The Junior League Recognizes Leaders and Leagues for Innovative Programs

NEW YORK - June 17, 2013 - PRLog -- The Junior League Recognizes Leaders and Leagues that Are Creating Lasting Community Impact through Innovative Programs

Honoring women acting as catalysts for ‘lasting community change’

New York, June 17, 2013 – The power of women acting as catalysts for lasting community change was honored at the 91st Annual Conference of The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc (http://www.ajli.org/). in Washington, DC through the presentation of awards to individual members and Leagues for their leadership, innovation and commitment to civic leadership.

“Through our annual awards program, AJLI celebrates the outstanding accomplishments and significant contributions that Junior Leagues as well as emerging young leaders make both within their Junior Leagues and externally in their communities,” said AJLI President Toni Freeman, a member of the Junior League of Charlotte.

She added, “This goes to the heart of The Junior League Mission of developing strong civic leaders empowered to help solve their communities’ toughest and most urgent problems. At the same time, these awards highlight The Junior League’s Vision of women around the world as catalysts for lasting community change.”

Awards to Individuals

The Mary Harriman Community Leadership Award is given to Junior League members whose leadership exemplifies the 112-year-old organization’s mission, vision and values. The 2013 Award was given to Florence Shapiro, a long-time member of the Texas Senate and member of the Junior League of Collin County (http://www.jlcollincounty.org/), for a lifetime of achievement, both within her League and community as well as her for many legislative achievements.

The Rising Star Award recognizes the efforts of emerging young Junior League leaders who have, typically in a short time as members, demonstrated extraordinary leadership capabilities. The 2013 winners are:

·         Stacey Chavis of the Junior League of Atlanta for her role as a forceful advocate in working to educate the Atlanta community about the dangers of commercial sexual exploitation of children, or CSEC.

·         Laurie Green of the Junior League of Sacramento for her leadership on the League’s nutrition emphasis, including cookbook marketing, and then as treasurer during a pivotal period for her League.

Awards to Leagues

Junior League Awards recognize outstanding program development and implementation by individual Leagues. The 2013 honorees are:

·         Honorable Mention for Building Diversity – The Junior League of Atlanta for its new member campaign designed to engage new members of all races, national origins, occupations, social backgrounds, ages, and religions.

·         Honorable Mention for Fund Development – The Junior League of Birmingham for its highly successful annual giving campaign known as President’s Society.

·         Winner for Fund Development – The Junior League of Macon for its resourceful revamp of its entire fundraising strategy in a difficult economic environment.

·         Honorable Mention for Marketing and Communication – The Junior of Dayton for its “I Believe” campaign, which engaged various stages of membership in honoring the League’s important history while portraying it as an organization relevant to today’s woman.

·         Winner for Marketing and Communication – The Junior League of Washington for its efforts in harnessing technology across media platforms to meet women where they are today.

·         Honorable Mention for Membership Development – The Junior League of Northern Westchester for its impactful new points system, developed in response to research showing that members were feeling overwhelmed and under-equipped to meet League requirements amidst the demands of their careers, their families, and their other volunteer commitments.

·         Winner for Membership Development – The Junior League of Pasadena for a five-pronged membership engagement initiative to address recruitment and retention issues.

·         Honorable Mention for Vision – The Junior League of Memphis for its three-year-old educational initiative “G.R.O.W.” that addresses research showing that one in five children in the city are born to teenage mothers and that one in four of its pre-school children live in dire poverty.

·         Winners for Vision – The Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills and the Junior League of Montclair-Newark, neighbors in New Jersey’s Essex County, for joining forces to assist young adults in foster care as they make the perilous transition from the child welfare system to life on their own.

About The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc.

Founded in 1901 by New Yorker and social activism pioneer, Mary Harriman, the Junior Leagues are charitable nonprofit organizations of women, developed as civic leaders, creating demonstrable community impact.

Today, The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (http://www.ajli.org/) (AJLI) is comprised of more than 155,000 women in 293 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Together, they constitute one of the largest, most effective volunteer organizations in the world.  

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