To celebrate the upcoming 90th anniversary of the Junior Welfare League of Huntington, JWL members, volunteers, and children marched in the annual Huntington Holiday Parade on November 26th.
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To celebrate the upcoming 90th anniversary of the Junior Welfare League of Huntington, JWL members, volunteers, and children marched in the annual Huntington Holiday Parade on November 26th.
JWL members and volunteers helped hand out water to over 2,000 runners in the annual Thanks4Giving Townwide Fund run on Thanksgiving morning!
The Junior Welfare League kicked off its annual Holiday Charities program at the October meeting with a goal of providing over 600 local children in need with holiday packages of gifts and care items, all from individual wish lists created by the children. Interested in getting involved? We welcome all!
We have successfully committed to providing hundreds of children with thoughtful and special holiday gift packages created with love, along the lines of their individual wish list requests. This unique approach is a huge undertaking but we have managed to provide the exact presents that children request to an increasing number of local children every year. Last year we provided over 600 local children in need with exactly what they asked for… but only because of your help.
You can take one, or many, or even request a whole family. Have a local office that wants to get involved? Ask us how you can coordinate a giving tree to get everyone involved in buying presents for a family or two!
The requirement (per child)—and yes, you can always do more:
Want to get involved? If you have a JWL member you are already connected to, simply reach out and let them know how many children you would like to sponsor. If you do not currently have a contact here, now you do! Just email [email protected] and we’ll get you on the list to sponsor as many children as you would like.
Requests must be in by November 1, 2022.
JWL President Andrea Boccard, JJWL Chair Genoeffa Brady, and JWL Secretary & VP of Membership Liz Leeds attended the Townwide Fund‘s Annual 2022 Harvest Night on September 29th to accept a $3,000 grant benefitting the Charitable Children’s Fund.
The Townwide Fund of Huntington awarded its highest-ever amount of grants this season, supporting non-profit organization programs throughout the Town of Huntington with over $181,000 in grants. The $3,000 awarded to our Charitable Children Fund will have a tremendous impact on children throughout the Township.
Charitable Children Fund was recently established as an outgrowth of one of the League’s initial core programs, the Lift Fund. The Charitable Children Fund is a junior and more informal version of our Lift Fund but still provides necessary and immediate small-scale resources to a child or teen in time of need.
Typical applicants are children from low-income families. Charitable Children Fund requests may range from a 8-year-old needing a new pair of eyeglasses to a high school senior requesting a tux rental in order to attend his prom, to a teen seeking help with co-pays for psychiatric health services.
With fall well underway at the Junior Welfare League, we’re excited to share with you quite a few updates and news that we have happening here! Whether you’re an active supporter, current or former member, or have simply attended an event or gotten involved with us in the past, we invite you to take a peek at everything we’re working on!
We launched a new website late this summer–you can find recent news, events, scholarship applications, member forms, and programs all on the site. Check out the new site here. See bottom of this email for a special request for former members to help out capturing our history!
With projects ranging from stuffing backpacks to supporting the Greenlawn Centerport Historical Association to distributing race bibs and medals at the 9/11 Heroes Run at Huntington Harbor, our JJWL members are rolling up their sleeves and getting tons of hands-on experience in volunteering and philanthropy.
We’re mere weeks from officially launching our annual Holiday Charities program, where we continue to provide more children every year with overflowing holiday gift packages based on their unique wishlists. Last year we supported over 600 children. Contact your favorite JWL member to get your sponsored children this year!
Our annual program provided over 200 children with new backpacks and supplies for back-to-school this year. Returning sponsors Hockey Helps provided our supplies and W Services Group provided our backpacks. Join us in thanking them for their support!
The JWL thanks the Townwide Fund of Huntington for its support funding our grant application for $3,000 to support Charitable Children. The Charitable Children Fund is an outgrowth of one of the League’s initial core programs, the Lift Fund. The Charitable Children Fund is a junior and more informal version of our Lift Fund but still provides necessary and immediate small-scale resources to a child or teen in time of need. Examples of fund requests range from a child needing money for new eyeglasses to a teenager needing support with co-pay costs for mental health treatments. Whatever the need, the JWL’s Charitable Children Fund is here to support our children, and the Townwide Fund has ensured this year our resources will go even further.
We’ve launched a new initiative to help connect JWL members with their interests. If you are a JWL member or interested in becoming one, you can now choose exactly what interests you at the League! Explore initiatives here and, if you’re a member (join here!), you can get involved in anything you want right away! Member Committee Interest Form Available Here!
Were you a member of the League or did you get involved with past events and programs? We’re looking for your pictures and stories to add to the website! Send anything you have to [email protected] and we’ll get it on our site—our history is so important to our future.
The Junior Welfare League of Huntington is a “small but mighty” organization with a super active and committed base of local women working on programs that have a direct and immediate impact on our community. Every member is asked to participate in at least one program or committee during the year (but is welcome to get involved in as many opportunities as they’d like). This year’s form is now available for member sign-ups!
Access the form here: https://forms.gle/a8uLAQq8rTekxq4u7
(If you are not yet a member but would like to be involved in the JWL, please join first here and then fill out the form!)
September 20, 2022 – JWL Meeting Minutes
Date: Sept 20, 2022
Location: Vandegrift Plastic Surgery
Attendees:
Andrea Boccard, Adria Dodge, Kathy Terry, Corey Lein, Liz Leeds, Leslie Levchuck, Jen Brady, Meri Vandegrift, Christie Halbesen, Christine Blaine, Christina Trudden, Mita Parikh, Trish Boland, Nicole Rainone, Jamie Brennan, Olivia Buzzetta, Barbara Pawar, Adriana Herrera, Sara Murphy, Caroline DeDora
Next Meeting: Thursday, Oct 20, 2022
Announcements:
Discussion:
Welcome & Introductions
President’s Report – Andrea Boccard:
Secretary/Membership Update – Liz Leeds:
Treasurer Report – Kathy Terry:
Communications Update – Core Lein:
JJWL Update – Jen Brady:
Backpacks for Success Program Chair Report:
Grants Chair Report:
Lift Fund Update:
Holiday Charities:
Committees:
JWL members are asked to be involved in at least one program or committee. Programs are typically specific times/events of the year (aka, backpacks for success or camp for kids) and committees can be year-round or seasonal. Please consider what you would like to get involved with if you’re not already involved in something! We will send a sign-up out before the October membership meeting to get organized
September was a busy month for our Junior JWL members, with volunteers pitching in at both the Pickle Festival in Greenlawn and The 9/11 Heroes Run at Milldam Park. Volunteers participated in selling popcorn and pickles to Pickle Festival attendees, raising money to support the Greenlawn Centerport Historical Association, and enjoyed one of our favorite benefits of being a JWL member–making and enjoying great peer friendships!
JJWL volunteers at the 9/11 Run helped by checking in registered runners, distributing race bibs and medals, and helping coordinate clean up and organization throughout the event. They also witnessed a beautiful 9/11 memorial ceremony, where event organizers honored local Huntington residents who died in 9/11 and remembered the tragic events of the day. Our JJWL members’ experience was a tremendous opportunity to learn about a major event in American history and pay tribute to those who we have lost and remember to this day.
Interested in joining the JJWL? JJWL members come from all local Town of Huntington school districts and are girls enrolled in grades 6 through 12. In addition, our JWL members’ younger and/or male children are always welcome to participate in volunteer opportunities throughout the year (as long as their JWL member parent is present as well). Learn more about the JJWL here.
Long-time board members Leslie Levchuck (President, 2018-2022, Lift Fund/Seasonal Chairperson pre-2018) and Dr. Inna Gellerman (Secretary/VP of Membership) stepped down from their board positions at the end of June of 2022. Through their leadership and contributions, the League has experienced years of continued growth and success in our programs as well as our membership. Therefore, it is only fitting that the JWL is getting together to celebrate these two luminaries—and all current and past members are invited to raise a glass to Leslie and Inna!
For those wondering, don’t worry—both Leslie and Inna plan to stay active within the League!
The Junior Welfare League of Huntington welcomed its new board for the 2022-2024 term. Departing board members President Leslie Levchuck and Secretary/VP of Membership Dr. Inna Gellerman wished all board members the best of luck and offered their continued guidance as needed. Please join us in welcoming: