make this an annual tradition.

This time of year I just love hearing about traditions so we are running our first blog contest from now until January 3! All you have to do is:

1) Post one of your family traditions in the comments; or,
2) Share a link to our blog on your facebook page (then leave a comment letting us know you've shared)

Each tradition or Facebook link entered will count as a submission into our blog contest! On January 3, we will have a drawing for one lucky winner to receive a "Holiday Grab Bag"....so join in on the holiday fun and let's us know something special you do each and every holiday! We would love to hear about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa traditions as well!

Happy Holidays Junior League of San Antonio Members! We will see you in the new year!

Here's a quick snapshot of caroling on December 14!

Hooray Ole!!!

2011-12-19T16:17:00.001-08:00

Hello Ladies and Happy Holidays! I just talked to one of this year's Holiday Ole Market Chairs, Christina Martin, and had to share all the oohs and ahhs, hoorays and accolades of Ole this year!!

Hopefully, most of you ladies were able to finish your Christmas shopping list at Ole this year and are now leisurely sitting back at home wrapping presents, hosting parties, or baking! If not you don't want to miss next year's event!! Let me share with you these quick highlights of this year's Ole Market!

*Increased revenue overall
*Sponsorship dollars were up almost 8K
*Ticket sales and attendance records were made
*Girls Night Out was a HUGE success and was truly the "IT" event of the week!
*Several key In-Kind relationships were established which equaled close to $100,00 in donated products and services, of those a BIG SHOUT OUT and Thank YOU goes to Illusions and the RK Group, Blonde Creative, WOAI/News 4, and Don Strange of Texas, Inc. and Frances Strange
*Stroller Hours was a new niche this year and was a great addition for those shopping mommies!
*Parking was better this year
*Groupon ticket Sales was another hit
*The TENT!!! The red carpet and the tent made this a first class event!
*Branding of our organization seen around San Antonio and surrounding areas
*Having the Bright Shawl on site this year added a nice touch and showed some of our JL traditions with food items they served

Christina said her biggest highlight was, "Having an incredible Ole Committee and the best volunteers she has ever seen! I am blown away by this dedicated team of women who made this entire event happen!"

I would have to say right back at ya Christina!!! A huge thank you and congratulations on a job well done to our Ole Committee and their extraordinary chairs, Brett Beyer, Libby McKlevin, and Christina Martin! We all loved seeing your vision and dreams of this years Holiday Ole Market come to fruition! Hooray Ole!!!

The torch now passes on to Scotty MacDaniel for our 2012 Holiday Ole Market!! If you are thinking about a placement for next year take a look at the Ole Committee, I know you will walk away feeling apart of something grand!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

As I write this week's blog, I'm packing my bags, baking an apple pie and some brownie bars, and looking forward to spending time at our family's ranch in Hamilton. Most of you are also going through the motions and preparations for Thanksgiving Day. Hopefully you've avoided those LONG lines at the grocery store, bought your turkey early and are now dreaming about indulging on pumpkin pie and a lot of couch time. That alone is a lot to be thankful for as we gather around our dinner tables on Thanksgiving Day. Others in our community might not have that perfect feast we have envisioned in our heads. Families throughout San Antonio might not have the opportunity to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast at all.

On November 4, some of our Junior League of San Antonio members volunteered at the San Antonio Food Bank to prepare Thanksgiving meal packages for the less fortunate. The Junior League has partnered with The San Antonio Food Bank for years and if you haven't had a chance to volunteer at this San Antonio non-profit organization you need to put it on your "to do" list.

I recently spoke to Veronica Laurel, Communications Manager of the San Antonio Food Bank, and she provided me with some sobering statistics of hunger in our own community.

*The San Antonio Food Bank is currently providing emergency food assistance to more than 58,000 individuals each week.
*17.9 percent of Texans lived under the poverty level in 2010.
*16.3 percent of the San Antonio Food Banks service area population are food insecure- meaning they don't know where their next meal will come from.
*29.2 percent of children in Bexar Country are food insecure

(that's 1 in 3 children)

*46 percent of households the Food Bank serves have at least one working adult in the family
*36 percent of their clients are children
*14 percent of their clients are seniors
*If you donate just $1, the Food Bank can turn that donation into 7 meals, 10 pounds of food or $13 worth of grocery product.

*Volunteers are always needed to sort food in the warehouse, work in the garden, and help prepare meals in their kitchen.

Veronica encourages us all to organize a food drive at our workplaces, schools, churches, or in our neighborhood.

As you are enjoying this year's turkey feast and fighting over who gets the lucky drumstick, be thankful we have great organizations in our community such as San Antonio Food Bank and the Junior League of San Antonio. The holidays are upon us and if you are looking for a way to spread your thankfulness this year think about donating time or food to our local food bank.

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!

Honoring ALL Who Served

2011-11-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

JLSA blogger Jessica McAnelly reminds us how our military members and veterans should always be close to our hearts in the Alamo City.

Veterans Day always falls on November 11, the day that formally ended the hostilities of World War I. It is the day set aside to honor and thank ALL who have served in the military for the United States. We will show appreciation for our heroes' contributions, for the sacrifices they made, and for our daily freedom. All around our country, on 11-11-11 at 11 a.m., churches, VFW Halls, schools and civic organizations will be celebrating our veterans and giving thanks to ALL who served. Flags of red, white, and blue will be hung and pride will be felt throughout our great nation. Where will you be at 11 today and who will you honor?

When I first started this blog, and was interviewing our fellow Junior League members, I kept asking who they will be honoring, "Will you be honoring your father, husband, or grandfather, this Veterans Day?" One of our new members, Diane Miller, pointed out to me something wasn't quite right with my question: what about ALL who served? She's right. What about the great women who have served our country? We should not forget the women who have served their country in the armed forces. Diane mentioned they might be our next-door neighbors, a mother from a playgroup we have joined, our sisters, cousins, a high school classmate, or even a Junior League of San Antonio member.

Diane, who spent six years serving in the Air Force, says, "I had the privilege and honor of knowing many a woman who sacrificed time taking care of their own needs, and time with their children and husbands to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of these women even had mothers that served in the military." She continued, "I feel confident in saying that as a female, and a veteran, I am proud of my time in the military."

In 2007, the VA estimated that there would be 1.8 million female veterans by 2010. That is a humbling statistic when I think about how blessed I am to spend the holidays with my loved ones this year, while others, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters may be spending their holidays on the front lines for United States of America!

On Veterans Day, spend time honoring not only your own loved one connected to the military but ALL who have served our country and remember to honor the men and women veterans who have sacrificed so much for us!

Thank you so much, Diane, for your service. We honor you and thank you for your insight and for making our community a better place.

The TOP TEN Reasons Why YOU need to Attend OLE!

2011-10-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone got to watch our very own Ole Chairs, Christina, Brett, and Libby on the SA Living Show this past Monday! They did a great job and made us all want to get our hands on some of those gumball hula hoops!

If you haven't bought your Ole tickets for this year, don't worry: it's not too late!

Visit http://www.holidayolemarket.com/ and buy yours today! You can share the link on Facebook and Twitter with all your friends and family as well and help get the word out!! This year will mark the Junior League of San Antonio's 18th Annual Holiday Ole Market and it will be a "Shopping Entertainment Experience" you won't want to miss!

Melissa Rosson, Holiday Ole Market Internal Communications Chair, shared her "Top Ten Reasons to Go to Ole" this year! Thanks Melissa, for making Ole irresistible to members, family and friends!

Melissa's Top Ten Reasons to Attend Ole:

10. It's a great way to get in the holiday spirit with unique gifts that you can't find anywhere else! Can you believe more than 90 merchants will be there? You could finish your whole Christmas shopping list in one day and you really can't beat that!

9. If you're not there, you are definitely going to regret it when you see all your friends wearing new outfits and jewelry they bought. And, when you hear about all the fun they had at the Girls Night Out event or the Ready, Set, Shop breakfast, you're going to need some cheering up!

8. Your husband or significant other and even your kiddos can come meet all of your JLSA friends and shop with you, all while supporting the JLSA! This year we've added stroller shopping hours to make it more convenient for buys moms.

7. You'll see so many unique decorations at Ole that you'll be filled with ideas and inspiration on decorating your own house for the holidays.

6. Parties, parties, and more parties! And these tickets go FAST (so buy now!)!

5. Great silent auction items, live auction items, AND a handbag auction....someone catch me! I'm feeling light headed! :)

4. Delicious food from local vendors and yummy drinks.

3. You can honor the heroes in your life with a ticket to the new Happy Hour for Heroes event! We live in a city with many servicemen and women, as well as heroes in our police and fire departments and in our local schools - why not treat the heroes in your life to a special day?

2. Did I mention great food, shopping, and entertainment yet?

And the NUMBER ONE REASON you should attend the Junior League of San Antonio's Holiday Ole Market is...

1. You get to contribute to the JLSA's largest fundraiser, which helps fund hours of community service and touch many lives throughout the year and throughout our great community that we call HOME!

Our First Wine Wednesday!

2011-10-05T08:20:00.001-07:00

That's right ladies, it's not called Hump Day anymore! With our Cellar Classic Event at Max's Wine Dive this weekend and our Fete du Cuvee Fine Wine Auction in the Spring, we have decided to feature unique wines on WEDNESDAY!

To kick off our first "Wine Wednesday", our very own, Melissa Unsell, Vice Chair of Research and Development, is our guest blogger.

Melissa gives us a sneak peak at the wines being served at Max's Cellar Classic Event this October 8th, from 12pm - 4pm. I know social calendars fill up fast in October but you want to make room for this event benefiting the JLSA!

2009 Domaine de la Pepier Muscadet Sur Lies
(VIP Tasting)

This wine is from the Loire Valley of France, a somewhat underrated region, which bodies well for finding great-value wines. The Muscadet is fresh, light, and crisp. It's tangy, slightly salty taste gives credit to the terroir, including the Atlantic Ocean.

The wine is made by acclaimed winemaker, Marc Ollivier. Ollivier aims for more complexity by going the traditional route in the cellar--aging the wine sur lie(on the lees) until bottling. Keeping the wine in contact with the lees brings out richer texture and deepens flavors.

While sipping on this wine, enjoy aromoas of mineral and citrus. On the palate, enjoy fresh apple and lemon; Pair with oysters, mussels, flounder, and sole.

2007 Domaine Bosquest Gigondas
(VIP Tasting)
This wine is from the Rhone region of France. And, I hope you can keep a secret, because this is one of the best value-luxuries in France (shhh-don't tell). It's a great alternative to the expensive Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

This Gigondas is a blend of Grenache (60%), Syrah (20%), Mourvedre (10%), and Cinsaut (10%). It's velvety and instensely concentrated, with flavors of dark chocolate, plum, blueberry, smoke and spice. Try it with braised red meats, lamb stew, and chicken dishes with herbs.

2007 Rosenblum "Heritage Clones" Petite Syrah
General Admission Tasting
This wine is from the Lodi region of California, specifically located on the foot of Mt. Diablo at the edge of the San Francisco Bay. This area has a rich history of quality grape production dating back more than 120 years. The vineyards are planted with two selection of Petite Syrah, both from 80 to 100 years old. This Contra Costa regions will soon be known as the Meccas for Petite Syrah.

This wine exhibits a bouquet and flavors of ripe blackberries, plums, chocolate, black pepper, violets and spice. It also has great color, which is jet black. This wine bodes well with hearty fare such as a mixed sausage ragu, barbecue smoked prime rib, leg of lamb on a bed of thyme, or a good old-fashioned pop roast.

Quick Wine Expert Fact: Petite Syrah is a different varietal than Syrah. Syrah is referred as such in the Northern Hemisphere, and is referred as Shiraz in the Southern Hemisphere. Syrah/Shiraz are the exact same varietal.

Cellar Classic, The Event: What to Expect; How to Prepare

There will be plenty of wines to taste on Saturday. I highly suggest that you walk in with a game plan. If attending the genral admission tasting, you have 50+ wines to taste in four hours (averaging 12.5 taste in every hours). You may be able to manage that, but that doesn't factor in socializing and eating Chef James' creations.

I recommend printing the wine list - available onMax's website. Highlight the wines you have never tried before or are intrigued by (perhaps a region you are unfamiliar with). Bring the list with you as your Wine-Itinerary! Remember, you do not have to swallow the wine to taste it. Your palate may experience fatigue, so stick with your game plan, and if you have extra time you can revisit your favorites or try the rest!

For you VIP tasters, it is best to start inside, then work your way to the general admission wines due to the possible palate fatigue.

I invite you to contact me for my "must taste" recommendations and best of all, I invite you to approach me during the event if you have questions or want a demonstration on proper wine tasting techiniques!

Cheers!
Melissa Unsell

To learn more about Melissa and her wine adventure visit her blog Vinously Speaking Wine Blog at www.vinouslyspeaking.com!
Remember, you can also still buy tickets to this event as well as grab your tickets to Ole! Hope to see each of you there!

Cellar Classic Event At Max's Wine Dive

2011-09-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

Have you heard? We are only two weeks away from Cellar Classic at Max's Wine Dive (October 8)!

This tasting event is truly a culinary adventure in your own backyard! Save money you might have spent on airfare to Italy or California and instead grab your girlfriends, buy a set of tickets, and join us in sampling more than 75 wines from all over the world. You deserve a day to kick back and enjoy live music, wine tastings, and culinary delights prepared by Executive Chef James Moore. Chef James' culinary delights will truly span the globe with little tastes of Spain, Italy, France, and North and South America.

Chef James is an enthusiastic partner with the Junior League of San Antonio for Cellar Classic, speaking highly of the league and our community involvement. He is excited to join forces with JLSA to create networking opportunities and awareness, as well as generate proceeds that go toward a great cause.

Chef James credits his mentor, Martin Rios, as well as living in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego as influences on his cuisine creations. Chef James even recommended a great Shiraz for entertaining: a 2005 Penfolds RWT Shiraz that has a "velvety smooth, tremendous fruit, and flawless finish." For you aspiring oenophiles, you'll receive even more wine tips at the Cellar Classic event, including white and red wine pairings with different foods.

Get your tickets today! Come on out and enjoy the fall weather, wine, food and friends. General admission tickets are available and you can also purchase VIP tickets that include some added perks. Our Ole Committee will also be at the event selling Holiday Ole Market tickets.

Hope to see you there with a smile on your face - Chef James says that's the best compliment a chef can ever receive!

Welcome BACK !

2011-09-09T06:11:00.000-07:00

Jessica McAnelly, a member of the communications council team and our newest blogger extraordinaire, has seen autumn off to a busy start this year. In this latest post, she reminds us not to just get caught up in the hustle and bustle of this season, but also to welcome challenges, growth and opportunities.

Welcome back to another wonderful year in the League.
Welcome back to school.
Welcome back to a routine.
Welcome back to being more involved.
Welcome back to personal growth and development.

As I ran around town in a whirlwind of buying backpacks and school supplies, I saw other moms in the same panic of finishing up their own "to do lists." I, as well as the other moms around me, were all getting ready to get our kids, and ourselves, into a back-to-school frame of mind! It made me think back to how exciting the first day of school really is, kind of like going to our first JLSA General Meeting! You get to see friends you haven't seen all summer; you hear about all the new things that are planned for the year; and you learn new skills! It's truly a time to get back to growing yourself, to embracing new opportunities to enrich your life!

No matter what stage of life we are in, it's never too late for us to build and grow on the foundations the Junior League of San Antonio has instilled in us. Our league continues to develop our potential and improve our leadership skills through education and our charitable work. So ladies welcome yourselves back to growing within our league and within your life!

This fall, consider taking advantage of opportunities for personal development, whether they're within the League or in our wonderful South Central Texas community.
*Take an online course in a subject that interests you
*Start or finish that Master's degree
*Learn a new Language. Oui ? Si?
*Take on a leadership role within the league
*Take a Toastmasters class and finally get over that fear of public speaking
*Sign up for training sessions the league offers and sometimes get a Member Credit. Double Bonus!

Whatever you have on your mind to do, remember it's never too late to get back to growing yourself!

And mark your calendars to attend our first General Meeting, Sept. 13 at the Bright Shawl. We want YOU to get in that back to school mode by showing us your college pride (prizes will be awarded)!

I don't know about you, but I already feel those first day of school butterflies and can't wait to see old and new friends and hear about the things we will accomplish in the League this year! Hope to see you there!

Spicing Up Cluster Meetings

2011-08-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

Cluster meetings.

What are they? They’re an opportunity for new members to get to know other JLSA members, AND to get to know the organization as a whole. Dana Cleveland has taken the cluster meeting to a whole new level with recent challenges issued to her new member group.

Read Dana’s account (below) to learn more about what Dana does to keep cluster meetings interesting, innovative and inspiring. Then, challenge yourself to complete the same activities, or to come up with new ways to more fully comprehend the mission, vision and objectives of JLSA.

Each cluster meeting I decided I wanted to challenge my ladies to learn more about themselves AND the league they have joined. I do research on my own and bring to each meeting a sort of history lesson and copies of documents from past leagues and the true history of the junior league. Their first assignment was as follows: I asked each of my new members, for our Cluster Meeting #2 was to reflect on themselves and why they are becoming part of an elite group of women. I told them that all great women in history had a purpose and mission for doing what they do. I told them the "God Mother" of the Junior League, Mary Harriman Rumsey, once said, "Our League, as I see it, was organized as a means of expressing the feeling of social responsibility for the conditions which surrounded us. We have the responsibility to act, and we have the responsibility to conscientiously act to affect the environment around us."

I then asked them their "Mission Statement" or their purpose in the Junior League. Here are a few of their responses:

· Celeste Oliver wrote, "To partner with socially conscientious women to promote health, education, and well-being of families and individuals to create the clean, compassionate and viable community that will enhance our lives, the lives of our peers and leave a better place for our children."

· Janet Pedrotti wrote, "I come from a background of fundraising where I learned the biggest reason people don't donate to charities is because they have never been asked and I realized the reason I never volunteered, even though I wanted to, was because I was never asked. I joined the league as my way of throwing myself into volunteering. And I am a huge fan of the "pay it forward" theory and I truly believe it you show compassion towards someone and do something nice there will be a chain reaction of kindness."

· Alejandra Baptista wrote, "My purpose to make a difference with the league is to help people in need within my community driven by my belief that it can only lead to more positivity and I am grateful that I have two arms and two legs and the time to volunteer and fulfill my purpose."

I told them that during my provisional year I was voted as Spotlight New Member and was asked the very same question. I told them that as we do our duties as leaguers, we should see our “new member requirements” as more than requirements; we should think of them as opportunities.

The next Cluster Homework (due in October) revolves around some information I provided my group at Cluster meeting #2 regarding a Junior League article in the Junior League Magazine from October 1952. It describes the “average” League member of that time from a certain demographic. As we read it in our cluster meeting we laughed and saw how different we think the league is now. I plan to have each lady describe their idea of the “average” League member now. I’m curious to see how this has changed and what each of them see as the same or different from the 1952 article.

I feel very fortunate to work alongside such incredible women doing great things!

Member Perspective: SA Eye Bank

2011-08-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

New member Emily Gary recently volunteered at the San Antonio Eye Bank's Memorial Donor Quilt Ceremony. She graciously provided a recounting of her experience:

Today I volunteered for the San Antonio Eye Bank at their annual Memorial Donor Quilt Ceremony. This day was for families to honor and remember those loved ones who have passed and subsequently donated their eye tissue to SAEB. They were able to pin a personally-decorated memorial patch on a donor quilt in their family member's honor. The ceremony included testimony from both donor families and recipients.

It was so moving to speak with families who were there to honor their loved ones. One mom in particular touched me, teardrops falling onto the registration table as she filled out her remembrance card, still hurting from the loss of her 7-year-old donor. A father spoke to the group as a recipient who had lost vision in one eye. He now lives his life each day, with vision in both eyes, in such a way as to respect and honor the donor who made his restored vision possible.

I didn’t go into the day expecting to take anything from this experience other than five more required hours, but this amazing circle of life that we witnessed was touching and it gave me an entirely new view on organ/tissue donation. The day ended with a grand release of a hundred or so yellow balloons.

About the San Antonio Eye Bank:

The community-based San Antonio Eye Bank has become a pioneer and leader in providing eye banking services to patients, surgeons and hospitals in San Antonio and throughout South Texas for more than 40 years.

The eye bank reaches out to the community with innovative programs designed to increase awareness about the importance and need for donated eye tissue for transplant. The non-profit, non-governmental San Antonio Eye Bank is a member of the TBI/Tissue Banks International non-profit network of vision and certified by Eye Bank Association of America.

The San Antonio Eye Bank Donor Family Quilt is an opportunity to honor and remember donors and allow transplant recipients to express their gratitude for the gift of sight. Organizations across the country use quilts as a visual display of how lives are touched by donation and transplantation.
The San Antonio Eye Bank is proud to sponsor the quilt in partnership with quilting maker, J Larry Beauchamp of the Greater San Antonio Quilt Guild.

Reading Camp Rocked!

2011-08-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Summer was anything but boring for reading camp volunteers and participants. With an entire world of knowledge to explore via safari, the students were excited and their JLSA leaders created unforgettable learning experiences.

Read more about Reading Camp from JLSA volunteer Shannyn Romero:

JLSA Summer 2011 had a fantastic start. The 5^th Annual Reading Camp Safari at Hawthorne Academy wrapped up on June 17 after completing 330 service hours during the seven days of camp. Twenty-five 2^nd graders, along with 16 JLSA volunteers, went on a Safari exploration of habitats of the world. Along the way, they learned about habitat locations, characteristics, and residents (the animals of each habitat community).

The students, guided by dedicated JLSA volunteers, explored each habitat through reading, research, arts and craft activities, and snacks coordinated with the day’s habitat. Students began camp with a story-time introduction from Cat in the Hat (Thanks Cameron!) and left camp with tote bags over flowing with stories, art, play-dough hermit crabs, animal masks, bird feeders, and shoe-box dioramas as well as reading tools, books, and activities to last through the summer.

Thanks you to Amelita, Bonnie, Holly, Jan, Jennifer, Krista, Lynne, Lucy, Samantha, Sarah, and Suzanne along with extra support from Flex Placement volunteers Angela, Amy, and Johanna for making 2011 Reading Camp Safari a fantastically fun and positive learning experience!

Reading Camp participants show off their crafty masks.

Is Betty Draper a Role Model for Today's Women?

2011-07-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

The fictional star of TV’s Emmy Awarding-winning Mad Men is a stay-at-home mother, an active member of the Junior League of Tarrytown (now called the Junior League of Westchester-on-Hudson) and a key mover in the League’s local environmental efforts.

But how typical is Betty of real Junior League members (all 160,000 of them)?

While many Junior League members take time off from work to raise families, 71% of members work full or part time outside of the home. Many members do some combination of both: work, stay at home, and go back to work again. And all, like Betty, are actively involved in civic leadership in their own communities.

Here are just a few of The Junior League’s change agents.

•Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), member of the Junior League of New York and the proud sponsor of a House bill to establish a National Women's History Museum on the Mall in Washington.
•Jan Langbein, The Senior Policy Advisor at the Office on Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice and a 27 year member of the Junior League of Dallas.
•Betty Simms, U.S. Senate, Missouri, has made significant contributions to improving the health, economic, and social well-being of women and children.
•Rose Hudson, President and CEO of the Louisiana Lottery Corporation.
•Kay Hagan, U.S. Senate, North Carolina, “one of the smartest, hardest working, most effective senators in North Carolina” according to Governor Mike Easley, credits her experience with The Junior League.
•Gena Lovett, COO Alexandra Investment Management, a New York hedge fund.
•Glenda E. Hood, former Florida Secretary of State and Mayor of Orlando.
•Pat Evans, former three-term Mayor of Plano and was Plano’s “Citizen of the Year” in 2004.
•Dee Dickinson, one of the world’s foremost experts on learning and human development.
•The Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Justice on the US Supreme Court.

Which Junior League women have positively impacted your community?

Article provided by The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. Founded in 1901 by New Yorker, Mary Harriman, the Junior Leagues are charitable nonprofit organizations of women, developed as civic leaders, creating demonstrable community impact.

Today, The Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. (AJLI) is comprised of more than 160,000 women in 292 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Together, they constitute one of the largest, most effective volunteer organizations in the world.

Member Credits Explained

2011-07-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Member Credits Explained!

JLSA is pleased to offer members the flexible member credit program again this year. Designed to offer league members with a variety of community and in-league experiences, there is something for everyone, including:

· Holiday Ole Market shifts (October 19-22, 2011)

· Met Opera shifts

· Goodwill “Julia’s Attic” shifts (February, 25, 2012)

· Sustainer Luncheon (September 13, 2011)

· Volunteer Extraordinaire shifts

· Prospective Member Information Night shifts

· Fete du Cuvee (March 3, 2012)

· Various training opportunities throughout the year

· Select SA Works shifts

· Kids in the Kitchen events

Membership credits are offered during the day and in the evening, during the week and on the weekends. The number of credits a member must complete is determined by their number of years of service to the league.

Active Elite members (9+ years of service) need only complete one credit per year.
Active preferred members (6-9 years of service) need to complete two credits
Actives (1-5 years) need to complete three credits
New members need to complete two credits, which must be fulfilled through Holiday Ole

Years of service include the new member (provisional) year. All active members, regardless of their years of service, are highly encouraged to complete at least one of the credits with Holiday Ole, to show support of our biggest fundraiser.

Sign up for member credits will begin in August and there will be plenty for members to choose from throughout the year. To sign up, go to the members only section of the web site and click on Member Credit Sign Up. It is that easy!

Summer in San Antonio

2011-07-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

With no fireworks and little to no rain, summer’s been a little different than usual for most San Antonians. The one thing we can count on to remain the same is the heat!

Actually, there’s more than one thing that stays constant in San Antonio. We continue to enjoy the benefits of a city that drives tourism and that remains above the national average when it comes to troubling economic issues. From the Alamo to SeaWorld to Fiesta Texas to our growing culinary scene, San Antonio is the most visited city in Texas. This distinction makes our efforts even more important.

The visibility of our city means that we, the women who serve the community, are even more important. We may attract tourists who visit San Antonio for a day or a week and who enjoy our golf courses, amusement parks and restaurants, but those of us who volunteer make San Antonio a better place to live for people who spend their entire year, day in and day out, here and call the Alamo City home.

Our new members are hard at work earning their hours and striving toward active status. In fact, some of them (like a member you’ll read about in our September edition of Scrawls) are more than halfway through their community service requirement – that’s putting summer in San Antonio to good use! Ole Committee members are doing the same, planning and preparing for an outstanding fall event that will generate funds and create future opportunities for service.

What are you doing this summer? Whatever it is, we’re sure you’re making your own impacts. Whether you’re spending the summer travelling the world or touring local museums with your children, we want to hear about the changes happening in your life and how you’re enriching your world, your community and yourself during these blazing summer months!

Change is a good thing!

2011-06-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that I have been a member of the Junior League of San Antonio for 32 years – I used to think women who had been members for that long were old. I realize now that I was sadly mistaken.

When I think about the changes in the League over the last 32 years, however, I can believe every minute of that time has passed. For example, members were listed in the directory as Mrs. John Smith, not Jane Smith. Husbands’ professions were mentioned in the Bright Scrawl (it was published monthly) article about the new provisional but the Provisionals’ employment was ignored. We wore pantyhose to General Meetings. My Provisional placement was waiting tables at the Bright Shawl – where I learned to make a champagne cocktail, perhaps not the best example of Junior League training.

Of course, the changes in technology are astonishing. In 1979, we made copies with a mimeograph machine. (Does anybody know what that dinosaur is?) Needless to say, when the Xerox machine arrived, it changed our lives. And the IBM Correcting Selectric III typewriter was total luxury – there was a correcting tape right in the machine. I’m so grateful that the era of word processing had arrived by the time I served as Recording Secretary, a better example of Junior League training.

I haven’t mentioned the changes in communication. We didn’t even use answering machines in 1979. Voice mail and call waiting were huge innovations. When I was President of JLSA in 1995-96, my counterparts in other Leagues, and I were so grateful for fax machines – we could communicate almost instantaneously. Email was unimaginable then, and it seems unimaginable now to do without it. I can text, too, although my not-very-smart phone makes the process a little laborious.

I think it is safe to say that one thing hasn’t changed since 1979 and that is the motivation for being a member of the Junior League of San Antonio. In fact, I suspect the motivation has been constant since our founding in 1924. We are a group of women who want to make a difference in our community and who want to make friends while we do it. What wonderful memories I have of the last 32 years! What great hopes I have for the next 32 – and beyond!

-Alison Wenger Boone
2011-12 Sustainer Board Advisor