Bubbly With the Board

On January 12, 2015, the Junior League of Washington’s Membership Outreach Committee and Board of Directors hosted its fourth Bubbly with the Board (BWTB), a panel event designed to provide league member with an open forum to communicate with JLW leadership. More than 50 women attended.  

Women were welcomed to the Loughborough Room as champagne bottles popped and guests mingled and enjoyed the spread of food. At 7 p.m. attendees took their seats, as a panel of JLW board members, including President Jennifer Hemingway and President-elect Cameron Gilreath, began answering pre-submitted questions about: how to become more involved in leadership opportunities; maintaining a work/life/volunteer balance; the leagues positive impact on other area’s in the BOD member’s lives; and more.

“The Membership Outreach Committee sees this event as the perfect opportunity for members and the board alike to learn from one another in an intimate setting. The responses the board members provide are very candid, and that can also be said about the questions submitted. Both sides benefit from their attendance,” said Miranda McDaniel, chair of the Membership Outreach Committee.

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

Upcoming D&T – How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice

More than likely, you have heard of human papillomavirus, or as it is more commonly referred to, HPV.  It’s now known that approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV, while another 6 million people become newly infected each year. While there are now vaccinations available to help prevent HPV, there is no treatment for the virus itself.  As scary as it sounds, HPV is so common that at least 50% of sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives.

What’s even scarier? Sometimes HPV can lead to Cervical cancer.   Each year, about 12,000 women get cervical cancer in the U.S. Almost all of these cancers are HPV-associated. Cervical cancer usually does not have symptoms until it is quite advanced. For this reason, it is important for women to get regular screening for cervical cancer. Screening tests can find early signs of disease so that problems can be treated early, before they ever turn into cancer.  

On Monday, May 14, the JLW will host Michelle L. Whitlock, author of How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice.  At age twenty-six, Michelle thought she had it all: she was in the best physical shape of her life, she had a promising career, and she had a budding romance that looked like it could finally be the real thing. Then doctors informed her that she had HPV. Weeks later her worst nightmare became her reality when she was diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer. In her memoir, Michelle recounts how she took charge of her healthcare and pursued an experimental surgery that treated the cancer while preserving her fertility. The surgery was a success, but just years later—a week after the love of her life proposed—Michelle discovered her cancer was back. How I Lost My Uterus and Found My Voice follows Michelle as she wonders if she will live or die or have children. This is one woman's story of falling in love, battling HPV and cervical cancer, facing sexual dysfunction, confronting her conflicting feelings about motherhood, and becoming her own best advocate. Inspirational and honest, this memoir tells the emotional story of love, loss, resilience, and survival.

This is an important topic that likely could impact you, a friend, a family member, or a colleague.  Please join us for this important D&T on Monday, May 14th, at 7:00 p.m. at the offices of Winston & Strawn, 1700 K. St. NW.

You can RSVP on the JLW site.  This event will be the last opportunity for a membership credit for the 2011-2012 year.