Do the Right Thing

One of my favorite Heinz College professors Dave Lassman's said "Do the right thing.  In doing the right thing you can't go wrong - in business and in life."

I was reminded by Prof. Lassman's words this week as many people have provided me with guidance and help in structuring League activities.  I'd like to highlight the following friends:

Tracey Manzi of The Junior League of Boston for her support of a prospective member, whose mother is a sustainer in Pittsburgh.

Jordan Pallitto of The Hill Group for providing strategic development coaching as leadership incorporates the feedback received from the Speak Out meetings.

Kim Carter of The Pittsburgh Project for creating spring volunteer opportunities for the League.

Gina Evans of The Children's Museum for entertaining any and every collaboration I suggest.

Soup's On!

Each December, months in advance, League members have one question - are we volunteering with The South Side Soup Contest?

This annual event is a fun-filled, winter activity that introduces ticket holders to the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Approximately 25 restaurants enter an original soup into the contest, and 25 stores and businesses host the restaurants as they serve three ounces of steaming goodness to each participant. At the end of the day, votes are cast for best all around, best veggie, most unique and host with the most. 

Our members volunteer at the different soup stations, helping to keep things tidy and the guests happy. It's a fun way to spend the day with your fellow members, meet people in the community and support a local food pantry.  We're honored that the contest welcomes us back each year, with 50 ladies volunteering this past Saturday.  

As an added bonus, in most recent years, the day is filled with the type of sunshine that can only be appreciated in the middle of February.

Special thanks to Leah Worbs, Megan Worbs and Rick Hoffmaster for joining me on this soup crawl, providing rations, and helping me navigate the perils of seafood gumbos and chowders. 

The Soup Contest supports the Brashear Association, including their food assistance program. This holds a special place in my heart, as my community and civic engagement began as a pre-teen working in a soup kitchen with my grandparents.  Through this experience, my grandparents taught me the innate dignity and integrity of every person, and how we must show each other respect in all circumstances.  While I enjoy the work of the Junior League of Pittsburgh - the building playgrounds and the mentoring of young women - my grandfather often reminds me "Don't forget to feed people, Gretchen." 

Allison and Samantha with a fellow volunteer.

Diane and Lauren at their soup station.

Meghan and Vicky in the library. 

Lauren and Serina relax after the event.

Lara and Lauren with the Smiley Cookies.

Enjoying the fruits of a well done volunteer shift. 

Speak Out Meetings

This week marked the League's annual Speak Outs.  These small group meetings allow for easy discussion of issues and concerns affecting our membership.  In Pittsburgh, we're fortunate to have a welcoming and gracious sustaining member population to host us in their homes for these conversations.

At the Speak Outs, our membership always proves to be articulate women with vision and focus on furthering our work together. From these meetings, we're able to create our strategic plan for the year ahead.  A consistent and open conversation with one another provides the Board of Directors with an understanding of the membership's needs and wants. From this, the Board is able to align our resources with our shared vision for the future.

Tracy, Julie, Stephanie, Allison and Eliza at the Highland Park Speak Out.

Huge thank you to our Hostesses and Advisors for their efforts in bringing such important and energized discussions to life!

Hostesses:
Maria Burgwin
Lynne Chadwick
Collyn Evans
Jennifer Kilgore
MaryAdele Krowlikowski
Peggy Mooney

Advisors:
Katie Collins
Nancy Davis
Collyn Evans
Jennifer Grossman
Kristen Hawkins
Nneka Hawthorne
Sarah Lee
Lauren Santori
Allison Saras
Beckey Smith
Alaina Warren

Super Bowl

Enjoyed watching the "HarBowl" Super Bowl with active member Megan Worbs and provisional member Stacey Buellers. And I won the first quarter pool!

Hearts and Hope

Congratulations to active member Katie Kozora on her involvement in the successful Hearts and Hopes event!  Katie serves on the Girls Hope of Pittsburgh's Young Leadership Board, the committee that hosts this fundraiser each year.

The purpose of the Junior League is to develop our members' skill sets to better enable them to engage with and provide leadership for organizations in our community. Katie's work with Girls Hope is a shinning example of the League's mission at work.

Active members Jen Churches, Lauren Plate, Jessi Simms and Amy Vanderveen braved the cold to support Girls Hope and enjoy the event. We're sorry that Lara Shipkovitz and Toni Sacco weren't able to join us, and hope they are feeling better!

#JLWL13

The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) hosts a Winter Leadership conference each year with the purpose of further developing the leadership skills and collaboration ability of League's Presidents-Elect and Presidents-Elect Elect.  Eileen Bundy and I had the privilege of representing the Junior League of Pittsburgh in Las Vegas last month.

The sessions ranged from strategic development to serving as the League's chief communication officer (the session that inspired this blog).  The keynote address was delivered by Musimbi Kanyoro, the CEO of the Global Fund for Women who highlighted the impact women have on their communities when they collectively address a concern. 

The networking lunches held opportunities for us as well, and we began brainstorming with the ladies from the League in Wheeling. We hope to plan joint trainings and activities in the year ahead. 

Eileen and I did manage to mix a little fun with League business. We took in the play Jersey Boys at the Paris Hotel; a Ben Folds Five concert at the Pearl Theatre at the Palms; experienced an oxygen bar;  and hit all three Gordon Ramsey restaurants on the Strip. 

With my "Ginger-in-Crime" Eileen during an Association Dialogue session.