Community Corner

Junior League Celebrates Work in Community; Plans for Future Accomplishments

Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County Celebrates 90th Year Serving the Greater Fairfield Area

Editor's note: The following news release was received from the Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County:

The Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County recently celebrated the conclusion of its 90th year of service with an annual dinner at the Black Rock Yacht Club. The evening included awarding stand-out members for their contributions to the JLEFC as well as to the community, thanking members of the Board and welcoming the new members of the 2010-2011 Provisional Class.

The evening was capped off with the ceremonial passing of the gavel from outgoing President, Genevieve Halloran (of Trumbull) to incoming President Hannah Everard (of Easton.)

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Here are some of the ways the JLEFC impacted the community over the last year:

* In September, the JLEFC launched Leaguers Building Readers, a new program developed to improve literacy in the community. The goal was to collect 3,000 children’s books by mid-December to donate, with the help of partners Read to Grow and The United Way, to the children who need them most. Not only was that goal accomplished, but by the annual dinner it was more than tripled with more than 10,500 books collected!

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* With a focus on health and nutrition, the JLEFC addressed the need to help keep food pantries in the area stocked by hosting cooking parties which resulted in making more than 130 meals for Operation Hope’s food pantry.

* As part of its 90-year history, the JLEFC awarded community service mini-grants to three organizations serving the greater Bridgeport area whose projects align with the JLEFC’s health, nutrition and literacy initiatives.

Recipients include: the Green Village Initiative and their project for the construction of an edible garden at Thomas Hooker School in Bridgeport; The Southwest Community Health Center, Inc. (a private, non-profit federally-qualified health center) and the implementation of their  “WE CAN” (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition) program to educate parents about nutrition and encourage healthy habits for their families; and, finally, the School Volunteer Association and their ongoing reading enrichment program, which supports emerging literacy skills of students through a read-aloud program.

The JLEFC also served the community through monthly "Read Alouds" and "Star Student Receptions" at the Thomas Hooker School in Bridgeport; completion of beautification projects in THS’s Media Center and "Kids in the Kitchen" events at the school; the donation of enough food items to create 46 baskets that were donated to The Mercy Learning Center in Bridgeport for Thanksgiving; and the JLEFC’s Holiday Party, which resulted in the collection of more than 50 winter coats for preschoolers at the South End YMCA and The Caroline House, both in Bridgeport.

“It was a very exciting and rewarding year,” Halloran said. “I am honored that I was able to be a part of it. I am so inspired by all that this group of women can accomplish.”

Everard said, “It was an amazing year and I look forward to continuing the momentum we achieved over the year and making an impact community-wide with our health, nutrition and literacy initiatives.”

The Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

Communities represented by the League include Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Newtown, Redding, Shelton, Southport, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston and Westport.

For additional information about the Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County and its volunteer opportunities, please visit www.jlefc.org or call the League office at 203 259-9995.

Submitted by the Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County


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