Junior League of Tampa Provisional Class Lends Assistance to Mary Lee’s House

Jan. 20, 2010 - PRLog -- The 2009-2010 Provisional Class of the Junior League of Tampa has partnered with Mary Lee’s House to provide support to the organization’s staff, volunteers and families in the Tampa Bay area. Funding was secured through a generous donation from the Eckerd Family Foundation.
Mary Lee’s House, a children’s advocacy center that opened in late 2008, serves children who have been removed from their homes due to suspected cases of abuse and neglect. Instead of having to take the already-traumatized child to the doctor, then the police and then to court, Mary Lee’s House has all those services – and more – under one roof.
“The Junior League of Tampa is fortunate to partner with Mary Lee’s House for our Provisional project this year,” said Jen Carlstedt, Junior League of Tampa president. “Since the Provisionals are responsible for all aspects of the various project components, it provides a tremendous training opportunity. Further, given that Mary Lee Farrior is a Sustaining Member of our League, it exemplifies a primary goal of The Junior League of Tampa, which is to afford our members opportunities to witness the needs of our community and the training to make a difference beyond our organization.”
This year’s Provisional class, made up of more than 150 women, has been split into seven teams. The groups will work directly with Mary Lee's House or with one of the non-profit agencies housed within it. Some of the projects the teams will tackle include literacy workshops, children and caregiver events, community awareness and employee appreciation, said Provisional Education chair Lisa Lockhart.
“The goal of each team is to offer opportunities to these agencies and the clients that they serve,” Lockhart said. “The newest members to the Junior League of Tampa will build their skills of planning, organizing and managing events that will serve a wide variety of members of our community. We know this initial training will help them to make a larger impact when serving others in the future.”

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Founded in 1926, the Junior League of Tampa, Inc. is an organization of over 1600 women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.