As President of the Junior League of the Emerald Coast, it is my pleasure, along with our Board of Directors, to lead the Junior League of the Emerald Coast through the 2007-2008 year. We strive to uphold the Junior League Mission of promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving our community.
The Junior League of the Emerald Coast is an organization of approximately 300 women who share a commitment to volunteerism in our beautiful community. We are a diverse group of women; doctors, lawyers, teachers, business women and stay at home mothers are all equally welcomed into our organization and the variety of ideas and contributions they bring just adds strength to our organization.
As a member of the Association of Junior League’s International we are part of a global team with 293 Junior Leagues from the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Local members benefit from being a part of this global team by sharing ideas and community projects which are successful in other parts of the world and to use those experiences to better our own community.
Our volunteers know that being a part of a team enables us to be more effective leaders in our own communities by sharing our combined talents and limited volunteer time in a coordinated effort. Being part of a team is also what makes volunteering with the Junior League of the Emerald Coast so much fun.
This year our team work will enable us to clothe approximately 300 elementary school children in brand new clothing through our child clothing project. Providing our communities poorest children with new clothing, shoes that fit and warm winter Coats helps to improve the child’s self esteem and in return the children are more likely to participate in the classroom.
Our Done in a Day committee will provide opportunities for our volunteers to participate in a variety of different hands on volunteer programs in our community. We often partner with other agencies in these efforts and if you wish to propose a project for our volunteers please fill out the online project idea form. Partnerships last year included the Department of Children and Families, Habitat for Humanity and the Mattie Kelly Arts foundation.
This spring we will once again offer a free event for families to promote learning about science. The first annual Spring Science Explosion at the Fort Walton Beach landing was a huge success in April 2007 and we plan to repeat the project in the spring of 2008.
The impact and contributions we make to our community are made possible through our fundraising efforts and our sponsors in the local community. We realize that continuing our mission is dependant upon community support. Our fundraising efforts this year will include a gift wrap sale through November 1st, sales of our community Cookbook Beach Appetit available year round, our Spring Tennis Tournament, a Charity Wine tasting at Fresh Market and the Charity Casino night party. Please check back to the home page of the website for updates and ticket prices. We welcome community donations and sponsorships and we offer advertising in our monthly newsletter and recognition of our sponsors. To view a list of our sponsors please visit the corporate giving page of our website.
If making a difference in our community through volunteering, while developing friendships and learning new skills is something that interests you, please review our Membership section for more information on how to join the Junior League of the Emerald Coast. Our recruitment reception will be August 16th 2007 at the Historic Gulfview Hotel in Fort Walton Beach.
I invite you to participate and support our Community Affairs and Fundraising efforts this year. Please call the Junior League office at 862-2665 for further information or email to President@jlec.org
Thank you for visiting our website!
Claire Partain
President 2007-2008
Junior League of the Emerald Coast
