Issued November 21, 2013

Letter From Our President “If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, that will be enough.” -Meister Eckhart

As the holiday season approaches many of us start to make the “wish list”

of what we’d like to give or what we’d like to receive – it happens every year,

don’t feel guilty. There’s one thing I hope you all include this time and no,

it’s not the latest smartphone, designer handbag, or platinum jewelry. You

don’t have to drive to New York to pick it up or order it online. We all have

access to it and it won’t cost you a dime! It’s the gift of gratitude.

Sounds confusing? It’s not; it’s actually very simple. Think back to the last time someone said

to you “thank you” for a job well done or when you opened the mail and saw a handwritten

note expressing thanks for helping someone. I guarantee it made you feel great that someone

recognized your value. Now, understand that you can give that same feeling to someone else.

Gratitude is a gift, it’s an attitude and it’s contagious. I challenge you to make another list this

year: a gratitude list. It doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy. Start small by saying to the

woman you see each week at the dry cleaners, “thank you for always doing such a great job.”

How about the minimum wage barista serving your complicated order “Venti, Non-Fat, No

Foam, No water, 6 pump, extra hot, chai tea latte?” Instead of waiting for her to screw it up,

acknowledge it’s a tricky order but she nailed it.

Don’t forget about the people we are closest to - our family and friends. It’s so easy to fall into

a routine and expect everyone to play their assigned roles. Take a moment to thank them for

who they are and what they do. You might catch a few by surprise and they’ll wonder if you’re

about to break bad news. But after time they will see it’s just your new attitude of gratitude

and they too will want in on it!

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Letter From Our President (continued)

As members of the Junior League of Richmond, we have a long gratitude list. First and fore-

most we are so thankful for our community partners where we have the opportunity to directly

impact the lives of women and children in Richmond. None of our work would be possible

without the generosity of our donors. Our sustaining members did the heavy lifting, leaving us

a road map to stay focused on the mission. The Board of Directors uses their leadership skills

to make the day-to-day and long-term strategic decisions to ensure the viability and longevity

of JLR. The staff constantly goes above and beyond to make ends meet in this competitive

nonprofit climate. Finally, we are a volunteer membership organization. We need the selfless

women who show up after a long day of work to help serve the women, children and families in

the East End area with our Community Programs or the women who get babysitters for their

own children on any given night so they can drive to the East End to do a beautification project

in order to help the students have a nice environment when they go to school.

I am so grateful to serve as President of the Junior League of Richmond and I hope I can inspire

you to take a small step that will make a big difference!

Michelle Miller

Junior League of Richmond, President

2013-2014

Touch a Truck Success!

The 8th Annual Touch a Truck event took place on Saturday, October 5 at the Richmond

International Raceway. Due to the hard work of the dedicated committee members, the 2,900

attendees had a blast, and the League raised over $35,000! Some attendees even described

this year's event as the "best year ever" for TAT. This unique annual event gives children in

our community the opportunity to explore and learn about large vehicles and to meet the men

and women who protect, serve, and develop the Richmond area on a daily basis. A few crowd

favorites included: music and games from Romp n’ Roll, the Henrico Fire Department water

game, and the VCU Health Systems med-evac helicopter. The event was

a great success, and we are grateful to everyone who participate in and

support our efforts. The 9th Annual Touch a Truck event is scheduled

for October 4, 2014. Mark your calendars now!

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Active Member Spotlight

Katie Kellam

Katie Kellam has been an involved Active Member of JLR for two years. Katie was born May 5th in Winston-Salem, NC, but actually raised in Belle Haven, VA. Wondering where that is? It’s located on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. On graduating from high school she was accepted to the University of Virginia where she spent the next four years until heading to law school at the University of Florida! Katie then moved to Richmond in October of 2011 where she would soon be introduced to the JLR… However, it’s not just the Junior League of Richmond that she spends her time she also sits on the Valentine Richmond History Center Board Immersion Program and is a Legal Aid Justice Society Volunteer Attorney. In her free time, she enjoys watching college football, cooking, painting, reading, shopping and fashion, and visiting historic houses and museums. Katie’s parents had a strong input in her decision to join the JLR because they set such an excellent example for her when it came to volunteering. They were both heavily involved in volunteer organizations in her home town and she learned from them that a community cannot truly thrive without the help of volunteers. Throughout high school, college, and law school, she made getting involved a top priority and she wanted to continue her involvement in the community upon moving to Richmond. She ended up meeting and making good friends with some members of the JLR who encouraged her to join because they knew she would love it! And they were right! This year Katie is involved with the communications committee and is looking forward to The Book and Author Dinner. As an avid reader and collector of books – she actually moved 18 boxes of books back from Florida to Richmond –

Sustainer Spotlight

Sue Taylor

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Sue Taylor is the Vice President of the Sustainer Council. She joined the Junior League of Richmond 26 years ago at the age of 40, admittedly, later than most. She was actively involved with the Sacred Heart Center on the city’s Southside, providing developmental services to young mothers and children. “I had a lot of in- League placements, but my favorite things were the community projects, “she says, smiling. While there are currently over 500 Sustainers within the League, there is a challenge to maintain their interest and commitment to the League. “We want them to remain connected in some way,” says Sue. One of the major 2013-2014 goals is to ramp up the involvement in the Annual Fund. Sustainer support for the fund undeniably impacts the kind of experience the Active members can have. Involvement with the maintenance and upkeep of the Mayo Carter House is also on the list for the Sustainers this year. “It’s become a neglected part of the League”, says Sue. She already has about 15 ladies ready to take on scheduling cleanings, conducting room by room assessments, among other things. Challenges aside, the Sustainers still make their signature events a top priority: The Annual Luncheon, the Spring Cocktail Party and the Sustainer Book Clubs. I would be remiss not to mention the Doers. Yes, Doers. Ladies who do! This remarkable group of Sustainers has been active for 6 or 7 years. The small group of 20 does all sorts of projects within the League, including Bingo parties and dinner for the Fan Free Clinic, volunteering at the Southside Child Development Center, planting fall gardens, working at the Clothes Rack and hosting teachers appreciation luncheons. They recently adopted the Thomas Jefferson High School football team, providing meals and goodie bags to the young athletes. It’s safe to say, these ladies are putting some of the Actives to shame (myself included!). The value of our Sustainer group is immeasurable. This special group of women brings a wealth of ideas and inspiration to our League. The Actives have some big shoes to fill. Sue’s message to us: “Think of the League as life!”

Interview conducted by Amber Howard

The 69th Book & Author Committee Travels to the Big Apple!

Ever wonder how the Book and Author Committee decides who and what to feature each year?

Take a sneak peak into the decision process and join Alissa Prather, Chair of Book & Author,

and Alexandra Bernardi Skonie, Assistant Chair, as they travel to the Big Apple in search of the

perfect candidates. There's a reason that Book and Author, now it its 69th year, is the longest

running event of its kind!

We woke up bright an early on an October Thursday – headed for the airport, to take us to New York City! We touched down into the big city late morning, and headed straight for our first appointment, with Random House Publishers. Once arriving in the lobby, we were instantly amazed by the glass cabinets for days, filled with all of the books they’ve published over the years.

We were nervous for our first meeting with the publishers, not knowing exactly what to expect. We were prepared to pitch our event, which is now in its 69th year – the longest running event of its kind, in the country! We sat down for our meeting with the Knopf and Pantheon publishers, ready to give out the details of our event – only to hear that they’ve heard all about it, and are so impressed with what the Junior League puts together each year for these authors! While those of us on the Book & Author committee know how hard we all work to put together this huge event, it was such a tremendous feeling to hear that these large publishers in New York City already know about every facet of our event, and even more electrifying, that they were pitching authors they wanted us to consider!

After our first meeting, we ran across the street to a little café, before quickly returning back to Random House to meet with Vintage and Anchor Books. And after that, a short taxi ride to Harper Collins, where we met with more publishers than we can count! During our meetings with the publishers we had appointments with, their co-workers would interrupt our meetings because they heard we were in town, and wanted to pitch us some of their authors, and their new works for the event as well. We were pleasantly surprised and excitedly overwhelmed by all of the amazing possibilities of what we could bring to this year’s Book & Author Dinner. Before leaving all these publishers, and heading back to our hotel for the night, we were packed with catalogues of all the Spring 2014 book releases and loads of galley copies of books, all to make the trip back to Richmond with us for our committee to rapidly read and peruse.

While in New York City, it would be a sin not to eat a good dinner! We took a short break from our book catalogue reading, and headed to Crispo, in the heart of Chelsea and the West Village. We filled up on salads and pastas, and turned in early, ready for another day of publishers, meetings, books and excitement.

Back at it, early Friday, we took a short taxi ride through the morning traffic to Little, Brown & Company. Again, we were pleasantly surprised with the knowledge these major publishers had of our event back in Richmond. What motivated them even more was to hear about all the other activities the authors do while in Richmond, before the Book & Author Dinner. With a little time to kill on the walk to our next publisher meeting, we absolutely had to grab a bagel, and make a pit stop in Rockefeller Center – we are in the Big Apple, of course!

Our last and final meeting of the day, we met with Simon & Schuster, where we were met with the same excitement and enthusiasm the other publishers had shared. With our bags fully loaded with Spring 2014 catalogues and heavy with every galley copy we could fit in, we headed back to the airport.

What seemed like such a quick trip was filled with so much delight, exhilaration, and even more anticipation for what lay ahead in the next few months. Before takeoff, back to Richmond, we couldn’t help but grab a few galley copies from our bags, and start reading!

Alissa (left) and Alex (right) at Harper Collins.

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The Junior League of Richmond—a proud participant in 2013’s Amazing Raise!

Vision

The Junior League of Richmond empowers,

educates, and enhances the quality of life for women, youth, and families, with an emphasis in

the East End community, through effective programming and collaboration demonstrated by quality mentorship and family programs that build

skills to reach educational goals, plan for the next phase of life, and generate pride in the community.

Thank you to the Kids in the Kitchen Committee for

staying true to our vision and providing a quality

mentorship program for the kids in our community.

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