JLW Gives 2013 Community Partner Grant to Teen Life Clubs

The Junior League of Washington (JLW) is proud to award a $12,500 grant to a longstanding community partner, Children's National Medical Center, in support of its Teen Life Clubs (TLC) program. JLW’s grant will provide just under half of the fiscal year’s needed funding for the TLC program, with a grant from the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education providing the other funding.

Children's Hospital of the District of Columbia was founded by a group of citizens in 1870 to care for children orphaned during the Civil War. The hospital has grown from a 12-bed row house to Children’s National Medical Center - a 303-bed, medical facility that is ranked among the top pediatric hospitals in America by U.S. News and World Report. In the more than 140 years since its founding, Children's National has become a vital community resource and a significant national force for the advancement of pediatric health care. The mission of Children's National is to excel in Care, Advocacy, Research and Education and is accomplished through: Providing a quality health care experience for our patients and families; Improving health outcomes for children regionally, nationally, and internationally; and Leading the creation of innovative solutions to pediatric health challenges. It is the only integrated health care system in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area dedicated exclusively to the care of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

Beginning in the 1920s, the JLW showed strong support of the children’s hospital by funding a convalescent ward and then a Social Services department. The JLW continued its commitment by funding a director of volunteer services and a Child Guidance Center, and in the 1960s, provided a grant to assist in the opening of an Intensive Care Unit. Today, the JLW provides trained volunteers to the TLC program at Children’s National.

TLC is one of the programs offered through Children’s National’s Adolescent Prevention Education Programs. TLC provides young people with the knowledge, activities and mentorship they need to help them avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. It is a 26-week program that includes weekly club meetings, monthly enrichment activities and group mentorship. Club members can earn a stipend based on attendance, punctuality and participation. At TLC meetings, members address topics such as safe sexual activity, goal setting, responding to violence, maintaining healthy relationships, securing jobs and exploring careers. Volunteers from the Junior League of Washington are an essential part of the TLC events. They provide materials and supplies for events and speakers for particular workshop presentations. With the support and energy of these volunteers, TLC club members are exposed to significant cultural and enrichment activities, as well as positive role models for leadership and good citizenship.

In the last full year of the program, TLC served just over 70 youth through six community sites, which is a major expansion of the program from previous years. This year TLC seeks to serve 100 youth at six to eight sites in the D.C. area. The goal is to continue to expand the program, by gaining access to new youth service locations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, D.C. Parks and Recreation Centers and more schools within the area.

Why I Serve - Allison Herron, Chair of Teen Life Club

Serving as chair of the Teen Life Club (TLC) committee is an incredibly rewarding and enjoyable experience.

Around this time last year, when I thought about serving in a leadership role, I thought doing so would allow me to play a more active role in giving back to the community and the Junior League of Washington (JLW) and help me develop leadership skills. Now, a year later, I can say that it has done that and so much more.

This year, I have worked closely with our community partner, TLC, discussing ideas for events and how to make a positive impact on the program participants. I have spent time learning about the lives of the amazing youth and families who participate in TLC. I have also worked with other women in leadership, learning about the wonderful work taking place on their committees throughout the League and continually being inspired by all they do to make the JLW a positive place for all of its members. I have benefited from formal leadership training, hearing great ideas for motivating a team, working to meet goals, and planning projects and events. I have also had such a wonderful time with the other women on TLC - learning from them, having fun with them, and building friendships that I hope will last for years to come. In sum, serving as a leader has given me much more than I could have hoped.

I encourage everyone in the JLW to take advantage of all it has to offer - attend a training or new event, consider leadership, volunteer to do something extra on your committee, or reach out to someone you met at a JLW activity. It may exceed even your best expectations.

One way to explore what JLW has to offer is to attend the Placement Information Events at JLW Headquarters on Saturday, April 13 in the morning or on Thursday, April 25 in the evening (and it's a membership credit)! Check www.jlw.org for additional details.

 Allison Herron, Chair, Teen Life Clubs

JLW Facts: June 5, 2012