Tropica l TopicsNOVEMBER 2012

From the Presiden tWith the sugar high quickly subsiding, I had a moment to reflect on all the excitement of Halloween … costumes, candy, trick or treating, and jack-o-lanterns. As a “girl mom”, I’ve seen my fair share of princesses, fairies, bumble bees, mermaids, and cheerlead-ers! Clearly, our fascination with beauty begins at an early age. What makes you beautiful? Is it your favorite lipstick, a good hair day, your designer handbag, or a great pair of heels? The answer is different for everyone! Yes, all of these make us feel beautiful; but, to me, true beauty radiates from the inside. When I think about in-ner beauty, I ask … Is she gracious?, Is she thoughtful?, Is she kind?, Is she selfless?, Is she attentive? “The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows.” Audrey Hepburn

I look forward to seeing all the beautiful Ladies of the League as we honor our sponsors and celebrate “The Beginning of a Beauti-ful Friendship” on Thursday, the eighth of November, from seven to nine in the evening!

I hope everyone enjoyed the CPR presentation last month by Mr. Belluomini. This has been a request for several years, so I am proud that we were able to provide this life saving knowledge to our members. Many thanks to our Council VPs and Chairmen for a great meeting!

Please join us at Mini of Clear Lake on Monday, November 12th, for our General Meeting. We will conduct League business first, and then break into Council Sessions to focus on specific parts of our Strategic Plan. I have included an overview in this issue to help us understand the Council System, its expectations, and procedures.

Fondly,

Amanda Gaido2012-2013 President - Junior League of Galveston County, Inc.

Amanda Gaido2012-2013 President

MISSION STATEMENTThe Junior League of Galveston County, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the poten-tial of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively

education and charitable.

JUNIOR LEAGUE OF GALVESTON COUNTYBOARD OF DIRECTORS 2012-2013

President - Amanda GaidoPresident Elect - Jocelyn Sullivan

Secretary - Elizabeth McCartyCommunications Vice President - Sarah Sullivan

Community Vice President - Jennifer Caffey

Finance Vice President - Amy LillyFundraising Vice President - Holly PelletierMembership Vice President - Kristen Lepo

Past President - Yvette SchulzSustainer President- Marjorie Kusnerik

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...and we can’t wait to thank our wonderful sponsors at this year’s Sponsor Appreciation Event.

Sponsor Party will be held Thursday, November 8, 2012 At

Moody Gardens in the Garden Cay Room From

7:00-9:00pm It will be a grand evening of hors d’oeuvres, and libations that is sure to get you in the

mood for your “Escape to Casablanca.” Live music will be provided by Moodafaruka.

Don’t miss this intriguing event - Turn in your sponsorship commitment today!

Admittance to this exclusive event is included as part of the following sponsor levels:Here’s looking at You - $25,000 |As Time Goes By - $10,000A Kiss is Still a Kiss - $7,500 | Beautiful Friendship - $5,000

Café American - $2,500 | Moroccan Adventure - $1,500Fall into an Oasis - $1,000 | Rock the Casbah (In-League Sponsorship) - $600

Fall Sponsor - $500 | Fall Friend - $400

As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us are already anticipating the tableful of delights that await us. One holiday staple that is sure to be on many tables is cranberry sauce. Although we aren’t certain if Pilgrims served cranberries at their first Thanksgiving meal, we do know that the Indians had been using cranberries for many years for food, dye, and medicinal purposes. The Indians introduced the settlers to these deep red berries, and recipes containing them date back to the 1800s. Cranberry sauce is primarily served at Christmas and Thanksgiving as an accompaniment to turkey in both jellied and whole berry varieties. Though its appearance isn’t always appetizing, it cannot be denied that serving cranberry sauce with turkey is a bit like sneaking in dessert early. My favorite is the Orange Cranberry Sauce featured below. If you don’t like the traditional sauce from the can, you should give this version a try! It’s quick and easy to make and will be an elegant addition to your holiday feast.

KitchenConfiFIdential

Oran ge Cran berry Sauce1 – 14 oz. can of whole berry cranberry sauce

¼ - Cup orange juice1 – Medium orange, zested

Place a ll in gredien ts in a sauce pan. Stir and brin g to a low simmer for 10 minutes. Bes t ser ved

wa rm or a t room tempera ture.

At November’s Meeting … Come by the Cookbook Table early to see our featured swaps!

Wha t’s the 411 On The Coun cil Sys temPurpose and OverviewThe purpose of a council system is to provide Leagues with an efficient management system that enables them to meet goals, is time effective, maximizes the synergy between committee functions, and allows for good communication. It represents a flexible management system that allows Leagues to create a structure that supports the strategic plan by effectively allocating resources (people and money) across the League’s Mission-driven activities. A council system is the League’s primary management unit.

Once the Board has developed an annual plan identifying the year’s objectives, it’s the responsibility of the councils to create activity plans and implement the activities that accomplish the objectives. This flexibility within the larger management unit of the council system allows for efficiency on an organizational level by tying the structure of the League directly to the strategic plan (“form follows function”). Based on the plan, councils may be groupings of functional areas (e.g. all membership functions, fund development functions etc.) or they may be cross-functional groupings of ‘impact areas’ that position all the skills sets necessary to accomplish the objectives of the impact area within one Council. Depending on the size of the League and the complexity of the objectives, the committees within a council may operate in different ways. For example, if one activity within a council is a relatively self-contained piece of work—say, a committee responsible for researching new project ideas—it may operate primarily on its own. On the other hand, if the activity within a committee requires more cross-functional integration, groups of committees will work together as a unit—for example, within a Membership Council, the Provisional Committee would work very closely with the Training Committee to ensure that the training messages are consistent with the League’s overall training and development objectives.

Effective councils also allow the committee members to work together in larger groupings and/or provide opportunities for members to communicate with a wider circle of fellow members. However, it is important to pay attention to how many committees are organized within a single council….primarily based on the size of the League. In small Leagues, it is often unnecessary for there to be many, if any, formal committees within a council. The council becomes the defacto committee with work groupings formed and disbanded on a task basis.

From a membership retention perspective this fulfills one of the great values of any Junior League – the ability to get to know people and to make friends. For Leagues that currently have a council system, it is important to make sure that the structure of your council system is driven by your strategic planning and represents a simple, streamlined process for accomplishing goals and objectives. Many Leagues have put the details of their council structure in their bylaws. A better approach, to ensure that the Board has the flexibility to adjust the council’s structure to meet the demands of the planning process, is to put the details in Policy. By evaluating both the process and results, the Board determines whether or not the committee is effective.

As a general rule of thumb, based on the active membership size, consider having no more than 2 – 6 councils within a League. Within a council it is generally advisable to have at least 10 placed members. If those members are divided among committees, it is advisable that each committee have at least 5–6 members. This prevents members from being isolated in a small committee. It also prevents a small committee from being called a council. Having small, isolated committees labeled as a council is counterproductive and defeats the purpose of a council system.

How Often Do Councils Meet?The frequency with which councils meet is dependent upon their size and complexity.

• In larger councils where there are standing committees with large agendas of their own, the council probably should meet at least 3 times a year, if, for no other reason than to ensure coordinated communication. The council director and all committee chairs should attend the meeting.

• In smaller councils where there is a less formal committee structure, the council may meet as often as once a month with all council members attending. However, in this instance, there wouldn’t be the need for additional separate committee meetings.

An area of concern in many Leagues about council and committee meetings is deciding how many meetings the council director should attend. This is not a position where it is necessary to micromanage. As senior managers, council directors are part of a reporting chain that begins with the committee members and ends with the Board. It is not necessary for the council director to be present at every meeting. She should be in regular communication with the chairs in her council. She will need to be present at administrative and planning meetings. She should use discretion on what additional meetings to attend.

Reference: Knowledge Center at www.ajli.org

The CAF/Scholarship committee is looking forward to another great year serving the Galveston Community. The responsibilities of this committee include the Thanksgiving Food Drive for St. Johns United Methodist Church; Christmas Wishes fulfillment for children in protective services; College Scholarships for graduating seniors in Galveston County; and the Community Assistance Fund.

The upcoming events counting on League participation are:

Little Debbie Food Drive:It’s time again for the Little Debbie food drive to benefit St. Johns United Methodist in Texas City! Please bring Little Debbie treats to the next General Meeting on November 12, 2012. CAF/Scholarship will be set up in the back of the room to collect the treats. Our goal is to supply enough Little Debbie’s for the 800-1,000 persons served at the Annual Thanksgiving dinner. If you have any questions or would like to drop-off Little Debbie’s or have them picked up please e-mail Christine at cmarcari@gmail.com or call 409-795-7860.

Chris tma s Wishes: This year we will once again fill the Christmas Wishes for 100 children in Child Protection Services. Stay tuned for sign-up information, forthcoming shortly, and help make Christmas merrier for some special children in Galveston County!

CAF Schola rship

It’s T-Shirt Time!We have two t-shirts to choose from this year and they are all super cute! 1. The STANDARD RED “must have”: $8.68 Short sleeve red JLGC volunteer shirt with white letters. All members need one of these as a staple. 2. The CUTE FITTED BASEBALL TEE: $20.573/4 white with gray sleeves. Red swooping “Junior League of Galveston” on the front. ***THESE RUN VERY SMALL. They go up to a 4XL. Please don’t worry about size...they are a junior fit. Please order 1-2 sizes up.

LAST CHANCE TO ORDER AT NOVEMBER GENERAL MEETINGPlease make checks payable to “Junior League of Galveston County Inc”.

Contact Sarah Sullivan for more information:

Sarahmelissabright@yahoo.com

Our first KITK Event was held Saturday, October 13th at the Rosenberg Library. It was a hit! We made healthy snacks and discussed good tips about handwashing and the

calorie content in candy.

Our next KITK event will be Saturday, November 10th at the Rosenberg Library. Please sign-up online at www.jlgalveston.org to help.

NOVEMBER12th - GENERAL MEETING - Location: MINI of Clear Lake16th: 6-8pm, Patient Perks-RMH17th: 10:30am-2:30pm, Patient Perks Gift Sorting 9am-12noon, Patient Perks RMHNational Adoption Day20th - Tropical Topics Due26th: 6pm, provisional meeting27th: 6:30pm, Board Meeting, Island, Kristen

DECEMBER1st: 9:44am-5:45pm 2 hour shifts, Dickens on the Strand2nd: 9:45am-5:45pm 2 hour shifts, Dickens on the Strand3rd: 6:00 Social, 6:30 General Meeting7th: 6:30pm, Fundraising OPP Decoration Workshop8th: 7pm, 61st Annual Holiday Charity Ball14th: 6pm, Provisional Social15th: TBA, Patient Perks, Gift sorting & wrapping20th - Tropical Topics Due

JANUARY8th: 6:30pm, Board Meeting, Mainland, Holly10th: 6:30pm-8:30pm, Fundraising, OPP Thank you Letters & wrap up14th: 6pm Social, 6:30pm General Meeting19th: 6pm, Provisional Social20th - Tropical Topics Due28th: 6pm, Provisional Meeting20th - Tropical Topics Due

FEBRUARY5th: 6:30pm, Board Meeting, Island, Amanda11TH: 6pm Social, 6:30pm, General Meeting16th: 1pm, Provisional Social20th - Tropical Topics Due25th: 6pm, Provisional Meeting****MARDI GRAS GALVESTON 1ST-12th****

JLGC Ca lenda r of Even ts

BOARD MEETINGDATES:

November 27: IslandDECEMBER 3: GMJanuary 8: MainlandFebruary 5: IslandMarch 6: Mainland

April 2: IslandMay 7: Island

Meeting Attendance:• Attendatleast6ofthe8GeneralMembershipmeetings• Attendatleast6ofthe8Provisionalmeetings• Attendatleast1ofthe6GettoKnowYouevents• Attendatleast3ofthe6fundraisingworkshops• AttendAnnualDinner

General Membership meetings are typically held the second Monday of every month between September and April. Provisional meet-ings are usually held the third Monday of each month. For both, the social begins at 6:00 PM and the meeting starts at 6:30 PM. Please note that several meeting dates are adjusted due to holidays.

Attendance is optional at all events listed in blue.Attendance is mandatory at one of the six Get to Know You events listed in red.Attendance is mandatory at three of the six of the workshops listed in green.

November 12 General Meeting MINI of Clear LakeNovember 15, 7:00-9:00 Holiday Ball Sponsor Party Moody Gardens, Galveston IslandNovember 26 Provisional Meeting Trueheart-Adriance Building, Galveston (delayed due to Thanksgiving holiday)Nov 30 - December 2 Dickens on the Strand Trueheart-Adriance BuildingDecember 3 General Meeting Ashton Villa, Galveston Island (moved up due to Holiday Ball prep)December 7, 6:30 – 8:30 Décor Workshop TBADecember 8 Holiday Ball Tremont House Hotel, GalvestonDecember 14, 6:00 Provisional Social Bacchus Wine Bar, League CityDecember 17 Provisional Meeting La Brisa Restaurant, League City January 10, 6:30 – 8:30 Thank You Letters/Wrap Up Spring Creek BBQ, League CityJanuary 14 General Meeting TBAJanuary 19, 6:00 Provisional Social Game Night, Trueheart-Adriance Bldg January 28 Provisional Meeting Trueheart-Adriance Building, Galveston (delayed due to Martin Luther King Day)February 11 General Meeting Elk’s Lodge, Galveston IslandFebruary 16, 1:00 Provisional Social Tour of Haak Winery, Santa FeFebruary 25 Provisional Meeting Panera Bread, League City (delayed due to President’s Day)March 18 General Meeting TBA (delayed due to Spring Break)March 22 Spring Market Preview Party San Luis Resort, Galveston IslandMarch 23 Spring Market Setup San Luis Resort, Galveston IslandMarch 23 Sunrise Soiree San Luis Resort, Galveston IslandMarch 25 Provisional Meeting and Social The Spot, Galveston Island (delayed due to Spring Break)Mid-March Placement Interviews Scheduled with your advisorApril 8 General Meeting Elk’s Lodge, Galveston IslandApril 13, 6:00 Provisional Social AMF Star Lanes Bowling, Texas CityApril 15 Provisional Meeting Trueheart-Adriance Building, GalvestonMay 13 Annual Dinner TBAMay 18, 6:00 End of year Provisional Party Garden House, Galveston Island

2012-2013 PROVISIONAL CALENDAR