As anyone who has moved can attest to, creating a life in a new city is more than just finding a new hair stylist, although that is an extremely important task! I once calculated that I have lived in eight cities and three countries since I graduated from University. This may sound like a lot or a little to you depending on your own family culture. What I can say is that my move to Boston was by far the smoothest and most welcoming I have had. This is due, in part, to how fantastic the people of Boston are, but for me the biggest difference is that this was the first move I made as a member of the Junior League.

JL Boston members work every day to promote wellness in our communities so we love the idea of Food Day. Food Day inspires Americans to change their diets and our food policies. Every October 24, thousands of events all around the country bring Americans together to celebrate and enjoy real food, and to push for improved food policies. Check out the following infographic about the impact of the American diet on health, and consider attending a Food Day event today or over the weekend.

Strong Women, Strong Girls (SWSG) is dedicated to closing the ambition gap among young girls. Since 2000, the organization has been training and engaging college women as mentors to low-income, elementary school girls. Together, mentors help their girls explore their dreams and provide them with a safe space to practice the skills they will need to achieve them.

Strong Women, Strong Girls is a collective organization. The girls, college students, Site Monitors, event volunteers, and Professional Mentors come together to make this well-oiled machine that produces the most amazing connections among people from all different backgrounds. And while all the connections made are meaningful, the one between the college student and Professional Mentor is particularly significant because of the advice and guidance provided by the working woman to those of us figuring out what we want to do with our lives.

What’s Galentine’s Day you ask? It’s a holiday invented by Leslie Knope, Amy Poehler’s character on the NBC show Parks and Recreation, to celebrate her female friends and to show them how much they mean to her. It is intentionally close to Valentine’s Day (February 13, to be exact) to ensure that we don’t forget our platonic friends when we are gearing up to celebrate our romantic partners. Because the show itself is about strong women (and their equally strong male co-workers) passionately improving their communities, the holiday also celebrates their strength.

I moved to Boston from Saint Louis almost a year and a half ago and decided to join the Junior League of Boston after hearing of all the remarkable charitable opportunities and empowering women involved. This year I was fortunate enough to be a part of our League’s first ever Community Bus Tour. I was particularly excited for the chance to spend time with fellow members and learn more about the League’s philanthropic opportunities while taking in the sights of Boston in a big yellow school bus!

Where would we be without leaders? Acting as role models, they ignite a spark within us, allowing us to be better, dream bigger and do more than we otherwise would.

The Junior League of Boston is full of leaders, opting to improve the community by volunteering to contribute their talents and time. Inspiration is drawn from those around us as well as those who have come before us.

It seems that the universe is trying to tell us something. October 16th was Oxfam’s World Food Day and October 24th marked Food Day in the U.S. Both events were designed to bring awareness to both the responsible supply and healthy demand in our food system. As our local food production season winds down, the conversation about our food system at large heats up, and with good reason.