By Kristen Guerrise, TIL Resource Director

As the new Junior League year is getting started, I wanted to give you an update on what is happening with the TIL Resource Center Legacy Project. I have been employed by the Junior League for the TIL Resource Center legacy project since March 2008, and I have been working on moving this project forward. Here is a snippet of news for you to enjoy and if you have any questions or want more information, please feel free to give me a call!!

THE RESOURCE CENTER

The TIL Resource Center Legacy Project is in full swing and making more progress every day! We are currently looking at space to house the Center and give the Broward County TIL Initiative an address to call home!

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS

On November 14th the Broward County Mayor’s Charity Gala will be held at the Broward County Convention Center. Thanks to Mayor Lois Wexler’s commitment to the TIL Youth, half of the proceeds of this event will go to the TIL County initiative!

Many thanks to The Community Foundation of Broward! One of several TIL projects that they are funding is a grant opportunity for employment of TIL Youth. ChildNet, Camelot Community Care, the Museum of Science and Discovery, the Cooperative Feeding Program, and Volunteer Broward are all recipients of this grant and are able to hire a TIL youth for their first job opportunity!

The TIL System of Care is growing every day with new services and support to the youth. Wilson Gardens (Henderson Mental Health) and Woodside Gardens (SOS Children’s Village), housing opportunities funded by Broward Housing Solutions, Community Foundation of Broward, the United Way and others will be opening soon to provide affordable housing to TIL Youth transitioning out of care.

PEMBROKE PINES HOUSING FACILITY

The agreement to assist with the provision of life skills workshops at Pembroke Pines has been finalized! I will begin assisting them with these Essential Skills workshops starting in October at the Pembroke Pines Housing facility. These workshops will be held weekly in the evenings for both the TIL youth living on site and other TIL youth from the community. Topics offered will be financial literacy and budgeting, cooking, physical fitness and nutrition, hurricane preparedness, conflict resolution, and much more. If you are an expert in any of these areas or have another area of expertise that you would like to share with our youth and are interested in presenting, please email me at til_jlgfl@bellsouth.net to get more information and get started!

LOOKING AHEAD

Each year in December, Sandy Harris, Executive Director of the Broward Legislative Delegation, with the help of ChildNet, Camelot, HANDY, NBC 6 Forever Families, Broward Community College, and many other members of the community, organize a Holiday Party for the TIL Youth. Last year over 300 youth attended and had a fantastic night! There was a DJ, dancing, food, a visit from Santa, and of course…gifts! As a new partner in the TIL initiative, the Junior League TIL Committee, under the TIL Chair, Sara DuCuennois, will be joining this team to assure that the party this year is bigger and better than ever! More information from them about involvement and volunteer opportunities for this event will be sent out in the weekly E-News…Stay tuned!!!!

TIL YOUTH SPOTLIGHT

My name is Mackenzie Ramsay; I am a 22 year old male who spent his childhood in foster care, in Broward County. When I turned 18 and aged out of the foster care system, I was on my own, thrown to the wolves. I was scared I didn’t know how to deal with the real world, how to manage, or how would I survive. Luckily for me, I had the Independent Living Program to assist me with this daunting transition. I participated in many life skills courses and learned what to expect and how to make do with the changeover; however, when it was time for “hands on experience” I failed. I had many setbacks and upsets during the first year of my “New Life”. With the backing and support of the Independent Living Program especially my Independent Living Specialist and the Independent Living Supervisor, I was able to get back on track. I now am a senior at Florida Gulf Coast University majoring in social work. I have a 3.86 GPA and if it wasn’t for the Independent Living Program I wouldn’t be where I am at now!! My long term goal is to open a boys group home and for now I will continue doing what I am doing.

I want to sincerely thank the Independent Living Program!

The Placement Committee, Membership Council, and Board of Directors
thank the following members who are double-placing
during the 2008-2009 League year:

Meagan Bradley
Daren Cronin
Diana Gavin
Wendy Harrigan
Stephanie Heckel
Laura Kottke
Suzanne Lang
Lisa Malanowski
Charlotte Mather
Laura Scherwitz
Rinear Thatcher
Victoria Watson

As with AJLI’s prior cookbooks – Centennial, Celebration and At Home, the Kids in the Kitchen cookbook will be a compilation of the very best recipes and tips from Leagues everywhere. Participating Leagues will be prominently credited, and as usual, Leagues will be able to purchase cookbooks at a substantial discount for sale in your communities. The new KITK cookbook, and children’s cookbooks our Leagues have created, will be prominently placed on the AJLI website and the KITK website.  

The Junior League will be participating in Macy’s Shop for a Cause Event on Saturday, September 20th at the Macy’s in the Galleria Mall in Ft. Lauderdale.  For $5.00, which is donated to the Junior League, you can purchase a coupon to allow you to shop all day on the 20th at the Galleria Macy’s and receive a discount of 10% on your purchases.  You can purchase the coupon from Lee at the Junior League Office, or you can purchase the tickets on the day of the event at the Junior League table from 9AM to 12:30 PM.  Macy’s has given us additional opportunities to sell the coupon at their stores next week in the evenings from 5:30 to 9:00 PM.  Emerging Opportunities is looking for a few volunteers who are willing to sell the coupons next week at the Macy’s, and Finance Hours will be granted.  Please contact Tanya Bower at llmtxum@bellsouth.net to sign-up to work a night.  We only need 1 or 2 girls a night.

In our quest to help make your volunteer experience more successful we are going to extend the office manager’s hours.  Experience has taught us that Friday’s are not utilized and extended work day hours would be a help to many of our members.
 
As of September 22, 2008, headquarters will be staffed by our Office Manager from8:30am to 6:30pm on Monday through Thursday.  We will be officially closed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  This will affect all members who do not have key and codes and a very important note for any deliveries your committee may arrange. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the office manager – 954-462-1350 jrlgfta@bellsouth.net or headquarters chair at dawnhuck@comcast.net.

Our October neighborhood meetings are coming soon!  This concept has been successful in many other Leagues and we are looking forward to this opportunity to meet with other League members that live near us.

An Evite will be coming soon to let you know which home in your neighborhood will be hosting this party. We would like for you to coordinate with your hostess on what to bring to the meeting in terms of food and drinks. We thought it would make the hostess’ job a lot easier if everyone brought something. Plus, it’s fun to try everyone’s creations.

Please email Jennifer Whittington at jwhittin75206@yahoo.com if you would like to volunteer your home or if you have any questions.

Facing It Together Picnic
Treetops Park in Davie
Sunday 9/21/08 from 10:30-2
Facing It Together has asked us for woman power to further their mission: to improve the lives of children and adults in South Florida with craniofacial disorders resulting from birth, disease or trauma.  Facing It Together provides funding for medical services not covered by insurance, helps families in need through a support network, and is dedicated to funding advanced research on the treatment and prevention of craniofacial disorders.
http://facingittogether.com/

Do you have an upcoming event that you would like to announce in our Monday Morning Emails? If so, here is what you have to do. First, send your article or announcement to your VP or Chair for approval. Once approval is obtained please email your submission to jlinternalcomm@yahoo.com. Title the subject of your email as “MME” and include the date(s) you would like your announcement to run. All submissions must be received the Wednesday before the e-News is sent. If we receive your submission after that Wednesday then your announcement will run in the following week’s Monday Morning Email.

Don’t miss the party of the year as we proudly launch…

” Paradise Served”
South Florida ’s Culinary Destination

Friday, November 14, 2008
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

The Historic Maxwell Room
10 South New River Drive , Fort Lauderdale

Sales for the hottest ticket in town starts at the September General Membership Meeting. Admission is $75 but if you purchase before October 1st – you’ll pay only $65. Space is limited and when we are sold out, we are sold out!

PLUS – Be one of the first to own your copies of “Paradise Served.” Pre-sales start at the meeting and offers you the chance to pick up your books the week of November 17th – just in time for hostess gifts for Thanksgiving! Copies are $26.95, plus tax. Copies purchased after November 1st will be available at the December General Membership Meeting. For more information email paradise@jlcookbook.com.