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

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

Welcome BACK !

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!

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

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.