Director of Nominating Marissa Bellio (L), Sarah Lawrence Award Recipient Melissa Lee Alexander (Center), and President Michelle Lentz

A highlight of our year-end General Membership Meeting is always recognition of our outstanding volunteers. The Sarah Lawrence Award, named after the Junior League of Boston’s founder, is given to an Active or Sustainer who has used her training and experience in the JL Boston to benefit another non-profit organization in the greater Boston area. This year’s recipient was Melissa Lee Alexander. The text below is adapted from the announcement of her award. Congratulations, Melissa!

In her years since serving on the board of directors for JL Boston, Melissa has been an active voice fundraising for the Children’s Heart Foundation. For several years she has organized a team to participate in their annual fundraising walk benefiting cardiac research. This year, Melissa was selected to chair the Children’s Congenital Heart Walk in Boston, which took place on April 20, 2019 in the Boston Common. Despite the rainy morning, 40 teams and 300 walkers participated, and the event raised over $50,000. This was her second year as chair and organizer of the event, raising a combined total of $170,000.

Melissa is a shining example of a Junior League of Boston member who has used her league training in volunteer management, event planning, fundraising and storytelling to inspire others and have a positive impact on our community. Thank you, Melissa, for all that you do!

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Sustainer Volunteer Award Winner Urszula Wojciechowska (right) with Director of Nominating Marissa Bellio

A highlight of our year-end General Membership Meeting is always recognition of our outstanding volunteers. TheVolunteer Recognition Awards are presented to one Active, one Sustainer, and one New Member who in their current placements go above and beyond their placement requirements and embody the mission of the Junior League of Boston. This year, we are pleased to recognize Urszula Wojciechowska as the Sustainer Volunteer award recipient. The text below is adapted from the announcement of Urszula’s win. Congratulations, Urszula!

Urszula has once again been a major contributor this year to the Sustainer Council and to the Sustainer membership of JL Boston. One of her most memorable contributions this year was her chairing the Mid-Winter Fest in March for Sustainers that was held at Headquarters. This was an important event to offer Sustainers. Attendees enjoyed a fun, festive evening together that Urszula organized and led so beautifully.

Over the years, Urszula has been a major contributor to the Sustainer Council, to the Sustainer membership, and to JL Boston. She has served JL Boston as Chair (now known as Director) of the Sustainer Committee (now known as Council) for several years, which developed opportunities to re-engage Sustainers in the League beyond simply paying dues each year. She continues to be a very active member on the Council, and has organized and produced numerous wonderful events, with grace, goodwill, and a cheerful twinkle to serve the Sustainer population. Urszula is an event planner extraordinaire and she is ready to jump in and volunteer on whatever is needed. We are thankful for her ongoing dedication to the Junior League and to the Sustainers.

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New Member volunteer award recipient Courtney Scrubbs

A highlight of our year-end General Membership Meeting is always recognition of our outstanding volunteers. TheVolunteer Recognition Awards are presented to one Active, one Sustainer, and one New Member who in their current placements go above and beyond their placement requirements and embody the mission of the Junior League of Boston. This year, we are pleased to recognize Courtney Scrubbs, who volunteered through the Training Council, as our New Member Volunteer award recipient. The text below is adapted from the announcement of Courtney’s win. Congratulations, Courtney! 

Courtney Scrubbs has brought great value and made some really positive contributions to the League this year, primarily related to Salon Series and Solutions Summit. She was instrumental in securing the excellent speakers we had at Salon Series this year, reaching out to her network, coordinating with speakers, and playing an active role at the Salons themselves. She has also contributed excellent ideas to the planning of the Solutions Summit and recently represented the League at a public hearing hosted by the MA Commission on the Status of Women. There, Courtney discussed the Solutions Summit event and made some great contacts for potential Solutions Summit speakers and attendees.

The contributions that Courtney has made are particular impressive since she is a new member. She has quickly become a key member of the League, attending a variety of events, building relationships, and never hesitating to contribute ideas and assistance.  She perfectly embodies the notion of “what you put in is what you will get out.” Courtney has lived our mission by bringing to life so many amazing and meaningful training programs, and even as a New Member has served as true leader for her team and her peers. She volunteers for everything, shows up with a smiley and is ready to roll her sleeves up to do a job well done! She is a woman of positive influence and personality. She is an inspiration and a joy to be around!

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Active Volunteer of the year Tara LePage is center, in a red shirt, at her Kids in the Kitchen volunteer placement.

A highlight of our year-end General Membership Meeting is always recognition of our outstanding volunteers. TheVolunteer Recognition Awards are presented to one Active, one Sustainer, and one New Member who in their current placements go above and beyond their placement requirements and embody the mission of the Junior League of Boston. This year, we are pleased to recognize Tara LePage, co-chair of Kids in the Kitchen, as our Active Volunteer award recipient. The text below was submitted as part of her nomination for the award. Congratulations, Tara!

Tara has been a dedicated volunteer with Kids in the Kitchen (KITK) for the past 4 years, co-chairing the program for the past 3. She is hands-down one of the strongest program chairs I’ve come across in my years in JL Boston. The role of a community program chair requires immense organizational and interpersonal skills; managing volunteers, students, parents, school staff, curriculum, field trips, outside speakers, food supplies, transportation and more. Tara, along with her co-chair Julie Gal-Or, expertly manages these program elements in an effective, engaging and impactful manner.

Tara and her co-chair Julie Gal-Or created professionally printed KITK recipe books for program participants.

Tara is incredibly organized, reliable, full of enthusiasm, and tremendously dedicated to the program. She and Julie run KITK like a well-oiled machine. They have wonderful rapport with participants, parents, volunteers and the staff at Boston Renaissance Charter School in Hyde Park, where the program is held. Under Tara’s leadership, the program has thrived. She and Julie developed professionally printed KITK workbooks for their participants, complete with healthy recipes and fun nutritional activities for the kids to use at each session.

The sessions Tara and Julie plan balance physical wellness and adolescent nutrition and education, and have included:

• A Zumba class + “one food many ways” workshop
• An Urbanity dance class + scavenger hunt in grocery store to promote shopping around the perimeter vs. inner aisles (healthy vs. unhealthy food)
• A field trip to Boston Public Market for a pasta making class & taste of local food vendors.

The program serves 18 girls grades 3-5, all of whom are consistently excited to attend the KITK sessions. Tara and Julie also hold a year-end session that includes a celebratory lunch for parents and guardians of the girls, which has been a big hit.

Tara is always quick to lend a hand and help out with JL requests from Community and other committees. For example, her program was one of the only ones to supply student recipes and signed cards for the Gala, stay late after a session to give members a tour of KITK on the Placement Tour, supply photos of the program for Communications, and to give thorough, regular updates of their program in writing to the Community Council. Tara has also been an immensely helpful mentor to the JLB Arts chairs at BRCS, both of whom are new to their role/program/school and received lots of guidance from Tara.

Tara consistently goes above and beyond her placement requirements and truly embodies the mission of the Junior League of Boston. She is truly someone we can count on to deliver top-quality programming to participants and volunteers, and I’ve been incredibly impressed with her commitment to KITK.

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Lindsay Farrell, the chair of the 2019 Little Black Dress Initiative, shares information about the program.

Recently, The Junior League of Boston hosted its annual winter General Membership Meeting (GMM) focused on the theme of leadership. To kick-off the meeting, Michelle Lentz, President, shared inspiring quotes related to the theme. Each quote resonated with members, especially, “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be”, spoken by Rosalynn Carter. Members were then asked to describe a leader in one word. As women buzzed with excitement, they agreed on words like “inspiring”, “supportive”, and “collaborative” as great adjectives to describe an empowering leader.  

From left to right, panelists were: Ginny Harris, Pamela Lynch, Zara Spooner, moderator Tracy Prabhu, and Hayley Hannan

This year’s meeting included two panel conversations for members to learn more about leadership opportunities in the League as well as the different ways these opportunities prepare you to overcome obstacles and encourage you to take risks. During the “Using Your League Experience to Grow as a Leader” panel, four women discussed their journeys in the League and the many meaningful highlights from their placements. This panel ended with various forms of advice including: 

• Identify needs in the community and take action 
• Recognize each other’s potential and recommend them for leadership opportunities 
• Don’t be afraid to try something unusual 
• Ask questions 

Members then had the chance to ask the Board of Directors and Executive Management Team questions focused on their hopes for the Junior League of Boston, what their favorite social event is, and how to balance life and League obligations. The meeting closed with members feeling inspired, empowered and ready to take on 2019! 

Want to develop your leadership skills in the League, but could not attend the GMM? Here are a few ways you can get involved, and further your skillset: 

• Training: In addition to regular trainings, our Training Council organized all-day trainings and opportunities such as the Board Seat Initiative, Mentorship Program, and the Conference Grant Fund, where JL Boston members can pursue outside training opportunities through a grant to offset registration and related costs.  

• Little Black Dress Initiative: Did you know that in every 98 seconds, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted? Every 11 minutes, that victim is a CHILD and only five out of every 1,000 perpetrators will end up in prison. The LBDI is back, and we are looking for advocates to bring awareness to the distresses of poverty and violence against women, and the impacts they can have on a woman’s access to resources, her confidence and professional opportunities. Learn more about the LBDI, and use our hashtag #LBDIBoston to start the conversation. Become an advocate today! 

• Nominate a leader: We are currently accepting applications for the 2019-2020 Board of Directors and Executive Management Team. Interested in applying or learning more? Visit the Nominating resources page, complete the online application form, or email jlbnominating1819@gmail.com. We also have immediate leadership opportunities that you can apply for, as VP of Community Service Elect, VP of Communications Elect or VP of Technology Elect. 

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