JLF Breakfast At Tiffany's

Saturday, March 9th was our annual Junior League of Fresno "Breakfast at Tiffany's" fundraiser.  A champagne brunch, silent auction, wine cellar raffle, and fashion show -- who could ask for anything more from an event?  I invited my mom, aunt, cousin, and dear friends Kimberly and Paula to share a table, and we had a wonderful time!  I overdid it a little bit at the silent auction, coming home with a beautiful painting for the new house and a lovely pearl necklace.  All for a good cause!  Here are some pics of the event and of us girls all dolled up!

Firefighters Creating Memories

Last night I had my second experience with the "Firefighters Creating Memories" program at the Big Fresno Fair, sponsored by the Fresno Fire Department. Junior League has partnered with the Fire Department to participate in this program since 1999, and it's events like this that remind me why I chose to join JLF.

What is FFCM? Basically, families with special-needs kids are selected to have an all-expenses paid day at the fair with the assistance of firefighters and local volunteers. The Junior Leaguers (and any other volunteers participating in this program) are on hand to carry bags, push strollers or wheelchairs, run food errands, care for kiddos, and even provide moral support and encouragement to siblings, parents, and grandparents who are along for the experience. The firefighters do the real work -- helping carry and lift handicapped children onto the rides and around the park, and assisting with any unexpected medical issues that might occur.

This year's FFCM was so different for me than the last time I participated. This time I have a child of my own, and I know how rewarding it is to see your little one having fun and just getting to be a kid. I also know, as a mother, how worried I would be if my child had health issues that made something as simple as going to the fair a complicated, logistically-challenged outing. I stood and watched as firefighters Mark and Evan helped carry 9-year old Caleb onto his first ride last night; Mom was worried it would be too fast for him. We watched together as the ride went round and round, and it seemed like every time Caleb passed us his smile was even bigger. I thought that if I was her, I would be thinking that the best buddy to have on that ride with my special-needs son is a trained emergency responder! She teared up, and I could tell it was because she was relieved that her boy was both happy AND safe. I teared up, too, because I felt really privileged to be witnessing something so incredibly simple but yet so very generous. In that moment I remembered that we can't take anything in life for granted.

The family also had a 5-year old girl, Faith, who is a bundle of energy BEFORE eating an entire bag of cotton candy. I had a great time chasing after her (post-cotton candy: it was quite a chore!) and keeping her occupied while the men in uniform tended to her brother. Mom and Dad also had the opportunity to spend about half an hour on their own while we let the kids play games and go on rides. Faith "won" several goldfish and a bag full of stuffed animals, and the firefighters made sure Caleb had every opportunity to ride, play games, eat, and score prizes and treats of his own.

The Firefighters Creating Memories program was started in 1994 and has helped more than 1,000 family members and about 300 mentally or physically challenged children. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to take a break from the busy-ness of life to help this family, to experience such selfless giving, and to remember what's truly important.



The fire crew: Chief Tobias, Evan, Jeff, Phil, and Mark.  With kiddos Caleb and Faith.



Jr. League Update

With all the major life changes going on at The Oxford House in the past year, I've neglected to share any updates about my involvement with Junior League of Fresno.  This past year in JLF was a welcome reprieve from the extremely busy year serving on the Board as Membership VP.  I was so thrilled to get a spot on the Nominating Committee, which is the team that identifies the leadership slate for the following year (BOD members and Committee Chairs).  We met often and worked hard, but it was all very behind-the-scenes and low key!  I really enjoyed being under the leadership of my Committee Chair and got to serve on the committee with my friend Laura.  Outside of our committee meetings, I didn't make it to all of the General Session meetings and missed out on a lot of the social events because I was focusing on my precious girl....but that's okay!  We finished up the year with our annual June Dinner Meeting, and it was so much fun.  We celebrated our chapter's accomplishments for the 2011-2012 year, and the gavel was passed to our new president for next year.  At that meeting, I realized.... I think I am done hibernating.  I'm ready to get back out there and spend more time serving in the community and hanging out with some of the best women in town!  We have some exciting things happening next year: a signature "Edible Garden" project with the Fresno Discovery Center,  as well as a new "Junior League Moms" affinity group (which means opportunities to get together with JLF friends and bring our kiddos for structured play/activities).

Next year I'll be serving on the Communications Committee (my second stint with this important committee) and I'm really excited to contribute my talents toward enhancing internal communication within League and also our external presence in the community.  For now, we're on Summer break, with our first General Session meeting scheduled for September.  In the meantime I'm working on recruiting -- we're having a few informational meetings this summer and I'm inviting gals left and right!

Junior League - Give Me More!

I've occasionally blogged about my involvement with Junior League of Fresno, and wanted to share a quick & exciting update! Due to some changes in this year's leadership, I was offered the opportunity to move "up the ladder," so-to-speak, and serve as this year's Membership Vice President. I could provide a lot of detail here about what that position entails, but the point is -- I've signed up for even MORE time and effort on behalf of Junior League, because I am having so much fun with the organization and the amazing women who make up JLF. (How often do we enjoy our work so much that we ask for more?) I joined in Fall of 2008 because I was looking for some volunteer opportunities; little did I know, it would turn into so much more! What I treasure most about JLF is all the different and wonderful women I've met, the lifelong friendships that have developed, the satisfaction of being part of something meaningful and important, and the opportunity to learn and grow as a leader. It keeps me very busy, but I absolutely love it!

Firefighters Creating Memories

This past Saturday I participated in the Firefighters Creating Memories program at the Big Fresno Fair:

During the course of the Big Fresno Fair, a family with a child who has special needs is selected for an all expenses paid day at the fair escorted by off duty firefighters. The family and firefighters are given free admission, and the firefighters spend the day helping the family enjoy the fair the best ways possible. Firefighters can be seen assisting the children onto rides that might otherwise have not been able to enjoy, or simply assisting families through the fair. The firefighters do everything in their power to ensure the child and the family have a safe, fun, and memorable day at the Big Fresno Fair.

The Junior League of Fresno partners with the Fresno Fire Department every year to assist with this program, and JLF members like myself help the family by pushing strollers, holding purses and diaper bags, doing food runs, etc. Follow Junior-Leaguer Cathleen Hall and I assisted a Hmong family of 11, with a 10 year-old Downs Syndrome boy. It was a long afternoon in the sun, but very worthwhile! I also managed to get a tour of the Fire Station at Cedar/Butler, and ran into an old high school friend in the process!

You can read KMPH's coverage of the program (featuring a different family) here.

Here's a picture of our group: the family, the firefighters who assisted, several members of the "Explorers" program with the Fresno Fire Department, and Cathleen and me.

JL Fresno's "Kids in the Kitchen" Event

If you've been reading this blog you know I joined the Junior League of Fresno, with the goal of meeting new friends and finding opportunities to serve in the community. Any new member of JL is required to complete a "Provisional Year," in which we attend special meetings for the purpose of learning the history and goals of the organization, how it works, how to volunteer (yes, it's actually a learned skill!), how to work "in committee," etc. Plus, it provides a venue to really get to know the other incoming new members. Each provisional class is also required to do a "class project."

This year's project was called "Kids in the Kitchen," part of an initiative sponsored by the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI). We held a one-day event on March 14th at the Boys & Girls Club in downtown Fresno with the purpose of teaching kids about healthy eating and the importance of staying active. The kids visited 7 different stations: 5 where they learned to make a healthy snack, 1 where they played an "activity" game, and 1 where they made a craft project. I volunteered to run the craft table, so when the kids rotated to my station I helped them assemble and decorate recipe books containing the recipes for the snacks they made that day. I got to design the recipe book myself and had a great time interacting with the kids! It was the first Junior League event I participated in since joining the organization where I felt I was truly "digging in" and doing something to directly benefit the community. It was also super impressive to see how my JL colleagues, a very fun and diverse group of talented woman, worked hard on their individual pieces of the project to make a very successful event.

Here are some pics, including a group shot of this year's provisional class.

It's Junior League Time!

What IS the Junior League, exactly? I had seen a Junior League cookbook years ago and thought it was some "home ec" type of organization, maybe what you'd join after you graduated from Girl Scouts! Turns out I was wrong!

As some of you know, I serve on the Board of Directors for the California Employers Association, which has been a thoroughly challenging and fun experience... Anyway, on the way to a Board meeting in August one of my fellow Board members told me all about JL and recruited me for membership. For those of you who've never heard of it or don't know, "The Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. (AJLI) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable."

The truth is, it's been on my heart to find a resource for volunteering for a LONG time, I just wasn't sure how to go about it. I was thinking I'd have to sit down with the phone book and call all the non-profits in Fresno, ask about volunteer opportunities, and figure out where I would fit in. So far, Junior League of Fresno (JLF) appears to be a good answer -- rather than researching opportunities on my own, I get to network, meet new people, and try out different opportunities to see where my strengths and interests are.

New members are called "Provisional" for the first year, and must attend a series of classes (in addition to the General Session meetings) that teach us about the history and structure of JL, how to establish/work on committees, plan and host fundraising or community outreach events, and give us the opportunity to "bond" with other new members. In addition to the Provisional & General Session meetings, there are plenty of other chances to donate time, resources, and money to various, local good causes that the league is involved with.

So I've attended just a few meetings so far, and I really don't know anyone! It's been a long time since I've been in a completely unfamiliar setting with completely unfamiliar people, but it feels fresh and challenging. I'm excited to get to know some new people and maybe make a few new friends, and especially excited to see what I can give back to the community!