2000S
2010-2011 President Ms. India Reid Vermaelen
The 2010-2011 year was slated to focus on improving our membership satisfaction and volunteer opportunities. The 7th annual “A Very Merry Market” was held October 21-23, 2010 at the Alexandria Riverfront Center and was once again very successful, producing a profit of over $60,000. Members enjoyed socializing with one another during League Lagniappes, which included pottery painting, hip-hop dance class, painting class, and a movie night. Members participated in central Louisiana’s first annual Susan G Komen for the Cure race by working at the Kids for the Cure tent. Other volunteer opportunities through our Done in a Day committee included the Back to School Round Up held at the Alexandria Mall, helping decorate the Alexandria Zoo for the holidays, assembling Easter baskets for the children at the Hope House, Mother’s Day goodie bags for the women at the Turning Point Shelter, and participating in the always successful Kids in the Kitchen at the Alexandria Zoo and donating back packs, filled with items for children suddenly removed from their home, to CASA. Our November general meeting focused on celebrating the arts in central Louisiana. The Alexandria Museum of Art hosted our meeting with Catherine Pears speaking to the membership about cultural opportunities in central Louisiana. Local organizations were invited to display their programs and educate members. In its ninth year, the Junior League Foundation awarded $16,780 in grants to local agencies. Recipients included: Central Louisiana Arts and Healthcare, Family Counseling Agency, The First Tee of Central Louisiana, Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Friends of the Alexandria Zoo (FOTAZ), Hope House of Central Louisiana, Julius Patrick Elementary, NextSTEP of Central Louisiana, Inc, Northeast-Central Louisiana Affiliate of Susan G Komen for the Cure, A Perfect Fit Foundation, Rapides Children’s Advocacy Center, Inc, The Rapides Exploratory Education House, Inc (T.R.E.E. House), Red River Dance Theatre Company, Spiritual Tuesdays Aiding Rugg Students (STARS), Volunteers of America of North Louisiana. The ladies in this year’s provisional class began the Pregnancy Closet, one of the final stages in preparing for the “Earn While You Learn” program at the Volunteers of America. Through requests from members and collection days the ladies were able to stock the “closet” with clothes, furniture, bath items, toys, diapers and much more. Bunnies and Yolks were once again held at Loyd Hall. Members and their families attended as well as ladies interested in joining or re-joining the Junior League. The annual Provisional Sustainer Tea was held on April 20th at the home of Ana and Tommy Couples. In our third year partnering with the T.R.E.E. House, a work day was held which consisted of cleaning and painting existing exhibits, two new exhibits, both focusing on sensory activities, were also installed and the costume area received a new closet system. Scholarships for Seniors program awarded (5) $1000 scholarships to the following ladies: Reotta Gaulden – Peabody High School, Emilie Harmeyer – Holy Savior Menard, Kelly O’Quinn – Bolton High School, Kaitlyn Guillot – Tioga High School, Meredith Hamblen – Pineville High School. Training for league members included members attending Regional Leadership training in Shreveport; one member attending ODI in Houston and 2 members attending ODI in Tampa, Florida; 2 members attending to Winter Leadership training in New Orleans; and 2 members attending to Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The League’s website, jlalex.com, received a sleek, new and improved makeover offering rich features and benefits to both members and the public. Having a strong web presence will reflect our brand and tell the powerful story of the Junior League of Alexandria. Membership voted to changes the by-laws to modify the requirements for PROS status. Members will be eligible for this status after eight years of membership in good standing. Junior League board members attended the second annual Celebration of Philanthropy, designed to focus attention on all of the good that comes from charitable giving and voluntarism across Central Louisiana. Junior League of Alexandria, along with Junior League’s state wide, participated in Legislative Day at the Capitol in May. The event focused on childhood obesity. New To You continues to be a successful fundraiser with over $118,000 in sales. Secret Ingredients continues to contribute to the League mission with $7200 of sales. This year’s board voted to transfer $35,000 to the Junior League Endowment Fund at the end of the year. The annual meeting and May Dinner concluded the year on May 4th at Alexandria Golf and Country Club. Members celebrated our rich history while looking forward to our future. Guests enjoyed a video presentation of our past 70 years and concluded the evening with live music and dancing. Thirteen new members and 2 new sustainers were recognized. Awards are as follows: Active of the Year, Nancy Soprano; Provisional of the Year, Katie Shuflin- Febuary; Sustainer of the Year, Amy Walker Searcy; President’s Award, Trish Leleux; President’s Award, Amber Serio; President’s Award, Emily Tracy; New To You Contributions, Mitzi Fairbanks.
2011-2012 President Mrs. Mitzi Fairbanks
The 2011-2012 year was slated to focus on increasing our volunteer opportunities and to strengthen our inner community in order to strengthen our outer community. We started off the year by hosting renowned speaker Vicki Clark. Vicki’s enthusiasm was heard by community non-profits, provisionals, sustainers and actives during a three day training. The first annual board/provisional retreat was held in Simmesport at the home of active Nancy Soprano. The 8th annual “A Very Merry Market” was held October 27-29, 2011 at the Alexandria Riverfront Center and was once again very successful. The goal of this year’s market was to continue all of the successful practices of previous years and this produced a profit of $76,000. Members got to know each other better during League Lagniappes, including wreath making, karaoke, painting and dinner/movie night. Volunteer opportunities through our Done in a Day committee included Volunteer of America Clothes Room, Mardi Gras nursing home parades, CPR class, Food Bank Telethon, Food Bank’s Christmas Cheer Sort Day, Coat Drive, Lion’s Club Glasses Donation, TreeHouse and Kids in the Kitchen at the Alexandria Zoo for the children of Hope House and the Boys & Girls Club. On March 23th, the Junior League Grants awarded $16,150 in its tenth year. Recipients included: Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Hope House of Central Louisiana, T.R.E.E. House, Kent Plantation, St. Mary’s Residential Training School, Inc., St Francis Cabrini School, Boys & Girls Club of Central Louisiana, Inc., Central Louisiana Arts & Healthcare, Inc., VOA, A Perfect Fit Foundation, YMCA, Alma Redwine Elementary School, Carter C Raymond Elementary school, First United Methodist Church STARS Program, and NextSTEP of Central La. The Provisional Project was a large and wildly successful event. This year’s provisionals held an event named Girls ROCK at Calvary Baptist Church. With over 100 young women in attendance, the program was designed to reinforce JLA’s mission statement. The participants learned skills in banking, jobs, internet safety, healthy eating, exercise, and self-defense. JLA also partnered with Central La Community Foundation to host the 3rd annual Celebration of Philanthropy at the Diamond Grill. The annual Easter celebration “Bunnies and Yolks” was held at Ashland Plantation, home of active Ann Bubenzer, on March 18th with record attendance. The Provisional Sustainer cocktail was held at the lovely home of Anna Cupples. Scholarships for Seniors program awarded (5) $1000 scholarships to the following ladies: Cari Beth Barrett – Bolton High School, Maggie Connerly – Bolton High School, Brittany Partain – Bolton High School, Alana Nardini – Pineville High School, Brooke Piland – Pineville High School. Training for the Board this year included 8 members going to Regional Leadership training in Shreveport; 2 members going to Fall Leadership training in New Orleans, LA; 2 members going to Winter Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, and 3 members going to Annual Conference in San Francisco, Ca. New To You continued to increase it’s record revenue and transfers to the League projects. Sales were over $112,770. Secret Ingredients continues to contribute to the League mission with over $5000 of sales. This year’s board voted to increase several community project’s funding and we were able to transfer over $100,000 to the Junior League Savings Fund at the end of the year. The annual meeting or May Dinner concluded the year on May 8th at Alexandria Golf and Country Club. 20 new members and 2 new sustainers were recognized. Awards are as follows: Active of the Year, Laura Bryan; Provisional of the Year, Paula Doyle; Sustainer of the Year, Mrs. Lynne Hyde.; President’s Award, Ann Bubenzer; President’s Award, Jolie Vanderhoeven; President’s Award, Christal Workman. New To You Contributions, Mimi Kirzner. Project Research and Development worked very hard to find a focal area for JLA. In a vote of 3 major issues to Cenla, the JLA membership voted to adopt Foster Care as our focus for the future.
2012-2013 President Mrs. Kellie Saccaro
Our year was devoted to continue working on developing a more specific focal area for The Junior League of Alexandria. We chose Foster Care as our broad area of interest, but decided to specifically help parents and grandparents of these children. This will help to make a larger difference in the lives of these families. We were fortunate to start our summer with the 2nd provisional/ Board of Directors retreat. It was held at the camp of LeLe Soileau on beautiful False River. We had a fabulous weekend filled with fun, laughter, bonding, and learning more about JLA and our community. We were able to have 16 provisionals join our organization. Their provisional project was a fabulous, fun filled day at Slinkees. Foster families in the CenLa area were entertained, fed, and showered with gifts and much needed food to help their families during the school break. The foster families were able to understand and realize how much JLA can do for them and their families in the future. Our fundraisers were once again extremely successful. The 9th annual A Very Merry Market was held October 25-27th at the Alexandria Riverfront Center. We were able to profit over $67,000.00 from this event. Our resale store, New to You, received much needed repairs and a major clean up. The sales were over $112,445.00 Our cookbook, Secret Ingredients, has been selling well this past year. Local merchants and members sold $4500.00 in cookbooks. Our members volunteered at many different activities in our community this year. We tailgated for Turning Point, dined at The Diamond Grill with Governor Edwards for Turning Point, Raced for the Cure, and entertained nursing home residents with our children by hosting a Mardi Gras parade. We joined other non profits at a community non profit fair in the mall, Cause We Care Fair. Kids in the Kitchen educated over 50 children in our community about healthy eating and exercise. We restocked, reorganized and cleaned the VOA pregnancy closet and donated bedding and cleaning supplies to Hope House residents, as well as Christmas gifts for children at Turning Point. Members also had fun at various activities during the year. Some of these included a Halloween party, movie night, lunches and dinners at various local restaurants, painting party, and an ornament exchange. Celebration of Philanthropy was held downtown and we were able to showcase JLA to our community and to other non profit organizations. We helped out with Tom Peyton Arts festival run, Party for the Planet at the zoo, and coached girls for the 1st Girls on The Run program held in Alexandria. This is a program for teaching 3rd-5th grade girls self esteem, exercise, and many other life skills. We were able to give out $11,342.00 in community wide grants. The recipients included Alexandria Youth Orchestra, A Perfect Fit Foundation, The Food Bank of Central La., YMCA, Central La. Arts and Healthcare, Kent House, NextSTEP, City Park Players, Servant House, Abi Morrow, Rapides Children’s advocacy, Stacy Gunter, Gaye Ortis, Girl Scouts, Christian Love Baptist Church, FUMC/STARS, Rapides Parish Library, YWCA, Tara Travis, and River Oaks Art Center. Our 5 seniors receiving $1000.00 each were: Rachel Blomquist, Paige Griffin, Veronica Rubio, Nicole Sanders, and Morgan Wampler. Our sustainers continued to enjoy book club, as well as a special seating at A Very Merry Market. Here they were entertained by dancers from the Nutcracker, as well as local dance studios. There was a provisional/sustainer cocktail party at the home of Adrienne Dole. Sustainers were able to meet the newest members of JLA and learn about their year. At the end of the year, because of our fundraising efforts, we were able to transfer $126,000.00 into our accounts. We concluded the year with a dinner on May 7th at Alexandria Golf and Country Club. We recognized 16 new members, as well as 6 new sustaining members. Christal Workman was awarded Active of the Year. Kellie Peyton was awarded Provisional of the Year. Lisa Neely was awarded Sustainer of the Year. Helena Brocato and Beth Melancon were each given a President’s Award due to their outstanding service to JLA as well as our community. The top New to You contributor was Colleen Velotta.
The 2010-2011 year was slated to focus on improving our membership satisfaction and volunteer opportunities. The 7th annual “A Very Merry Market” was held October 21-23, 2010 at the Alexandria Riverfront Center and was once again very successful, producing a profit of over $60,000. Members enjoyed socializing with one another during League Lagniappes, which included pottery painting, hip-hop dance class, painting class, and a movie night. Members participated in central Louisiana’s first annual Susan G Komen for the Cure race by working at the Kids for the Cure tent. Other volunteer opportunities through our Done in a Day committee included the Back to School Round Up held at the Alexandria Mall, helping decorate the Alexandria Zoo for the holidays, assembling Easter baskets for the children at the Hope House, Mother’s Day goodie bags for the women at the Turning Point Shelter, and participating in the always successful Kids in the Kitchen at the Alexandria Zoo and donating back packs, filled with items for children suddenly removed from their home, to CASA. Our November general meeting focused on celebrating the arts in central Louisiana. The Alexandria Museum of Art hosted our meeting with Catherine Pears speaking to the membership about cultural opportunities in central Louisiana. Local organizations were invited to display their programs and educate members. In its ninth year, the Junior League Foundation awarded $16,780 in grants to local agencies. Recipients included: Central Louisiana Arts and Healthcare, Family Counseling Agency, The First Tee of Central Louisiana, Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Friends of the Alexandria Zoo (FOTAZ), Hope House of Central Louisiana, Julius Patrick Elementary, NextSTEP of Central Louisiana, Inc, Northeast-Central Louisiana Affiliate of Susan G Komen for the Cure, A Perfect Fit Foundation, Rapides Children’s Advocacy Center, Inc, The Rapides Exploratory Education House, Inc (T.R.E.E. House), Red River Dance Theatre Company, Spiritual Tuesdays Aiding Rugg Students (STARS), Volunteers of America of North Louisiana. The ladies in this year’s provisional class began the Pregnancy Closet, one of the final stages in preparing for the “Earn While You Learn” program at the Volunteers of America. Through requests from members and collection days the ladies were able to stock the “closet” with clothes, furniture, bath items, toys, diapers and much more. Bunnies and Yolks were once again held at Loyd Hall. Members and their families attended as well as ladies interested in joining or re-joining the Junior League. The annual Provisional Sustainer Tea was held on April 20th at the home of Ana and Tommy Couples. In our third year partnering with the T.R.E.E. House, a work day was held which consisted of cleaning and painting existing exhibits, two new exhibits, both focusing on sensory activities, were also installed and the costume area received a new closet system. Scholarships for Seniors program awarded (5) $1000 scholarships to the following ladies: Reotta Gaulden – Peabody High School, Emilie Harmeyer – Holy Savior Menard, Kelly O’Quinn – Bolton High School, Kaitlyn Guillot – Tioga High School, Meredith Hamblen – Pineville High School. Training for league members included members attending Regional Leadership training in Shreveport; one member attending ODI in Houston and 2 members attending ODI in Tampa, Florida; 2 members attending to Winter Leadership training in New Orleans; and 2 members attending to Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The League’s website, jlalex.com, received a sleek, new and improved makeover offering rich features and benefits to both members and the public. Having a strong web presence will reflect our brand and tell the powerful story of the Junior League of Alexandria. Membership voted to changes the by-laws to modify the requirements for PROS status. Members will be eligible for this status after eight years of membership in good standing. Junior League board members attended the second annual Celebration of Philanthropy, designed to focus attention on all of the good that comes from charitable giving and voluntarism across Central Louisiana. Junior League of Alexandria, along with Junior League’s state wide, participated in Legislative Day at the Capitol in May. The event focused on childhood obesity. New To You continues to be a successful fundraiser with over $118,000 in sales. Secret Ingredients continues to contribute to the League mission with $7200 of sales. This year’s board voted to transfer $35,000 to the Junior League Endowment Fund at the end of the year. The annual meeting and May Dinner concluded the year on May 4th at Alexandria Golf and Country Club. Members celebrated our rich history while looking forward to our future. Guests enjoyed a video presentation of our past 70 years and concluded the evening with live music and dancing. Thirteen new members and 2 new sustainers were recognized. Awards are as follows: Active of the Year, Nancy Soprano; Provisional of the Year, Katie Shuflin- Febuary; Sustainer of the Year, Amy Walker Searcy; President’s Award, Trish Leleux; President’s Award, Amber Serio; President’s Award, Emily Tracy; New To You Contributions, Mitzi Fairbanks.
2011-2012 President Mrs. Mitzi Fairbanks
The 2011-2012 year was slated to focus on increasing our volunteer opportunities and to strengthen our inner community in order to strengthen our outer community. We started off the year by hosting renowned speaker Vicki Clark. Vicki’s enthusiasm was heard by community non-profits, provisionals, sustainers and actives during a three day training. The first annual board/provisional retreat was held in Simmesport at the home of active Nancy Soprano. The 8th annual “A Very Merry Market” was held October 27-29, 2011 at the Alexandria Riverfront Center and was once again very successful. The goal of this year’s market was to continue all of the successful practices of previous years and this produced a profit of $76,000. Members got to know each other better during League Lagniappes, including wreath making, karaoke, painting and dinner/movie night. Volunteer opportunities through our Done in a Day committee included Volunteer of America Clothes Room, Mardi Gras nursing home parades, CPR class, Food Bank Telethon, Food Bank’s Christmas Cheer Sort Day, Coat Drive, Lion’s Club Glasses Donation, TreeHouse and Kids in the Kitchen at the Alexandria Zoo for the children of Hope House and the Boys & Girls Club. On March 23th, the Junior League Grants awarded $16,150 in its tenth year. Recipients included: Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Hope House of Central Louisiana, T.R.E.E. House, Kent Plantation, St. Mary’s Residential Training School, Inc., St Francis Cabrini School, Boys & Girls Club of Central Louisiana, Inc., Central Louisiana Arts & Healthcare, Inc., VOA, A Perfect Fit Foundation, YMCA, Alma Redwine Elementary School, Carter C Raymond Elementary school, First United Methodist Church STARS Program, and NextSTEP of Central La. The Provisional Project was a large and wildly successful event. This year’s provisionals held an event named Girls ROCK at Calvary Baptist Church. With over 100 young women in attendance, the program was designed to reinforce JLA’s mission statement. The participants learned skills in banking, jobs, internet safety, healthy eating, exercise, and self-defense. JLA also partnered with Central La Community Foundation to host the 3rd annual Celebration of Philanthropy at the Diamond Grill. The annual Easter celebration “Bunnies and Yolks” was held at Ashland Plantation, home of active Ann Bubenzer, on March 18th with record attendance. The Provisional Sustainer cocktail was held at the lovely home of Anna Cupples. Scholarships for Seniors program awarded (5) $1000 scholarships to the following ladies: Cari Beth Barrett – Bolton High School, Maggie Connerly – Bolton High School, Brittany Partain – Bolton High School, Alana Nardini – Pineville High School, Brooke Piland – Pineville High School. Training for the Board this year included 8 members going to Regional Leadership training in Shreveport; 2 members going to Fall Leadership training in New Orleans, LA; 2 members going to Winter Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, and 3 members going to Annual Conference in San Francisco, Ca. New To You continued to increase it’s record revenue and transfers to the League projects. Sales were over $112,770. Secret Ingredients continues to contribute to the League mission with over $5000 of sales. This year’s board voted to increase several community project’s funding and we were able to transfer over $100,000 to the Junior League Savings Fund at the end of the year. The annual meeting or May Dinner concluded the year on May 8th at Alexandria Golf and Country Club. 20 new members and 2 new sustainers were recognized. Awards are as follows: Active of the Year, Laura Bryan; Provisional of the Year, Paula Doyle; Sustainer of the Year, Mrs. Lynne Hyde.; President’s Award, Ann Bubenzer; President’s Award, Jolie Vanderhoeven; President’s Award, Christal Workman. New To You Contributions, Mimi Kirzner. Project Research and Development worked very hard to find a focal area for JLA. In a vote of 3 major issues to Cenla, the JLA membership voted to adopt Foster Care as our focus for the future.
2012-2013 President Mrs. Kellie Saccaro
Our year was devoted to continue working on developing a more specific focal area for The Junior League of Alexandria. We chose Foster Care as our broad area of interest, but decided to specifically help parents and grandparents of these children. This will help to make a larger difference in the lives of these families. We were fortunate to start our summer with the 2nd provisional/ Board of Directors retreat. It was held at the camp of LeLe Soileau on beautiful False River. We had a fabulous weekend filled with fun, laughter, bonding, and learning more about JLA and our community. We were able to have 16 provisionals join our organization. Their provisional project was a fabulous, fun filled day at Slinkees. Foster families in the CenLa area were entertained, fed, and showered with gifts and much needed food to help their families during the school break. The foster families were able to understand and realize how much JLA can do for them and their families in the future. Our fundraisers were once again extremely successful. The 9th annual A Very Merry Market was held October 25-27th at the Alexandria Riverfront Center. We were able to profit over $67,000.00 from this event. Our resale store, New to You, received much needed repairs and a major clean up. The sales were over $112,445.00 Our cookbook, Secret Ingredients, has been selling well this past year. Local merchants and members sold $4500.00 in cookbooks. Our members volunteered at many different activities in our community this year. We tailgated for Turning Point, dined at The Diamond Grill with Governor Edwards for Turning Point, Raced for the Cure, and entertained nursing home residents with our children by hosting a Mardi Gras parade. We joined other non profits at a community non profit fair in the mall, Cause We Care Fair. Kids in the Kitchen educated over 50 children in our community about healthy eating and exercise. We restocked, reorganized and cleaned the VOA pregnancy closet and donated bedding and cleaning supplies to Hope House residents, as well as Christmas gifts for children at Turning Point. Members also had fun at various activities during the year. Some of these included a Halloween party, movie night, lunches and dinners at various local restaurants, painting party, and an ornament exchange. Celebration of Philanthropy was held downtown and we were able to showcase JLA to our community and to other non profit organizations. We helped out with Tom Peyton Arts festival run, Party for the Planet at the zoo, and coached girls for the 1st Girls on The Run program held in Alexandria. This is a program for teaching 3rd-5th grade girls self esteem, exercise, and many other life skills. We were able to give out $11,342.00 in community wide grants. The recipients included Alexandria Youth Orchestra, A Perfect Fit Foundation, The Food Bank of Central La., YMCA, Central La. Arts and Healthcare, Kent House, NextSTEP, City Park Players, Servant House, Abi Morrow, Rapides Children’s advocacy, Stacy Gunter, Gaye Ortis, Girl Scouts, Christian Love Baptist Church, FUMC/STARS, Rapides Parish Library, YWCA, Tara Travis, and River Oaks Art Center. Our 5 seniors receiving $1000.00 each were: Rachel Blomquist, Paige Griffin, Veronica Rubio, Nicole Sanders, and Morgan Wampler. Our sustainers continued to enjoy book club, as well as a special seating at A Very Merry Market. Here they were entertained by dancers from the Nutcracker, as well as local dance studios. There was a provisional/sustainer cocktail party at the home of Adrienne Dole. Sustainers were able to meet the newest members of JLA and learn about their year. At the end of the year, because of our fundraising efforts, we were able to transfer $126,000.00 into our accounts. We concluded the year with a dinner on May 7th at Alexandria Golf and Country Club. We recognized 16 new members, as well as 6 new sustaining members. Christal Workman was awarded Active of the Year. Kellie Peyton was awarded Provisional of the Year. Lisa Neely was awarded Sustainer of the Year. Helena Brocato and Beth Melancon were each given a President’s Award due to their outstanding service to JLA as well as our community. The top New to You contributor was Colleen Velotta.
2013-2014 President Mrs. Frances Morrow
We hit the ground running this year with our new focus area of Foster Care and Foster Families. We had a fantastic year of volunteering and contributing to our community within our new focus area and we know that we will make a huge impact in these family’s lives. In our Provisional Class, we had 20 energetic and ready to volunteer women! They started the year off learning everything they needed to know about Junior League during their Provisional Retreat. It was held at the home of Rachel Cooper’s In-laws on beautiful Cane River in Natchitoches. We ate a lot, learned a lot about the Junior League, laughed a lot, and even had a Wii dance off! With our League’s focus area being Foster Care and Foster Families, the Provisionals chose a project that focused on youth who were close to aging out of the foster care system. Their project was called “Jumpstart to Success”, and the mission was to educate these young people about opportunities that were available to them after they left the foster care system and the best ways to take advantage of these opportunities. They had several guest speakers and booths for the participants to visit. The speakers addressed an array of different topics interesting to the youth. Prizes were given to youth attending the event. It provided guidance that will leave a lasting impression and help these young people as they continue their journey into adulthood. The 10th Annual A Very Merry Market was held October 10-12th at the Alexandria Riverfront Center. We made a profit of $78,000 from this event. Our resale store, New To You, is still doing great! The store had $121, 463 in sales through April. Secret Ingredients, first published in 2000, had $4,124 in sales this League year. This year we had many projects that centered around the League’s new focus area, Foster Care and Foster Families. Our volunteers had numerous opportunities to help the Cenla community and this is what they accomplished. We packed backpacks with food for local school kids at the Food Bank with foster families, renovated the Foster Care Visitation Center, provided $50 gift cards to each foster families within our network for help with their Christmas expenses, had a fun Family Art Day with foster families at the Alexandria Museum of Art, filled over 80 Valentine’s bags full of goodies for local foster children, and we also partnered with the Alexandria Zoo for Kids in the Kitchen providing several activities that promoted living a healthier lifestyle. We were able to provide 50 children with free admission to the zoo and our foster families with a free FOTAZ membership! We also held a Foster Family Fun Day in Woodworth at the Davidson Memorial Park. JLA members along with their families joined in with foster care families and had a great afternoon of eating, face painting and getting to know each other. $200 door prizes to Home Depot were also given out to a couple of deserving foster families. We granted $7,200 in community wide grants this year. The recipients were Christian Love Baptist Church of Alexandria, Inc., Department of Children and Family Services-Foster Care Program, Louisiana Foster & Adoptive Parents Association, Rapides Parish String Program, Cherokee Elementary School, Central Louisiana AIDS Support Services, Inc., Girls Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf, Young Women’s Christian Association of Alexandria-Pineville, L.S. Rugg Elementary, Central Louisiana Arts & Healthcare, Inc., Volunteers of America, NextSTEP of Central Louisiana, Inc., STARS, and Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home. Our five high school seniors receiving $1,000 were Brittany English, Rachel Gremillion, Mallory Bartow, Carly Bratcher, and Liraz PhillipsAnderson. At the end of the year we were able to transfer $75,790 into our general account. Our Annual Meeting and May Dinner was help May 13th at the Diamond Grill. We recognized our Provisional Class, and six new Sustainers. Amy Merrell was awarded Active of the Year. Leanne Bridges was awarded Provisional of the Year. Catherine Pears was awarded Sustainer of the Year. Allison Summerour and Deyka Farrar were given President’s Awards due to their outstanding service to JLA and to their commitment to Cenla. The top New To You contributor was Kristi McMichael.
We hit the ground running this year with our new focus area of Foster Care and Foster Families. We had a fantastic year of volunteering and contributing to our community within our new focus area and we know that we will make a huge impact in these family’s lives. In our Provisional Class, we had 20 energetic and ready to volunteer women! They started the year off learning everything they needed to know about Junior League during their Provisional Retreat. It was held at the home of Rachel Cooper’s In-laws on beautiful Cane River in Natchitoches. We ate a lot, learned a lot about the Junior League, laughed a lot, and even had a Wii dance off! With our League’s focus area being Foster Care and Foster Families, the Provisionals chose a project that focused on youth who were close to aging out of the foster care system. Their project was called “Jumpstart to Success”, and the mission was to educate these young people about opportunities that were available to them after they left the foster care system and the best ways to take advantage of these opportunities. They had several guest speakers and booths for the participants to visit. The speakers addressed an array of different topics interesting to the youth. Prizes were given to youth attending the event. It provided guidance that will leave a lasting impression and help these young people as they continue their journey into adulthood. The 10th Annual A Very Merry Market was held October 10-12th at the Alexandria Riverfront Center. We made a profit of $78,000 from this event. Our resale store, New To You, is still doing great! The store had $121, 463 in sales through April. Secret Ingredients, first published in 2000, had $4,124 in sales this League year. This year we had many projects that centered around the League’s new focus area, Foster Care and Foster Families. Our volunteers had numerous opportunities to help the Cenla community and this is what they accomplished. We packed backpacks with food for local school kids at the Food Bank with foster families, renovated the Foster Care Visitation Center, provided $50 gift cards to each foster families within our network for help with their Christmas expenses, had a fun Family Art Day with foster families at the Alexandria Museum of Art, filled over 80 Valentine’s bags full of goodies for local foster children, and we also partnered with the Alexandria Zoo for Kids in the Kitchen providing several activities that promoted living a healthier lifestyle. We were able to provide 50 children with free admission to the zoo and our foster families with a free FOTAZ membership! We also held a Foster Family Fun Day in Woodworth at the Davidson Memorial Park. JLA members along with their families joined in with foster care families and had a great afternoon of eating, face painting and getting to know each other. $200 door prizes to Home Depot were also given out to a couple of deserving foster families. We granted $7,200 in community wide grants this year. The recipients were Christian Love Baptist Church of Alexandria, Inc., Department of Children and Family Services-Foster Care Program, Louisiana Foster & Adoptive Parents Association, Rapides Parish String Program, Cherokee Elementary School, Central Louisiana AIDS Support Services, Inc., Girls Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf, Young Women’s Christian Association of Alexandria-Pineville, L.S. Rugg Elementary, Central Louisiana Arts & Healthcare, Inc., Volunteers of America, NextSTEP of Central Louisiana, Inc., STARS, and Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home. Our five high school seniors receiving $1,000 were Brittany English, Rachel Gremillion, Mallory Bartow, Carly Bratcher, and Liraz PhillipsAnderson. At the end of the year we were able to transfer $75,790 into our general account. Our Annual Meeting and May Dinner was help May 13th at the Diamond Grill. We recognized our Provisional Class, and six new Sustainers. Amy Merrell was awarded Active of the Year. Leanne Bridges was awarded Provisional of the Year. Catherine Pears was awarded Sustainer of the Year. Allison Summerour and Deyka Farrar were given President’s Awards due to their outstanding service to JLA and to their commitment to Cenla. The top New To You contributor was Kristi McMichael.
2014-2015 President Mrs. Patricia “Trish” LeLeux
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires other to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you are an excellent leader.” – Dolly Parton This quote is exactly what this League year has been all about, focusing on inspiring each of the league members to become the excellent leaders that they all can be. We dedicated the year to not only being a powerhouse of volunteerism for our community but to training our members in how to be effective leaders so that in turn our community will reap those benefits. As I reflect on our year, I ask the question “How have we advanced the mission this year?” I have watched our members grow and stretch themselves to try new things, step out of their comfort zone and reach out a helping hand to a fellow member and encourage her along in her journey. Down to the bottom line: Foster Care awarded $10,000 in gifts this year to 15 families. Money went towards items such as money towards a home addition(extra bedroom), microwave, home computer, a new couch, two dressers for children, washer and dryer, bunk beds, stove, money towards generator, update home plumbing, removal of damaged floors in home and new tile, new tires and brakes, new car windshield for family car. Many families requested money toward car repairs, tires, brakes, etc. Done In A Day: This year we had many projects that centered around the League’s new focus area, Foster Care and Foster Families. Our volunteers had numerous opportunities to help the Cenla community and this is what they accomplished… Food Bank Social: This was an amazing opportunity for the Junior League of Alexandria to mingle with the foster families of Central Louisiana while packing backpacks for local school kids. Foster Care Visitation Center Renovation: The Central Louisiana Visitation Center was in desperate need of a little sprucing up so we made it more inviting for families to visit their children. We added furniture, electronics, artwork, toys and books. Merry Christmas Foster Families: Although this wasn’t a Done in a Day, we provided $50 gift cards to each foster family within our network for help with their Christmas expenses. Foster Family Art Day: In conjunction with the Alexandria Museum of Art, foster families and Junior League members enjoyed a morning of art education. Be My Valentine for Foster Families: Members gathered at the Junior League office to fill over 80 Valentine’s bags full of goodies for local foster children. The mission of the Junior League of Alexandria, Kids in the Kitchen is to promote an active lifestyle, learn the fundamentals of nutrition and love yourself. This year our Provisional Class took on this mission and project and it was a tremendous success. The event included Kids Yoga, Dance, CrossFit Kids, Leap-Frog, & Lots of Yummy Healthy Snacks. A Very Merry Market The 11th annual market exceeded all expectations with merchants, a sold out Ladies Night, and a NET profit of approximately $78,000 this past year. New To You: After saying goodbye to our long time employee Sandra, we saw new employees and a renewed appreciation for our resale store. Secret Ingredients: Our cookbook, first published in 2000, had $4,124 in sales this year. JLA Grants 2014-2015 Christian Love Baptist Church of Alexandria, Inc.: $250 To aid in the purchase of computers and monitors for the computer lab, and to purchase school supplies for afternoon tutoring of Rapides Parish School System students K-12. DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services)-Foster Care Program: $950 to assist in paying for recreational activities for children and provide respite to the foster care parents. Funds will aid in the tuition for sports camp, art camp, music lessons, swimming lessons, and sitter service, when a Class A day care is not available. Louisiana Foster & Adoptive Parents Association: $950 to be able to help provide school supplies, uniforms, and school fees for foster children. To assist in paying foster/adoptive parent fees to attend the yearly educational conference – LA Foster and Adoptive Parents Association, Inc. (LFAPA). Rapides Parish String Program: $250 to assist in purchasing music, the costs of instrumental music maintenance, as well as the appropriate and necessary accessories, and the rental costs of a suitable performing venue for annual fall and spring concerts. All will benefit the students in the Rapides Parish School System String Program. Cherokee Elementary School: $500 to benefit Cherokee Elementary School music and arts program. To aid in the purchase of new art tables, supplies for painting and drawing, storage equipment for artwork, and to help purchase new rhythm instruments for music education. Central Louisiana AIDS Support Services, Inc. (CLASS): $450 to aid in the purchase of school uniforms and supplies for children of people living with HIV/AIDS. Girls Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf: $350 to aid in funding the purchase of Girl Scout Journey books as well as placing funds in the Girl Scout Take Action Projects Fund for girl scouts in the Alexandria community. Young Women’s Christian Association of AlexandriaPineville (YWCA): $500 to help fund scholarships for girls wanting to participate in the Girls on the Run program. L.S. Rugg Elementary: $500 to help fund school presentations given by Mike Artell, a successful author and illustrator, and give the students at Rugg the chance to interact with the author/artist and learn about different styles of writing and creativity. Central Louisiana Arts & Healthcare, Inc.: $250 to help fund artist visits and supplies once per month to the pediatric wards of Rapides Regional Medical Center and Christus St. Francis Cabrini Hospital. Volunteers of America: $300 to award funds for the Teen Outreach Program (TOP), which is a youth development program for teens ages 12-17, who live in Central LA. TOP teaches life skills, healthy behaviors and sense of purpose to the teens. NextSTEP of Central Louisiana, Inc.: $500 to help facilitate A Fight We Can Win to youth enrolled in the following local programs: The National Guard’s Youth Challenge Program (YCP), and The Independent Living Program (ILS) through Goodwill Industries. STARS (Spiritual Tuesdays Aiding Rugg Students): $500 to help fund the purchase of new backpacks (they are usually worn mid-school year) filled with school supplies for students at Rugg Elementary who participate in the STARS program at FUMC. Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home: $950 to help fund the annual foster care and adoption conference scheduled for Fall 2014 at Calvary Baptist Church. The money would assist with the costs of childcare for all attendees, to compensate expert presenters in the fields of foster care and adoption and provide reference materials to better equip foster and adoptive parents.
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires other to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then you are an excellent leader.” – Dolly Parton This quote is exactly what this League year has been all about, focusing on inspiring each of the league members to become the excellent leaders that they all can be. We dedicated the year to not only being a powerhouse of volunteerism for our community but to training our members in how to be effective leaders so that in turn our community will reap those benefits. As I reflect on our year, I ask the question “How have we advanced the mission this year?” I have watched our members grow and stretch themselves to try new things, step out of their comfort zone and reach out a helping hand to a fellow member and encourage her along in her journey. Down to the bottom line: Foster Care awarded $10,000 in gifts this year to 15 families. Money went towards items such as money towards a home addition(extra bedroom), microwave, home computer, a new couch, two dressers for children, washer and dryer, bunk beds, stove, money towards generator, update home plumbing, removal of damaged floors in home and new tile, new tires and brakes, new car windshield for family car. Many families requested money toward car repairs, tires, brakes, etc. Done In A Day: This year we had many projects that centered around the League’s new focus area, Foster Care and Foster Families. Our volunteers had numerous opportunities to help the Cenla community and this is what they accomplished… Food Bank Social: This was an amazing opportunity for the Junior League of Alexandria to mingle with the foster families of Central Louisiana while packing backpacks for local school kids. Foster Care Visitation Center Renovation: The Central Louisiana Visitation Center was in desperate need of a little sprucing up so we made it more inviting for families to visit their children. We added furniture, electronics, artwork, toys and books. Merry Christmas Foster Families: Although this wasn’t a Done in a Day, we provided $50 gift cards to each foster family within our network for help with their Christmas expenses. Foster Family Art Day: In conjunction with the Alexandria Museum of Art, foster families and Junior League members enjoyed a morning of art education. Be My Valentine for Foster Families: Members gathered at the Junior League office to fill over 80 Valentine’s bags full of goodies for local foster children. The mission of the Junior League of Alexandria, Kids in the Kitchen is to promote an active lifestyle, learn the fundamentals of nutrition and love yourself. This year our Provisional Class took on this mission and project and it was a tremendous success. The event included Kids Yoga, Dance, CrossFit Kids, Leap-Frog, & Lots of Yummy Healthy Snacks. A Very Merry Market The 11th annual market exceeded all expectations with merchants, a sold out Ladies Night, and a NET profit of approximately $78,000 this past year. New To You: After saying goodbye to our long time employee Sandra, we saw new employees and a renewed appreciation for our resale store. Secret Ingredients: Our cookbook, first published in 2000, had $4,124 in sales this year. JLA Grants 2014-2015 Christian Love Baptist Church of Alexandria, Inc.: $250 To aid in the purchase of computers and monitors for the computer lab, and to purchase school supplies for afternoon tutoring of Rapides Parish School System students K-12. DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services)-Foster Care Program: $950 to assist in paying for recreational activities for children and provide respite to the foster care parents. Funds will aid in the tuition for sports camp, art camp, music lessons, swimming lessons, and sitter service, when a Class A day care is not available. Louisiana Foster & Adoptive Parents Association: $950 to be able to help provide school supplies, uniforms, and school fees for foster children. To assist in paying foster/adoptive parent fees to attend the yearly educational conference – LA Foster and Adoptive Parents Association, Inc. (LFAPA). Rapides Parish String Program: $250 to assist in purchasing music, the costs of instrumental music maintenance, as well as the appropriate and necessary accessories, and the rental costs of a suitable performing venue for annual fall and spring concerts. All will benefit the students in the Rapides Parish School System String Program. Cherokee Elementary School: $500 to benefit Cherokee Elementary School music and arts program. To aid in the purchase of new art tables, supplies for painting and drawing, storage equipment for artwork, and to help purchase new rhythm instruments for music education. Central Louisiana AIDS Support Services, Inc. (CLASS): $450 to aid in the purchase of school uniforms and supplies for children of people living with HIV/AIDS. Girls Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf: $350 to aid in funding the purchase of Girl Scout Journey books as well as placing funds in the Girl Scout Take Action Projects Fund for girl scouts in the Alexandria community. Young Women’s Christian Association of AlexandriaPineville (YWCA): $500 to help fund scholarships for girls wanting to participate in the Girls on the Run program. L.S. Rugg Elementary: $500 to help fund school presentations given by Mike Artell, a successful author and illustrator, and give the students at Rugg the chance to interact with the author/artist and learn about different styles of writing and creativity. Central Louisiana Arts & Healthcare, Inc.: $250 to help fund artist visits and supplies once per month to the pediatric wards of Rapides Regional Medical Center and Christus St. Francis Cabrini Hospital. Volunteers of America: $300 to award funds for the Teen Outreach Program (TOP), which is a youth development program for teens ages 12-17, who live in Central LA. TOP teaches life skills, healthy behaviors and sense of purpose to the teens. NextSTEP of Central Louisiana, Inc.: $500 to help facilitate A Fight We Can Win to youth enrolled in the following local programs: The National Guard’s Youth Challenge Program (YCP), and The Independent Living Program (ILS) through Goodwill Industries. STARS (Spiritual Tuesdays Aiding Rugg Students): $500 to help fund the purchase of new backpacks (they are usually worn mid-school year) filled with school supplies for students at Rugg Elementary who participate in the STARS program at FUMC. Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home: $950 to help fund the annual foster care and adoption conference scheduled for Fall 2014 at Calvary Baptist Church. The money would assist with the costs of childcare for all attendees, to compensate expert presenters in the fields of foster care and adoption and provide reference materials to better equip foster and adoptive parents.
2015-2016 President Mrs. Courtney Landry
We made an impact in our community impact this year when we awarded $5,000 in scholarships to female high school seniors that excel in volunteer community service…awarded over $8,300 in grants to other community non-profit organizations…put together the Mini Market exhibit at the TREEhouse children’s museum…hosted a foster care fun day at the Alexandria Zoo for area foster care children that have not been placed in their forever home…renovated the ‘Butterfly Garden’ inside the Alexandria Zoo…continued to stock and run our ‘New to You’ thrift shop (the membership also gave the interior a much needed facelift)…hosted our annual Kids in the Kitchen event promoting healthy eating and activities for young people…volunteered our time and efforts with the following community organizations: Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Girls on the Run, and the Hope House…led a leadership training course for our members on non-profit organization sustainability. The sales from New to You, Secret Ingredients, and proceeds of our largest fundraiser, A Very Merry Market, allowed us more opportunities to give back to our community.
We made an impact in our community impact this year when we awarded $5,000 in scholarships to female high school seniors that excel in volunteer community service…awarded over $8,300 in grants to other community non-profit organizations…put together the Mini Market exhibit at the TREEhouse children’s museum…hosted a foster care fun day at the Alexandria Zoo for area foster care children that have not been placed in their forever home…renovated the ‘Butterfly Garden’ inside the Alexandria Zoo…continued to stock and run our ‘New to You’ thrift shop (the membership also gave the interior a much needed facelift)…hosted our annual Kids in the Kitchen event promoting healthy eating and activities for young people…volunteered our time and efforts with the following community organizations: Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Girls on the Run, and the Hope House…led a leadership training course for our members on non-profit organization sustainability. The sales from New to You, Secret Ingredients, and proceeds of our largest fundraiser, A Very Merry Market, allowed us more opportunities to give back to our community.
2016-2018 President Mrs. Christal Beach Workman
As I reflect on this League year one word comes to my mind, Strength. I have seen our League grow stronger as a network of women working toward a common goal of bettering our community, our League, and each other.
Membership Development:
Community Impact: Focus Area – Healthy lifestyle education in the areas of nutrition, fitness, and cyber safety to children in grades 3rd-8th
Fund Development:
League Headquarters Construction:
Lagniappe:
You can see that the Junior League of Alexandria has been hard at work to better serve our members and the community. We are a strong membership with many great volunteers that have the passion and potential to make great things happen.
As I reflect on this League year one word comes to my mind, Strength. I have seen our League grow stronger as a network of women working toward a common goal of bettering our community, our League, and each other.
Membership Development:
- 13 Delegates attended the Organizational Development Institute (ODI) weekends hosted by the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI)
- 4 Delegates attended AJLI’s Leadership Conferences
- Summer Provisional Retreat, Leadership Retreat for the Board of Directors and Management Team, and Committee Chairman Training
- Back to League Bowling Night – August 2016 at the Bowling Alley
- Sustainer Book Club
- Training Sessions at General Membership Meetings (GMMs)
- Interview Skills and Improving your Application for Growth
- Importance of Customer Service during All League Projects
- The Need for Cyber Safety Education for our Area Youth
- Placement Showcase
- How We View Change and Why We Change
- Membership Book Study on “Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon
- Membership Development Session – REAL: Relationships, Empowerment, Accountability, & Laughter
- Pass-It-On Sessions for Incoming and Outgoing Committee Chairmen and Board of Directors
Community Impact: Focus Area – Healthy lifestyle education in the areas of nutrition, fitness, and cyber safety to children in grades 3rd-8th
- Cenla KidzFest – March 18, 2017 at Alexandria City Park, brought in over 300 participants from our community, kids and adults all enjoyed their time with the Junior League while learning about nutrition, fitness, and cyber safety
- ‘Done In A Meeting’ Projects
- Collected hand soaps and sanitizers for the Central Louisiana Homeless Coalition
- Organized Participant Bags and Passes for Cenla KidzFest
- Filled Supply Packs with New School Supplies for Cultivate
- Collection for the Junior League of Baton Rouge Diaper Bank, resulting in 76 pairs of underwear, 1,064 baby wipes, and 2,268 diapers (This is enough diapers for one baby for 378 days!)
- Collected School Supplies for the Livingston Parish School District Flood Relief Center
- Worked alongside our new Community Partner, Girls on the Run – Central Louisiana, Hosted Various Booths in the Inspiration Village of both the Fall and Spring Girls on the Run Celebratory 5K
- Provisional Class Renovated and Improved the Playroom and Exterior Play Area for the Hope House
- Junior League Grants Program Awarded a Total of $9,000 to Local Non-Profit Organizations, Recipients: Friends of the Alexandria Zoo, Girls on the Run – Central Louisiana, TREEhouse Children’s Museum, Manna House Ministries, Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Cultivate, New Life International Outreach, Central Louisiana Arts & Healthcare, St. Francis Cabrini Hospital Foundation, Fit Families for Cenla, and Salvation Army
- Scholarships for Seniors Program Awarded $5,000 in Scholarship Monies to High School Female Seniors from Buckeye High, Grace Christian Academy, Holy Savior Menard High, and Pineville High
- Family of Grace Church – Cultivate. Program Director, Ashley Mack, shared with our membership about what the program offers its participants and how we can continue to support their efforts – March 2018. Donated new or slightly used reader books to the program
- Developed a voucher system between Family Justice Centerand our New to You Thrift Shopto donate items to those in need. Survivor Advocate, Debra Faircloth, shared with our membership about the variety services that the Family Justice Centerprovides – April 2018
Fund Development:
- A Very Merry Market – October 20-22, 2016 at Alexandria Riverfront Center. We had almost 100 merchants and nearly 5,000 shoppers through the door, Special Events: Ladies Night Out, Sell-Out Character Events, Jazz Brunch, and Chairs for Charity
- A Very Merry Market – October 19-21, 2017 at Alexandria Riverfront Center. We had approximately 50 merchants and nearly 3,000 shoppers through the door. Special Events: Ladies Night Out, Character Events, Jazz Brunch, and Chairs for Charity
- New to You –
- New Promotions and Sales hosted by the Committee such as Back to School Uniform Sale & School Supply Drawing, Homecoming Dress Sale & Door Prizes, Trick or Treat Halloween Costume Sale and Treats, Black Saturday Sale after Thanksgiving, Santa’s Workshop Sale & Crafts with the Children while their Parents Shopped, and Easter Egg Discounts & Filled Easter Basket Drawing
- New to You had a thorough cleaning back to front to clean up, make improvements, and provide a safer environment for our staff and volunteers
- Annual Campaign –
- Mother Daughter Tea at Little Cakes With Big Attitude
- Sold Junior League of Alexandria Shirts, Cups, and Mugs for Members to Show their League Pride
- Sold and Promoted Junior League of Alexandria Secret Ingredient Cookbooks
- League of Trucks. Hosting 2 in one year, this is becoming a favorite in our area. Everyone has an opportunity to get hands on experience with community service vehicles and other favorites, along with meeting the men and women that serve our community. June 2017 at Alexandria Coliseum and April 2018 at Buhlow Lake.
League Headquarters Construction:
- Ground Breaking Ceremony – August 2016
- Ribbon Cutting Ceremony – May 2017
Lagniappe:
- Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce Bizzy Awards – Selected as a Finalist in the Best Non-Profit Category
- Alexandria Town Talk: Cenla Choice Awards – New to You: Best Thrift Shop
- Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Conference – Representation by the Junior League of Alexandria
- Alexandria Zoo: Les Fest – Representation and Sponsorship by the Junior League of Alexandria
- Alexandria Town Talk: Top 20 Under 40 – Three League Members Honored
- Alexandria Museum of Art: Dragon Boat Races – 2nd Year in a Row with our All Female Race Team
- Alexandria Town Talk: Top 20 Under 40– Two League Members Honored
- YWCA Decades of Women – One League Member Honored
- League Representative in Leadership Louisiana 2018
- Alexandria Museum of Art: Dragon Boat Races
You can see that the Junior League of Alexandria has been hard at work to better serve our members and the community. We are a strong membership with many great volunteers that have the passion and potential to make great things happen.