THE
EASTERN GAZETTE
Jack and Jill of America, Inc., The MIGHTY Eastern Region
Volume 1, Issue 3
November/December 2012
Inside this Issue ...
• The Power to End Hunger: Chapters Rise
to Regional Community Service Challenge
• Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts
• Teaching Children to Give
• The Sergeant-at-Arms: Maintaining Order
and Dignity
Love
Peace
Joy
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: REFLECT, CELEBRATE, ADVOCATE! Page 8
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
03
From the Regional Director
15
A Note for Teen Advisers
04
National Executive Board
Update
16
Middle School Corner: Teaching
Children to Give
05
A Season of Giving
17
06
A Well-Baked J&J Family
Chapters Help with Hurricane
Sandy Relief Efforts
06
A Note from the Secretary
19
Chapter Programming
Around the Eastern Region
07
Membership Matters
32
Teen Hang Suite
07
Mothers Away from Home
48
Calendar
08
Reflect, Celebrate, Advocate
09
Maintaining Order &
Dignity
11
Foundation MAL-Functions:
Chapters Answer the Call to
Donate Food
ELECTED
EASTERN REGIONAL OFFICERS
Regional Director
Joi M. Grady
Regional Treasurer
Elayna Rucker-Byers
Regional Secretary
Vicki West
Regional Member-at-Large
Karen Chaplin
APPOINTED
Associates Chair
Melanie Johnson
Fathers’ Auxiliary Chair
Travis Langster
Membership Chair
Michele Courton-Brown
Membership Task Force Chair
Debra Henry
2 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
Each chapter is invited to submit up to two
articles: one for Chapter Programming and one
‘Teen Hang Suite’ article. Each article should
be no more than 250 words, and photos are
limited to two per article. Submissions should
be sent to Regional Editor Paulette Walker
Campbell, [email protected].
Program Chair
ShawnDya Simpson Walthour
Sergeant-at-Arms
Paula Magnus
Teen Advisor
Davida Twitty
Middle School Advisor
Ingrid Bentil
Legislative Chair
Mondi Kumbula-Fraser
Regional Grievance Chair
Gena Ashe
Nominating Chair
Susan Johnson
Regional Editor
Paulette Walker Campbell
Event Planner
Renee Gadson
Community Service Chair
Margaret Gibson
Regional Protocol Chair
Nikki Farrior
Celebrate 75
Danielle Brown
Regional By-Laws Chair
Cathy Long
Policies and Procedures Chair
Lisa Evans-Chapman
Strategic Relevance and Value
Chair
Juanita Thompson
Chaplain
Jill Parham
National Officer
Tammy King
National Vice President
From the Regional Director
Dear Mothers of the Mighty East,
Holidays! I hope that everyone
had a fabulous Thanksgiving and
that you are enjoying the time with
family and friends over this holiday
season. We all have so much to be
thankful for as we are a blessed
group of women with many talents
and we have special treasures —
our children. We are also thankful
that there was no loss of life in our
Jack and Jill family due to Hurricane
Sandy. I am aware of families that
were displaced and are just now
able to return home; please know
that your Jack and Jill family is here
for anyone who may need any type
of help. We are thinking of you as
you continue to face the challenges
of returning home and rebuilding.
Fall has been a busy time in
the East! We hosted four successful Mothers Cluster workdays. I
heard from many of you that you
enjoyed the workshops as well as
the opportunity to meet new mothers from your cluster. Thank you to
the regional team for your efforts
in making the workdays beneficial
and educational. In addition, there
have been regional webinars conducted on various topics to keep
members knowledgeable. Webinar
information is sent to the Chapter
President and to the chapter officer
that is responsible for the area of
discussion, but they are open to all
mothers who would like to participate.
Your regional team has been
hard at work planning for the
upcoming year. Next up is the Teen
Leadership Summit, January 26-27,
2013; Teen Conference, March
21-24, 2013; Children’s Cluster,
April 13, 2013; and the Regional
Conference Cruise to Bermuda,
July 20-25, 2013. Registration for
the Leadership Summit has commenced, and registration for Teen
Conference and the Regional
Conference Cruise will open in
January. We try to communicate
to the entire region, but several e-mails are bouncing back.
Therefore, we always send the
information to chapter Presidents
and Corresponding Secretaries and
ask them to share with their members. If you are not receiving registration e-mails from your chapter,
please let your chapter President
and Regional Secretary Vicki West
know.
1 in 4 Reminder: If you joined
the organization in 2008 or prior
and your youngest child is graduating out this year, your first cycle
of compliance ended in August
2012. If you did not attend the
Cluster Workdays, you must attend
Teen Conference or the Regional
Conference in order to graduate
in good standing. If you joined in
2009, and you already attended a
qualifying event starting in the Fall
of 2009 through now, you are in
compliance with the bylaw. If not,
you will need to attend the Teen or
Regional Conference to be in compliance. Remember, members are
responsible for knowing the status
of their attendance requirements.
We do not want to lose a single
mother in the East due to noncompliance.
In closing, I am thankful for
each of you and am always amazed
at the dedication and heart that
mothers bring to this wonderful
organization. I am also thankful for
my family and friends who understand what I enjoy and support
me so that I may serve you. Merry
Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Happy
New Year and may 2013 bless you
abundantly.
Joi M.Grady
21st Eastern Regional Director
Regional Director Joi Grady with the winners of the Middle School Great Debate at the Southern Cluster.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 3
National Executive Board Update
Greetings Eastern Region,
The holiday season is typically full of excitement and anticipation, and this missive from
me would normally be a cheerful greeting of Christmas wishes
and expressions of a hopeful
and Happy New Year,. But our
nation has been silenced by a
terrible disaster, and our moods
are somber.
Within the past few days
the excitement of the season
was turned into bewilderment
for many. We are stunned. The
unthinkable has happened.
Children have been harmed.
When a tragedy such as the
Newtown, CT school killings
occurs, we are all shaken to
our core, because our children
are supposed to be safe, happy,
carefree and especially cherished by all. Parents are not
supposed to bury their babies,
especially not at Christmastime.
Our world and our environment is changing every single
day, and children are not as safe
as we would like to believe. It
only takes one disturbed individual to remind of us of this
sad fact.
Let us stand strong with our
nation’s President as he commits his administration and
American citizens en masse to
rectify whatsoever is necessary
so that a tragedy such as this
never happens again; and let
us find solace in His reminder
that there is “an eternal house
in heaven, not built by human
hands.”
Jack and Jill will continue
to advocate on behalf of all
children. One of our legislative
focuses for 2013 has to be centered on protecting our most
precious possessions: our children. Our mantra now is that
we never want to see this happen again; “Not in a school, not
Credit: http://cristaspeaks.wordpress.com/
4 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
on a school yard nor on a school
bus or anywhere that our children are supposed to be safe.”
We pray silently and together as a nation for the loss of 20
young children at Sandy Hook
Elementary and the six adults
who gave their lives trying to
protect them but we can gain
strength from the Newton community as they support one
another in their shared grief.
Despite despair let us smile at
the memories of beautiful carefree and innocent souls who
are now remembered spirits
and we can be encouraged that
America cares.
Amidst our anguish, as we
hug our children and watch
their glee on Christmas morning, let us all quietly acknowledge that we have much to be
thankful for and that we are
indeed thankful.
God rest the souls of those
lost, and may God bless you and
your families.
Long Live Jack and Jill!
Tammy King
25th National Vice President
‘A Season of Giving,’ by Myrtle and Ethel
Myrtle stood in Rockefeller
Center, enamored by the enormous 80 foot Norway spruce
Christmas tree, adorned by
30,000 beautiful LED twinkling
lights. The tree had the most
magnificent Swarovski crystal
star brightly shining on top of
it. As she stared up at the star
that radiated a spectrum of
brightly colored rays of light
across the sky, Myrtle hummed
CeeLo Green’s rendition of the
song ‘Mary Did You Know’.
Myrtle envisioned Mary giving
birth to Jesus and she marveled with thanksgiving in her
heart for Jesus giving eternal
life to Mary.
As she hummed the portion of the song with the
lyric, ‘Mary did you know, that this Child you delivered
would soon deliver you?’, Myrtle reflected on how her
own son when he was 8 years old had led her to accept
Christ after she was spiritually moved by her son’s
performance in his role as Jesus in the Sunday School
Christmas play.
As she smiled looking up at that the rays of color
spraying across the sky from the magnificent shining
star, a child came and stood by her. The child looked up
at the star too and began smiling. Another child and his
mother came and stood by Myrtle and began staring up
at the brightly shining star!
As Ethel came out of The Coach Store with her arms
full of presents, she spotted a large number of people
crowded around the Christmas tree staring, smiling and
pointing up at the shining star. Once Ethel was closer to
the crowd, she saw Myrtle with tears in her eyes as she
stared up at the shining star. Ethel could hear Myrtle
softly humming ‘Mary Did You Know’!
Ethel gently slipped her hand into Myrtle’s hand
and quietly said, “Myrtle did you know, that the crys-
tals on the Christmas pin you are
wearing are reflecting on the star
up there on that tree and making
all those beautiful colors everyone
sees in the sky?”.
Startled for
just a second, Myrtle looked over
with amazement at her dear friend
Ethel who turned and smiled at
Myrtle. Knowingly, they tightly
embraced and chuckled quietly in
each other’s ear.
Jack and Jill Mothers and
Families, let your light shine so
brightly within you that All will see
Christ in you during this Season
and out of this Season.
Let God’s gift of Christ to all
of us, be your encouragement to
share the good news of Christ and
his birth. For, He came to give the gift of eternal life to
all who will receive it!
Remember to KEEP Christ in
your Christmas!
And, Have a Wonderfully
Blessed Christmas Season and
New Year!
By Jill Parham
Eastern Regional Chaplain
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 5
A Well-baked J&J Family
During this holiday season
money seems to be top of mind
for everyone. Buying gifts for family and friends, donating to special
charities, purchasing travel tickets
to destination locations and even
paying for upcoming Jack and Jill
activities.
Through all these financial
festivities, please remember how
blessed we are this season to have
what we have and be able share
our good fortune with others.
As we kick off the New Year
and make resolutions, may I suggest we make sure that we are
financially fit and make a few Jack
and Jill financial resolutions?
Financial officers: Ensure you
are sending your financial reports
to your chapter each month, rec-
oncile quick books monthly, provide a back up file to your chapter president, start thinking about
budget committee members, and
take the time to review your financial guidelines and see if any chapter by-laws need to be updated.
Members: Resolve to pay for
Jack and Jill activities in a timely
fashion; send your activity payments only to the chapter financial secretary, provide receipts and
vouchers for any reimbursement.
May you all enjoy my Jack and
Jill Holiday Recipe:
• Take 1 scoop of sisterhood
• Stir in 2 teaspoons of understanding
• Add 3 cups of commitment
• Layer it with 4½ cup of working together
• Fold in 5 tablespoons of no
parking lot meetings
• Mix it all together and blend
well
• Outcome: A well-baked Jack
and Jill family
Happy Holidays and
Happy New Year!
Elayna Rucker-Byers
Eastern Regional Treasurer
A Note from the Secretary
Greetings of the Season
Eastern Region Mothers,
the event to your cart and follow the steps to check
out.
As our cluster season
comes to a close, I want
to reassure you that I am
working to ensure each
Mother that attended
a cluster gets credit
for attendance. If you
logged your attendance
for your cluster in MIS,
signed in at registration
and workshops, and received a certificate at the end
of the cluster, you will get credit for that cluster.
If you do not attend the event once you registered,
I will reconcile registration sign in sheets at the end of
the event. If a signature is not found on the registration sheets or workshop sign in sheets, those names
are forwarded to the National office who will delete
the event from your personal activities calendar.
Even if you were not able to stay to the closing
session, if you stayed for at least 2 workshops, you
will get credit. I was happy to assist many of your
with recording your attendance in MIS. Those of you
that had technical difficulty, I will be working with the
National office to resolve your problems.
I want to reiterate to you Mothers you should
log your attendance for qualifying events (Clusters,
Teen Conference, Mothers Conference, and National
Convention) when you register for the event. Events
will be on the Jack and Jill Activities calendar until
midnight once the event has occurred. Logging your
attendance is like shopping on the internet; you add
6 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
The bylaw was passed to make our organization
stronger and hold members accountable to the organization. We are only actively involved in Jack and Jill
with our children for a ‘season ‘, so let’s make the most
of it. Remember the experience you and your children
have has a direct correlation to the time, commitment, and dedication you put into the organization.
I will be conducting a webinar with Chapter MIS
Administrators January 8, 2013 at 9 p.m. More details
to follow.
Wishing you and yours joy, peace, and love this
Holiday season and throughout the New Year.
Fondly,
Vicki H. West
Eastern Regional Secretary
Membership Matters
In the spirit of holiday sharing, I have a special
request: Please share your chapter’s best membership
practices with me so that I can expand on the membership resource tools available to all.
At this fall’s Mother’s Clusters, chapter members
shared a number of creative ideas for making the
membership intake process more interactive and effective, for engaging moms (new and old), for deploying
Associates and for surveying chapters for future membership needs. It would be helpful to have the following
information provided:
• Chapter Name/# of Members
• Summary of Idea/Project/Tool?
• How many mother volunteers are required and
what do they do?
• Costs, if any
• How has this idea/project/tool benefited your
chapter’s membership?
If you send me your chapter’s creative ideas, I will
share them with your fellow chapters via the ER
Gazette, a special communication to Presidents and
Vice Presidents, and via
Eastern Region webinars.
And, of course, your chapter will receive full recognition for your amazing
ideas.
Also, if your chapter has specific requests for information on membership issues, please let me know
what you need to know. Please send me an email at
[email protected]. I look forward to
receiving the gift of proven effective membership ideas
and tools. We can all benefit from the collective wisdom of the Mighty Eastern Region.
Happy Holidays!
Michele Courton Brown
Eastern Regional Membership Chair
Mothers Away from Home Project
Happy Holidays, Seasons
Greetings,
and
Merry
Christmas! During this season
when we often plan to spend
time with our families … it
makes me think of our Mother
Away From Home Project.
This is our National Associates
Initiative connecting our Jacks
and Jills across the country
with a Jack and Jill mother
member, graduate mother, or
Associate member, who will act as a “Mother” Away
From Home, for your son or daughter. It is the Mother
Away From Home who lives in the city where your
child attends college or boarding school, who can
check on your child, when you cannot. The Mother
Away From Home can give you a sense of security
knowing your Jack and Jill sister is there for your child.
The purpose of the program is to provide a “network” of contacts by which Jack and Jill College and
boarding school students may be assisted in their
transition and existence in their new environment.
The major thrust is to continue to perpetuate the aims
and objectives of the organization through educational, cultural, civic, recreational and social activities.
Registration for the MAFH Project is open at anytime of the year; with the program implementation scheduled for November – April. Participating
Associates/Mothers are asked to contact the colle-
giate during those months and complete the MAFH
Activity Log located on the Jack and Jill website, listing
all activities performed during the above time frame.
Some suggested activites include:
• Providing school supplies or care packages;
• Inviting the student to home-cooked meals;
• Sending them cards (holidays, birthdays, thinking
of you); and
• Inviting the collegiate to speak with teens.
Presently, we have 16 Eastern Region students registered for the program with: four attending schools
in the Mid-Atlantic Region; one in the Mid-Western
Region, and one in the Southeastern Region. We
have 17 registered students attending schools in the
Eastern Region, with: 10 from the Eastern Region, four
from the South Central Region, two from the Far West
Region and one from the Midwestern Region. These
students have been assigned to the local chapters
where their college/school is located.
I hope YOU have an opportunity to participate in
the program by registering your child, or as a Mother
Away From Home for a collegiate attending school in
your area.
Complete instructions and forms are located on
the Jack and Jill website (www.jackandjillinc.org) and
contained in the Associates Guide Fall 2011
Yours in Jack & Jill,
Melanie Johnson
Eastern Region Associate Chair
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 7
Reflect, Celebrate, Advocate!
Mothers of the Mighty Eastern Region, as we near the
end of the year, it is a nice opportunity to reflect on
our recent legislative endeavors, celebrate our nation’s
leaders, and continue to advocate for our legislative
priorities.
REFLECT. Over the past few months, our nation has
been consumed with election activities. As a nonprofit,
Jack and Jill of America, Inc., cannot endorse or oppose
particular candidates. However, under the leadership
of National President Tamara Turnley Robinson and
Eastern Regional Director Joi Grady, the Eastern Region
made a difference by engaging in nonpartisan efforts to
Get Out the Vote (GOTV). We partnered with the Black
Women’s Agenda and issued a challenge to all members to vote, encourage others to vote, and bring at
least three friends to the polls on Election Day. We also
encouraged chapters to GOTV by volunteering with the
NAACP, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights (LCCR)
and the League of Women Voters.
Many of our chapters engaged children in nonpartisan election activities such as passing out GOTV flyers,
voter registration, call-a-thons encouraging members
to vote, mock elections, mock debates, and vote counting. These experiences were very important, because
such practical application helped our children realize
that their young voices DO matter.
During the time of the elections, many Jack and Jill
families were dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane
Sandy. Some Mothers volunteered to staff LCCR’s voter
protection hotline in Washington, D.C., and many of the
callers from New York and New Jersey were displaced
from their homes and/or their polling places due to
Hurricane Sandy. They were struggling with power outages, flooding and property damage. But despite these
very real and personal challenges, people STILL wanted
to find a way to vote and make a difference.
CELEBRATE. On November 6, our nation re-elected Barack Obama as President of the United States. We
also elected 12 new members to the U.S. Senate and
84 new members to the U.S. House of Representatives.
During the weekend of January 18-20, 2013, Jack and
Jill of America, Inc., will host two Children’s Inaugural
balls at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City to celebrate
our elected leaders. The demand for tickets to these
events was so high that both of them sold out in less
than ten minutes! During Inauguration weekend, Jack
and Jill also will host a legislative forum, an open
house at National’s headquarters, a church service, a
Martin Luther King, Jr. service activity, a 75th anniversary reception, a NASA space activity, and a museum
activity. This is a wonderful opportunity to engage our
children and these special memories will last a lifetime.
8 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
ADVOCATE. The legislative aim for Jack and Jill is
“to support all national legislation aimed at bettering
the condition of ALL children”. The Eastern Region
supports this aim and our
legislative theme is to: (1)
educate our families and
key decision makers about our legislative priorities; (2)
empower our families to advance our legislative objectives; and (3) inspire our Jack and Jill children to pursue
public office one day.
We will continue to advocate for our legislative
priorities: (1) quality education for all children of all
socio-economic status; (2) adequate healthcare for all
children, equal and impartial juvenile justice adjudication; and (3) redress of inequitable distributions of
environmental burdens
The Eastern Region has conducted legislative advocacy training through Cluster workshops and a webinar.
We encourage chapters to host their own legislative
advocacy workshops, so our members can learn the
most effective ways to advance our legislative priorities. The signature legislative event for the Eastern
Region is for all chapters to host or co-host at least
one legislative meeting on the local, state or national
level. A KEY component of these meetings is that children should pose the majority of the questions at the
meetings, so they can learn how to advocate and feel
comfortable conversing with our leaders. We want
our children to understand that their young voices and
opinions DO matter. Perhaps some of our Jack and Jill
children will be inspired and empowered to pursue
public office one day!
In September 2013, we will continue to advance
our legislative priorities by holding the On the Hill
Legislative Summit at the Capitol Hilton in Washington,
D.C. The OTH Summit is our biannual national legislative conference on Capitol Hill and provides opportunities for adults and children to meet face-to-face
with legislators and their staff members. As chapters
budget for the 2013-2014 program year, we encourage
you to send representatives to attend this important
conference. Legislative advocacy is an exciting area and
we want all of our chapters to be successful in their
endeavors. If you have any questions or legislative suggestions that you would like to share, please contact
me at [email protected] or 301-802-4044.
Mondi Kumbula-Fraser
Eastern Region Legislative Chair
The Sergeant-at-Arms:
Maintaining Order & Dignity
Sergeant-at-Arms – Why is the position needed?
Indeed, the Sergeant-at-Arms constitutes the oldest royal bodyguard in England, dating from the time of
King Richard I (around 1189 A.D). The position served
as a personal attendant for the King and focused on
keeping order. Jack & Jill’s Eastern Regional Sergeantat-Arms is an appointed position that:
•
Ensures orderly conduct at meetings,
• Supervises the door(s), not allowing any member to leave or enter the room when business is being
conducted and while a vote is in session.
The Sergeant-at-Arms plays a vital role as to how
order is maintained at various meetings at ALL times.
Meetings. The Sergeant-at-Arms will ensure all bylaws
and traditions are respected by everyone. During these
meetings, it is the responsibility of this person to make
certain attendance is taken, votes are counted, and
parliamentary procedures are followed and to call to
order as well as adjourn all meetings (a gavel may be
used for this purpose.)
Provide Support to the President. The Sergeant-atArms will always support the President by making sure
she has all materials needed before the meeting and
assisting in practical details of organizing the meeting.
This means any outside materials or any additional
support that may be needed. She also will carry out
requests or orders from
the President; and enforce
the rules at the direction
of the President
Welcome Members and
Guests. The Sergeant- at-Arms always provides positive
motivation and enthusiasm to members and guests.
This means that she is present at various functions
early and is there to greet everyone who comes to any
event.
The position of Sergeant-at-Arms is extremely
important to the flow of each meeting. Our time is
valuable and limited; therefore we need to have a
pleasant STRONG Sergeant-At -Arms. Starting and ending meetings and keeping them on track is the main
purpose of this position. Is your Sergeant-at-Arms
maintaining order at your meetings? If not...have a
STRONG orderly talk and remind them of their responsibilities. With all that we have to do....a Sergeant-atArms is much needed in order to value and protect our
time together!
Paula Maagnus
Eastern Regional Sergeant-at-Arms
Up the Hill Deadline: January 15, 2013
Chapter Editors, hopefully by now, you have captured the attention of each and every Mother of a
graduating senior, encouraging them to make sure
that their soon-to-be Legacy is represented in this
publication. And I know you’ve reminded your chapter Mothers that everyone can be represented in this
annual yearbook with family portraits, memorials to
loved ones and profiles of debutantes and beaus. On
November 21, National Editor Regina Page distributed
the Up the Hill guidelines and FAQs that clearly delineate the process for submitting your chapter’s files. If
you can’t find your e-mail, drop me a line at [email protected], and I’ll resend the E-Blast.
Remember that the Web upload site will be available until midnight January 15, 2013, Pacific Time,
which gives us on the East Coast a three-hour grace
period. In the coming weeks, you will be spending
a few hours (maybe more) combing through your
documents, making sure that the files are named correctly, ensuring that you have signed copies of Parental
Consent Forms, and that each submission has a corresponding payment.
Be sure to seek the input of your Chapter
Program Director and Group Chairs when writing
the Chapter News piece. Remember, the emphasis
of the Chapter News should be our national theme
of “Power & Potential: Parents Empowering Youth
through Leadership Development, Cultural Heritage,
and Community Service.”
Hopefully you had the opportunity to participate
in the Webinars held on Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 by NE
Page. I’ll be scheduling a Webinar in early January
to answer any lingering questions you might have
about the process. Look for the notice the first week
in January. In the meantime, Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year!
Paulette Walker Campbell
Editor, Eastern Region
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 9
FOUNDATION
MAL-Functions
MAL-F
unctions
WITH KAREN CHAPLIN, REGIONAL MEMBER AT LARGE
When Regional Director Joi Grady, Regional
Community Service Chair Margaret Gibson and I came
up with the idea for the Eastern Region Food Drive
Challenge, we knew chapters would rise to the occasion; but we did not anticipate the degree to which
you all have thoroughly embraced the goal to alleviate
hunger in the Eastern Region. Through food drives,
walk-a-thons, serving meals, and other efforts, you
all have stepped up in a magnificent way! The following is just a sampling of Food Drive efforts initiated in
chapters across the region. Mothers, keep up the good
work, and keep sending your pictures and write-ups!
Washington DC Chapter Addresses Hunger
The Washington DC Chapter has embraced the
Eastern Region’s efforts to address hunger by engaging all age groups in multiple projects. The chapter
is preparing meals, serving meals and raising funds
to purchase food for meals. Middle Schoolers lead
the chapter with their monthly visits to THRIVE DC, a
group dedicated to preventing vulnerable individuals
from becoming homeless by providing an array of services including daily meal service. The Tweens’ service
involves preparing and delivering take home meals and
serving as staff waiters for the daily dinner service. The
Tweens have prepared take home meals and partnered
with the younger groups, who cannot physically serve,
to prepare 120 healthy take home meals which were
delivered to THRIVE. In addition to the delivery of the
take home meals, the Tweens have served a total of
202 dinners at THRIVE this program year.
Early on November 17th, 49 moms, dads, teens
and children from the DC chapter joined friends from
the Alexandria-Mt. Vernon Chapter of Jack and Jill,
10 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
Howard University students
and alumni, local sorority
and fraternity chapters, Girl
Scout and Boy Scout troops
and other community organizations for the 18th Annual
Project Giveback Thanksgiving Food Distribution. The
groups sorted food items, built and filled boxes with
the food items in order to feed area families. The
Thanksgiving boxes, with cards made by the younger
kids attached, supplied 1,100 less fortunate families
with food for a week, including a Thanksgiving Day
turkey! As a result of this collaborative effort, at least
8,000 meals were delivered to families in Washington,
Maryland and Virginia.
On Thanksgiving Day morning, TEAM JACK AND JILL
DC, 20 Jack and Jill moms, dads and teens, joined over
10,000 other runners and walkers for the 11th Annual
Thanksgiving Turkey Trot for Hunger sponsored by
SOME (So Others Might Eat). SOME serves lunch and
dinner 365 days per year to the homeless and hungry.
The Turkey Trot is SOME’s major fund raiser for food to
feed the hungry in our community. TEAM JACK AND
JILL DC contributed $600.00 to this cause. In addition
to the runners, 27 other Jack and Jill moms, dads,
teens, tweens and kids volunteered and greeted runners at the finish line with welcomed bottles of water.
This event combined the Jack and Jill fitness initiative
with community service. The Washington, DC Senior
Teens serve lunch regularly at SOME.
Stamford Norwalk Chapter
“We can all be a drum major for service. There is
nobody who can’t serve, nobody who can’t help somebody else.” — Barack Obama.
On a crisp afternoon in November, the StamfordNorwalk Chapter participated in a community service
event at the Food Bank of lower Fairfield County. The
Food Bank, located in Stamford, Connecticut, collects
and distributes food as part of it’s mission to alleviate hunger in Connecticut. It is the largest source of
emergency food assistance in the state. This project
utilized the skills of the Lords and Ladies, Dukes and
Duchesses and the Jacils, all of whom showed up
ready to work and committed to the goal of serving
their community. The group sorted non-perishable
food items, stacked shelves, packed up boxes, helped
unload trucks and stacked turkeys for the Thanksgiving
holiday. This project is part of an ongoing partnership
with the Food Bank. With food banks at critical levels
due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy, this community
service project had particular meaning for the chapter
and resonated with the children.
Rockland County Chapter: Giving Thanks &
Giving a Helping Hand
On November 17, the Rockland County Chapter
Thanksgiving
Food
Drive gave thanks and a
helping hand to People
to People of Rockland
County, New York’s
largest food pantry. Our
Chapter Wide activity focused on giving
food and clothes that
would benefit children
and families during
this holiday season and
beyond. Like many fam-
ilies in New York, People to People was also impacted
by Hurricane Sandy as they too experienced fire damage and loss of heat. Despite these circumstances,
People to People was dedicated and determined to
keep their doors open to provide food and warm
clothes for families who were impacted by Hurricane
Sandy and/or have difficulty meeting daily demands to
feed and clothe their family members. Today, People
to People serves over 2,000 families per month and
every donation helps.
The Mothers, children and fathers all gave a helping hand by donating food, stocking shelves and hanging clothes. Our Chapter donations tallied nearly 600
pounds of food with the value exceeding $1,700 and
additional donations will be forthcoming in the weeks
to come. We give great thanks to all who donated and
especially to the retailers, Shop Rite Supermarkets and
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 11
Costco, who graciously responded to our requests and
provided food and turkey donations. We are grateful
for their support of our Community Service activity.
National Harbor at Martha’s Table
Newton Middle Schoolers Donate 102
Pounds of Food!
The National Harbor Chapter’s Emeralds and
Eagles (1st – 3rd grades) and Jade and Jaguars (4th
– 5th grades) visited Martha’s Table on October 6th.
The purpose of this activity was to make and donate
sandwiches to the Martha’s Table food program. Each
child made 25 sandwiches to donate. Several kids
went to the home of mom Maranda Jones-Anderson
the night before to fellowship and make sandwiches
(peanut butter and jelly, ham and turkey).
The Middle School children donated 102 pounds
of non-perishable goods to the HOPE Food Pantry
in Framingham, Mass. The children also spent their
Saturday morning stocking pantry shelves and preparing bags of food to distribute to families in need in
the Metrowest area. In addition to our chapter-wide
community service initiatives, the Newton Chapter
encourages our children at all age group levels to give
back to their community. In September the Lower
Elementary children spent an afternoon at Cradles to
Crayons cleaning toys and sorting clothing. In February,
the Preschool children will visit the Benjamin Health
Center to make Valentine’s Day craft activities with
the seniors. In April our Upper Elementary children
will serve lunch to the homeless at the Pine Street Inn.
The next day, the kids delivered the sandwiches to
Martha’s Table and took a tour of the facility, including
the food preparation operation, daycare, playground
and thrift shop. This was a great learning activity and
allowed the kids to gain a better understanding of how
their donations actually benefit the population that
Martha’s Table serves. Martha’s Table finds solutions
to poverty in the short term with food and clothing
programs and in the long term by breaking the cycle
of poverty with education and family strengthening programs. Martha’s Table is a community-based
non-profit organization located on 14th Street, NW,
Washington, DC. It is open 365 days a year. They
provide meals and learning activities for about 245
children every day.
On behalf of the Jack and Jill of America, Rockland
Chapter we send our warm wishes and many blessing
to all during this Holiday Season!
Pictured above,
Emeralds and Eagles/
Jade and Jaguars at
Martha’s Table; pictured to the left, Jade
and Jaguar’s Kendall
Brooks and Emeralds
and Eagle’s Wesley
Bracey making sandwiches for Martha’s
Table.
12 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
Montgomery County (PA) at the Giving Tree
The Montgomery County (PA) Chapter donated
421 pounds of food/$350 to the Giving Tree’s Working
Hands Project. The chapter made snack bags for
Ronald McDonald House, Meals on Wheels and the
North Penn Boys and Girls Club.
For the sixth consecutive year, the Teens worked at
the food pantry at the Church of the Epiphany located
in East Orange, NJ. Inspired by the gift of sharing, they
prepared and distributed meals to those in need. As
an added incentive, they issued a chapter-wide plea
for coat and clothing donations to assist the local community who are still suffering from the devastation of
Hurricane Sandy. After enjoying their delicious meals,
patrons of the food pantry were allowed to select a
few clothing items as well as take a prepared bag of
canned goods and grains. At the end of their service
project, their efforts served close to 240 families.
At Toni’s Kitchen in Montclair, the Sr. Teens also
plated meals for those needing additional assistance.
Toni’s Kitchen is a food ministry that operates at St.
Luke’s Episcopal Church.
Essex Hudson and the Season of Giving
The months of November and December are the
time the Essex Hudson chapter comes together in our
community service based holiday spirit of giving projects. This year, in a collaborative effort, the Junior and
Senior Teens of spent a sunny Saturday preparing and
distributing meals at two of our local food pantries.
This is our teens second year working with this
organization. The Sr. Teens took the lead in meal
preparation, serving and cleanup. The church serves
daily meals and for this particular event served over
65 meals with the assistance of the senior group. John
F. Kennedy stated “To those whom much is given,
much is expected.” Both the junior and senior teens
were able to give back to their community and reflect
on their many blessings during this season of giving.
Burke-Fairfax Thanksgiving Food Drive
On November 17, the Burke-Fairfax Chapter’s community service committee organized a Thanksgiving
food drive in support of the Lorton Community Action
Center (LCAC). This was a chapter wide activity where
we worked in two hour shifts as either a solicitor or
sorter. It was a great growth opportunity for our children who approached potential supporters as they
entered Giant’s supermarket to request that they
purchase one or more food items on a list provided
to them. Many of the patrons were very polite and
generous. Our children were encouraged to continue
to smile and thank each person for their time and/or
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 13
donation regardless
of their cooperation. We then sorted the items purchased according to
instructions given
to us by LCAC and
loaded the items
on a truck provided
to us. Burke-Fairfax
collected
1,413
pounds of food valued at $2,541.58.
Additionally the
chapter provided
$180 in Giant Gift
cards from supporters who opted to provide monetary contributions as opposed to purchasing food
items. LCAC was able to create 41 Thanksgiving food
boxes for families in the community from
our collections. The contents of one box
will feed one family. Larger families are
given two boxes. Burke-Fairfax will also
collect food items at our annual holiday
gathering to contribute towards LCAC’s
Christmas donations.
Atlantic City Rises to the Challenge
The Atlantic City Chapter donated 300 pounds of
food, which equates to feeding 250 individuals, to the
food pantry at the Jewish Family Services of Atlantic
and Cape May Counties. Congrats to the Atlantic City
Chapter for quickly responding to the needs of victims
of Hurricane Sandy!
DID YOU KNOW?
Hunger prevents kids from reaching their full potential.
It’s an epidemic that’s threatening America’s future.
48.8 million Americans — including 16.2 million
children — lack the means to get enough nutritious food on a regular basis. They live in foodinsecure households and as a result, they struggle
with hunger at some time during the year.
• 16.2 million kids in America struggle
with hunger. (Source: USDA Household Food
Security in the United States)
• 10.5 million kids eligible for free or
reduced-price school breakfast do not get it.
(Source: Food Research and Action Center,
School Breakfast Scorecard)
• More than 20 million kids get a free or
reduced-price school lunch on an average
school day. (Source: Food Research and Action
Center, School Breakfast Scorecard)
14 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
• Six out of 7 eligible kids do not get free
summer meals. (Source: Food Research and
Action Center, “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation:
Summer Nutrition Status Report)
• In 2010, 40.3 million people in over 18.6
million households across America got help
through SNAP (food stamps); about half of
those households (8.9 million) were households with children. (Source: USDA Food and
Nutrition Services)
• 15.7 million children (21.6%) in America
live in poverty. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau,
Current Population Reports).
notes for teen advisors
Greetings to the Mighty Eastern
Region! I know we are all in full
swing of the holiday season, so
I am just sending out this “gentle reminder” to all Chapter
Presidents and Teen Advisors
to please make sure your chapter has enough “Certified”
chaperones to assist at the
2013 Eastern Regional Teen Conference. Please also be
mindful of the following announcements, distributed
earlier this month by Regional Director Joi Grady.
TEEN LEADERSHIP SUMMIT, January 26-27, 2013
Our 3rd Teen Leadership Summit, “Connecting to
the Leader in You,” will be held Saturday, January 26-27
at Howard University from 8:30am-4:30pm. During
our time on Howard’s campus, we will have a walking
tour from our Jack and Jill alumni. At 4:45pm, we will
depart from Howard for a mini tour of Washington DC
and then return to the Marriott Wardman Park for a
community service project. Teens in grades 8-12 will
participate in studies on leadership and will work to
develop their own leadership style. There will also
be informative workshops for parents led by Howard
University Faculty and Administration. The Eastern
Region has a block of rooms at the Marriott Wardman
Park Hotel at a rate of $119 per night. Registration
opened on December 11, 2013 for a price of $70 per
person and includes breakfast at the hotel on Saturday,
lunch, dinner, and roundtrip transportation from the
hotel to Howard. On Sunday, we will have a worship
service at the hotel.
TEEN CONFERENCE, March 21-24, 2013, Boston
Marriott Copley Place
By now you should have received the 2013 Eastern
Region Teen Conference Guide. The guide gives everything you need to know to plan for Teen Conference
including registration costs and attire. This year, in
addition to signing the Chaperone Code of Conduct,
we are requiring that all parents sign that they have
reviewed the guide. Please note the following dates
(webinar information and times will be sent at a later
date):
•
December 17, 2012— Mandatory webinar for
chaperones, teen advisors, and mothers of Teens
attending Teen Conference
•
January 3, 2013 —Mandatory webinar for
chaperones, teen advisors, and mothers of Teens
attending Teen Conference (reprise of 12/17)
•
January 7, 2013 —Teen Conference Registration
Opens
•
January 29, 2013 —Webinar for Lead Teen
Advisors
•
January 30, 2013 —Webinar for Lead Teen
Advisors and Graduating Sr. Mothers
•
February 26, 2013 —Online Chaperone
Certification (fee applies)
Please make sure that Regional Secretary Vicki
West has the correct e-mail address for the Lead Teen
Advisor in your chapter so that communication is
received timely.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 15
Middle School Corner: Teaching
Children to Give
Greetings Mighty Eastern Region! Sharing the experience of giving can be the most rewarding present you
give your child this holiday season. The article below
was published on GreatSchools.org, an online portal
that leverages the power of digital media to inspire and
support parents to solve education-related problems,
raise expectations for their children’s learning, develop
education-related parenting skills, and access helpful
resources online and in their community.
Ingrid Bentil
Middle School Advisor
Eastern Region
By GreatSchools Staff
It can be tough to teach children the value of giving in a season when they’re surrounded by messages
about the value of getting. Here are five ways to start:
Start small when the kids are small.
Your young child might be happy to help bake
cookies for a friend but end up wanting to keep the gift
herself. Plan for this by baking enough cookies to keep
and enough cookies to give. Young children need help
in learning to share.
Teach your child that he doesn’t need money to
give.
Help your child make gift certificates good for “one
free car wash” or “breakfast in bed” that he can give to
others in the family.
Involve your child in selecting the gift.
You may think that donating to cancer research is
important, but your child who is an animal lover may be
more interested in making sure the dogs at the humane
society have an extra treat at the holidays. Help her
find a way to give the gift she feels is important.
Be a role model.
Volunteer your family’s time at a soup kitchen
or senior center. Gather small-size toiletries, such as
toothpaste and shampoo, and pack them in decorated
gift bags to take to a homeless shelter. Ask your child if
he’ll help you baby-sit for a neighbor’s toddler so she
can do her shopping or help you rake the leaves for an
elderly friend.
Personalize giving.
It’s faster for busy parents to write a check to a
charity, but it has little impact on a child who can’t
see where the money is going or imagine the people
who benefit. Delivering canned goods to a food bank
is more meaningful than dropping a check in the mail.
16 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
Your family could “adopt” a
needy family through a community organization, choose
the gifts and wrap them.
Feeling too busy to organize an activity like this?
Author Ellen Sabin has suggestions that can work for the most time-challenged
parents. Sabin wrote “The Giving Book: Open the Door
to a Lifetime of Giving,” an interactive workbook to
help 6- to 11-year-olds discover the joy of giving and
their power to make a difference. Sabin also offers free
tools and guides for parents, teachers and religious
educators to use with her book. Sabin suggests having a family conversation about what you’re
thankful for. That will
help your child realize
that what she values
may be missing in other
people’s lives. Sabin
also offers three activities to try. “These
things don’t take huge
amounts of time. They
just take a few moments
of thoughtfulness.”
• Start a tradition in which family members set
aside one of their gifts to give to someone less fortunate.
• Think of someone without a family - a soldier,
a distant relative, a friend in the hospital - and write
a letter as a family to make the person feel loved and
included during the holidays.
• Talk about beginning the new year with a
family giving box. Everyone can regularly add a small
amount of money to the box to contribute to a group
or cause the family agrees to support.
Giving gives children a sense of self-esteem and
pride, says Sabin. “Giving is addictive. It gets in your
blood. It makes you realize that you and your actions
matter.”
Chapters Help with
Hurricane Sandy
Relief Efforts
Hurricane Sandy caused destruction up the Eastern
Seaboard from North Carolina to Maine, with much of
the damage centered in New York and New Jersey. Many
Jack and Jill families in the Eastern Region were affected,
with damages ranging from extended power outages to
loss of property. The Northern Cluster Mother’s Workday,
originally scheduled for November 3 in Norwalk, CT, had
to be rescheduled for December 15 because of power
outages at the venue. But even as Mothers sought to
recover – restoring power, rebuilding – chapters stepped
in to provide assistance. Here are a few examples submitted by chapters.
Bucks County: The Gift of Caring
Hurricane Sandy affected many mothers in our
chapter. Whether it was lack of power, damage to
homes or even loss of property, we were all affected
in some way shape or form; some more than others.
The Bucks County Chapter chose to do our part in
helping by donating canned goods, dry food items,
household items, as well as items to help in the
clean-up. Charity begins at home, so we give thanks
for the ability to be able to support our extended
Jack and Jill family.
Greater Albany: Blood Drive
and supplies to a chapter member’s family who lost
their home and belongings. Our mothers collected
hundreds of dollars for the purchase of necessary
The Great Albany, NY Chapter responded to the
recent devastation from hurricane Sandy by organizing a blood drive at the Red Cross of Northeast
Region on November 3, 2012. The Northern Cluster
that members of the chapter were scheduled to
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 17
attend in Norwalk, CT that day was cancelled, as a
result of the wide spread power outages in the area.
So, member Glinnesa Gailliard decided that the day
originally planned for a Mother’s Workday could
be turned into a great opportunity to donate much
needed blood, as well as, a monetary donation to the
Red Cross.
Westchester: Clothing Drive
The mothers and children of Westchester
Chapter in Westchester County, NY, many of whom
were also dealing with damage and loss of power
from Hurricane Sandy, showed an immediate call to
action and willingness to support others that were
more seriously affected by the severe weather.
The chapter held a chapter-wide clothing drive,
in which mothers collected coats, pajamas, socks,
hats, scarves, gloves and other essential winter items
to be donated to displaced disaster victims at a Head
18 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
Start Program in the Rockaways where their school
was completely flooded and over 100 families were
devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
The children in the Head Start Program are 3 and
4 years old. Additionally, individual groups came
together to collect items for the hurricane victims
as well! Group 2 (ages 6-9) collected toiletries for
adult and children at their November event. Group
4 (ages 12-14) changed previous plans for their
November event, and instead donated additional
clothing, toiletries, small toys and snack items, and
gathered together as a group to package and decorate individual gift “Boxes of Love” to lift the hearts
of displaced children in the Rockaways.
Two SUV loads of donated items were delivered
to the program in the Rockaways. The Senior Teens
also collected (and continue to) collect donations for
other displaced victims.
CHAPTER PROGRAMMING
AROUND THE
ARUNDEL BAY AREA
Supporting our Military Service Members
More than 50 Arundel Bay Area Chapter middle
schoolers, teens, moms, dads and associates came
together at the Baltimore Washington International
Thurgood Marshall Airport to thank our military men
and women for their service in our armed forces.
Chapter families came with homemade signs and
United States flags, and donated supplies (water, chips,
cookies, crackers, candy) to the Operation Welcome
Home Maryland (OWHMD) organization. They were
most appreciative of being able to lend their voices
to welcome the troops as they arrived on American
soil after more than a year of service in either Iraq,
Germany or Afghanistan. ABA Chapter members
worked alongside Stephanie Chervenkov, the 2012
Miss Maryland Teen USA. What a wonderful way to
observe Veterans Day and say “Thank you.” Also, our
teens were able to complete the “Service and Sacrifice”
leadership module.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 19
BERGEN PASSAIC
The Littlest Ones Enjoy their October and November Activities
After an exciting Fall Festival to
kick off the Program Year, our littlest
ones are settling into their monthly
group activities. Our Acorns (2-5)
and Fledglings (6-8) enjoyed the
action packed show “How to Train a
Dragon”. They bonded through the
screams of excitement watching the
replicas of dragon storm the stage.
The fun did not end there, playing
with their gladiator toys and eating all the snacks they can get little
hands on topped off the afternoon.
The fledglings also enjoyed
our very popular scavenger hunt
activity. They stormed through the
Bergen Mall, going store to store,
looking for clues and treasures. The
afternoon was topped with lunch
with kids and Moms.
In November, our Acorns had
a mini lesson on the history of
the cornucopia with a craft project. They even had a chance to
make their very own cornucopias!
Also in November, our Fledglings
investigate d
plant parts,
their uses,
and simple
machines by
using an oldfashioned
screw press
to make and
sample fresh
apple cider.
They
also
learned about the history of cider
making from colonial times to the
present.
BOSTON
From Uptown to Downtown: Boston’s Early Teens Experience New York City
On November 17, the Early
Teens of the Boston Chapter of Jack
and Jill strengthened their bonds
of friendship as they experienced
the cultural flare of New York City.
After traveling by Amtrak and the
NYC Metro system, our young people broke bread in hearty fashion
over lunch at Sylvia’s Restaurant
in Harlem. After, they walked
up Malcolm X Boulevard to the
Schomburg Center for Research in
Black Culture, an extension of the
New York Public Library, to view the
Gordon Parks: 100 Moments exhibit, and Visualizing Emancipation,
an exhibit celebrating the sesquicentennial of the Emancipation
Proclamation, which was signed on
January 1, 1863.
Several Early Teens expressed
their appreciation for the chance
to learn more about our nation’s
history from the African American
perspective. Upon viewing Gordon
Parks’ iconic photos depicting
African American life during the
50s and 60s, one Early Teen commented, “Wow, there were so many
people who helped us have better
opportunities today.”
Later in the day, the Early Teens
(and their moms!) were able to
unwind and do a little holiday shopping amid the spectacular lights,
buildings and crowds on Broadway
in the middle of Times Square.
For many, it was their first trip to
the “Big Apple.” Given all of the
laughter and excited chatter about
the day’s adventure as we returned
to Boston, it certainly will not be
their last.
20 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
BROOKLYN
Building Quilts, and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
In November, Brooklyn Chapter children in the
5-7 Age Group went to the Children’s Museum of Art,
where they designed quilt blocks that were later sewn
and donated to those affected by Sandy.
Building upon their efforts during Breast Cancer
Awareness Month (whereby they donated 75 beauty
bags to patients being treated for breast cancer at
Kings County Hospital and SHARE centers), the chapter participated in the “Making Strides Against Breast
Cancer Walk” at Prospect Park, raising $3,345 for the
American Cancer Society.
BUCKS COUNTY
The Bucks County Chapter Making a Difference: The Gift of Literacy
On November 19, the Bucks
County Chapter of Jack and Jill
delivered 275 books, donated
by our children and mothers, to
Timothy Academy located in North
Philadelphia. Timothy Academy
is an oasis to their students in
the midst of a troubled environment, and provides a safe and caring environment, where students
learn, grow, and achieve. The
books were donated to the school,
which serves children kindergarten
through eight grades, to help build
and enhance their library and classroom reading centers. Each of their
110 students personally received
one book to help build their reading library at home. Ms. Freeman,
the principal, and the children were
very excited and happy to have
received the books and appreci-
ated the generosity of our mothers. Children are our future, and
one of the greatest gifts that we
can give to them is the gift of literacy. The Bucks County Chapter
was proud and honored to make
such an important contribution.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 21
BURLINGTON-WILLINGBORO
Creating Keepsakes to Mark the Election
The Brothers & Sisters group participated in an election Scraping activity. They created memorable books
which highlighted important facts about both candidates. In October, The Burlington-Willingboro Chapter
moms volunteered for the Fresh Start Program,
designed to educate and mentor middle school children
who matriculate in the Willingboro School System. The
Burlington-Willingboro Chapter was responsible for the
program’s career exploration program. Several moms
discussed their careers and what it took for them to
climb the ladder to success. The moms presented to
approximately 20 7th graders on careers in product
marketing, software engineering, journalism and law.
COLUMBIA
The Gift of Giving: Stocked with Love
On December 8, the Columbia,
Maryland Chapter of Jack and Jill of
America, Inc., continued its annual
“Gift of Giving.” For the sixth year in
a row, members of the Community
Service Committee and age groups
planned and organized “Corduroy’s
Closet.”
“Corduroy’s Closet” was
inspired by the children’s book,
Corduroy, written by Don Freeman
and first published in 1976. In the
story, Corduroy, the department
22 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
store stuffed bear, is used, worn
and missing a button but is the
perfect friend for Lisa, the little girl
who is shopping that day with her
mother.
The event was a free wonderland holiday shopping experience
at Swansfield Elementary School
for children ages pre-school to
grade 6. It gave parents and caregivers with limited income can
fulfill their children’s Christmas
dreams. The event provides the
Senior Teens with an exceptional
leadership experience. In addition,
the other age groups provided gifts
under our “Giving Tree” during our
Annual Holiday Christmas Event on
December 4. We decided to forego
having Santa in order to share with
our children the true meaning of
Christmas, which is giving to others
that are less fortunate than ourselves. There was a light breakfast
and bag lunches for the children
attending the event.
GREATER ESSEX
Chapter-wide Mock Debate and Election
On October 21, the Legislative Committee sponsored
Greater Essex County Chapter’s first mock debate and election at the Montclair Legislative Chamber. Children from
grades 3-12 participated in the event. Debate topics included The Economy, Foreign Policy and Social Moral Issues.
The participants broke into small groups for break-out and
brainstorming sessions.
Next teams were formed, moderators were selected
and timekeepers were appointed. During the debate sessions participants presented their points and defended
their issues. The event was capped off with a mock presidential election.
On November 17, the chapter’s 5th and 6th graders
spent the afternoon at St. Paul’s Baptist Church helping
their coordinator to prepare for the arrival of four IHN families. The activity started with a discussion about homelessness. The kids were reminded that homelessness can happen to anyone. They watched a video which discussed how
IHN assists the families during the time of need and works
to transition the families back into a home of their own.
The reminder of the time was spent decorating the
IHN’s families living space at the church. The kids fill their
rooms with Thanksgiving decor. This activity, right before
Thanksgiving and right after Hurricane Sandy, was a perfect time for the kids to be reflective and thankful for their
blessings.
GREATER UNION
Chapter Hosts Rock the Vote Registration Driver
Moms, Dads, Jacks, and Jills from Greater Union
County Chapter did not hesitate to spend some of their
time empowering our Union county neighbors (and
beyond) about the importance of voting. On October
6th, the chapter hosted a Rock the Vote registration
drive at Shoprite in Hillside, NJ. The chapter-wide event
took place from 9am-4pm and the initiative was simple:
register and educate new voters. In addition to handing
out voter forms and answering questions, the committee also rented a voting machine to conduct mock voting scenarios (some attendees had never seen a voting
booth!).
The components of thrust and leadership were
completed during this activity. Groups 4 and the Teens
partnered with the legislative committee for the event
and they represented the chapter well. The Teens exemplified leadership roles by educating the public on the
voting process. Groups 1 and 2 helped distribute our
pamphlets while the GUCC dads encouraged onlookers
to visit the tables. It was a family affair indeed!
As a result of our efforts, we registered 26 new voters, distributed more than 20 vote-by-mail forms, and
raised awareness about GUCC with the many elected
officials who were in attendance.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 23
LOUDON COUNTY
The Etiquette of Politics & The Politics of Etiquette
November was a very busy time
for Loudoun County Virginia Chapter
(LCVC) moms, Tracy Johnson and
Gail Whitted as they hosted a visit
to the Obama Campaign office for
children in “Sugar and Spice” (ages
6-8). The kids had a great time as
they watched the busy campaign
volunteers and learned more about
the value and impact of everyday citizens on the election process. They were treated to patriotic
games and treats that educated and
added to the excitement of the 2012
Presidential Election.
Loudoun County Virginia Chapter
(LCVC) “Umoja Unlimited” (ages
9-12) children prepared for upcoming Family Celebrations, Holiday
Parties and Inauguration Balls with
an “Etiquette Workshop” hosted by
LCVC Mothers, Renee Miller, Tracy
Johnson, Gayle Rocha and Lisa
Amazigo. The children had dinner
at Travinia Italian Kitchen where the
focused on good table manners, how
to set a formal dinner table, and the
top 20 No-No’s of good etiquette.
The children were sent home with
the homework assignment to set
a formal place setting and send a
photo of their work to the Mrs.
Amazigo. The children enjoyed the
workshop, the meal and the opportunity to spend time with their peers.
MERCER COUNTY
Handbags, Hats and Hope
On November 18, the Mercer County Chapter hosted their second bi-annual Handbags,
Hats, and Hope fundraiser. The event,
co-chaired by Nicole Bailey-Williams and
Michelle Armour, was held at Princeton’s
lovely TPC Jasna Polana Country Club.
The handbag bingo fundraiser will benefit Trenton’s Young Scholars’ Institute
(www.youngscholarsoftrenton.org), a
community learning center that provides a variety of educational opportunities including SAT prep, college tours,
and tutoring. While perusing the twentythree silent auction and five raffle baskets, guests enjoyed the light, classical
sounds of the chapter’s pianist-in-residence, Mom Renee LaMarre-Sumners.
With thirteen luxury handbags donated
by chapter members, guests played 10
rounds of bingo after a sumptuous lunch against the
backdrop of a live harpist. In addition, those in attendance had the opportunity to purchase Hope bags,
which contained surprise gifts including aromatic perfume sets donated by L’Oreal. Members and guests
were encouraged to bring new/gently used children’s
24 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
books, which were donated to Young Scholars’ and
Woman Space, a women’s help center.
In total, close to 700 books were put
into the hands of Trenton-area children.
Chapter President, Paula Taylor, was
quite pleased with the outcome, saying, “The event was a huge undertaking
for our chapter, but when extraordinary
women get together there is no limit
to what we can accomplish.” The event
was, by all accounts, a lovely afternoon. Co-chair Michelle Armour said,
“The moms
of Mercer
County are
a fabulously talented
group of
w o m e n
who worked together tirelessly to make this fundraiser a success, I am so
proud of my chapter!”
METROPOLITAN
Metropolitan Chapter does the Little Red Lighthouse
On a sunny Saturday
afternoon in October,
Metropolitan Chapter’s
Group 2 descended upon
the Little Red Lighthouse.
Conveniently
located under the George
Washington Bridge, it is
one of the few surviving
lighthouses in New York
City. The Lighthouse was
made famous in the 1942
children’s book The Little
Red Lighthouse and the
Great Gray Bridge and has
New York City Landmark
status. On a sunny and
crisp afternoon Group
2 kids set out to explore
this quaint reminder of the
areas history.
Led by a park ranger, the group climbed the
long iron stairs to the top
of the lighthouse where
all enjoyed scenic views
of the Hudson. The kids
asked a park ranger questions about the lighthouse
and how it was used. After
the tour, Katrina Parris Pinn
read the classic tale The
Little Red Lighthouse and
the Great Bay Bridge to the
children. The afternoon
culminated in a snack, play
and rock climbing along
the beautiful, grassy bank
of the Hudson River.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY (MD)
Chapter Co-hosts Political Forum, Kids Work the Polls
The Montgomery County
Maryland Chapter was very
active during this election season. The chapter co-sponsored,
with 13 other organizations, “A
Candidate’s Forum for the 2012
Election” on October 11 at The
People’s Community Baptist
Church Norwood Center. The
event featured candidates from
Montgomery County 3rd, 6th and
8th Congressional Districts and
the Board of Educations, including JJMCMC’s Fathers Auxiliary
member, Christopher Barclay (husband of Sambia Shivers Barclay)
a candidate for re-election to
the Montgomery County Public
Schools Board of Education who
successfully retained his seat on
November 6th.
Other election activities included the JJMCMC Mothers providing
rides to the polls, the Teens distributing “Don’t Forget to Vote”
flyers, and members of Group V
and VI working at the polls as volunteers through the “Future Vote”
program.
In December, Theta Omega
Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority, Inc. recognized the
Montgomery County Maryland
Chapter for its outstanding programming for middle school students. Theta Omega Omega has
partnered with JJMCMC over the
past two years to sponsor financial literacy, leadership, and legislative workshops for their Emerging
Young Leaders program.
The
Emerging Young Leaders Program
was established by the National
President of Alpha Kappa Alpha,
Caroline House Stewart, Esq. to
provide opportunities for middle
school girls.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 25
NASSAU COUNTY
Lead and Serve: Give Shoes, Give Love
On November 17, the 5-7 and 8-10 age groups of the
Nassau County Chapter of Jack & Jill joined forces to take part
in a service and leadership activity to collect over 500 shoes
for Sole4Souls.com, a 501(c) 3 organization that collects shoes
from the warehouses of footwear companies and the closets
of people like you.
They collect new shoes to give relief to the victims of
abject suffering and collect used shoes to support micro-business efforts to eradicate poverty. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has
delivered over 19 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes.
The shoes have been distributed to people all over the world.
To maximum the collection efforts, the children mailed out
flyers and rubber bands to all of the mothers in the chapter to
request used shoes. They also submitted letters to family and
friends to request donations, arrange pick-ups and collected
shoes at the November mother’s meeting.
Finally, the children met at the Little Gym in Levittown,
New York for the final collection and drop off. They discussed
what it means to be a leader and took action. They formed
an assembly line to collect the shoes and packaged them for
transport by the Little Gym.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, thousands have been
left homeless and suffered great loss. The children are confident that Sole4Souls will distribute the shoes to the many
people affected by this storm.
NEW CASTLE
Producers Enjoy Halloween Musical Event
The historic World Cafe Live at the Queen was the
location for the Producer’s Halloween musical event.
The Peanut Butter and Jams concert series featured the
kid-friendly sounds of Ben Rudnick and Friends. The
Producers dressed in their wonderful costumes and
26 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
danced the afternoon, away. The Producers enjoyed
a light lunch and learned about historic importance of
the Queen. The children laughed and talked giving the
mothers a chance to re-connect. The event was well
attended.
NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Teens Host Halloween Fun Event for Younger Kids
The Northern Virginia Chapter Teens hosted a
Halloween Fun event for the youngest age groups, the
Tiny Tots (2 - 4 year olds) and Triple Js (K - 2nd grade)
for the second year in a row, in what the chapter hopes
to be a signature autumnal tradition! This year the
group met at the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church
in Alexandria, Virginia. Dressed in garb from the heroic
and scary to the whimsical and colorful, the younger
Jacks and Jills were treated to face painting, games,
sweet treats and yes, mini manicures!
The chapter mothers look forward to events where
the younger age groups can interact with the older
teens and were not disappointed. As Hurricane Sandy
was making its way to the East Coast, the Halloween
Fun went on to everyone’s satisfaction and despite the
wind and rain the smiles were aplenty.
NORTH JERSEY
The Power of, and the Path to, the Presidency
In this historic election year, the North Jersey chapter
developed and executed an interactive legislative program.
With modules specifically tailored for every age group,
our chapter-wide program educated our children on the
power of and the path to the Presidency. We had fun learning about everything from the symbols and beliefs of major
parties to the biographies of major candidates, the requirements to the Presidency and the qualities important for the
role.
We broke into 2 major parties, selected party nominees,
discussed key issues affecting our country and used those
key issues to create campaign platforms, posters, and rousing campaign speeches. We demystified the electoral college
by having a real life North Jersey elector, North Jersey’s own
Tanya Freeman meet with our group. She shared the critical
role and responsibilities of an elector and the importance of
New Jersey’s 14 electoral college votes.
The facts about the legislative process were revealed in
a jeopardy style competition. Our legislative activity culminated with a trip to a mock poll to cast our vote for our
candidates and an acceptance speech from our Presidential
winner. This powerful inaugural activity was created by our
own Legislative Chair, Andrea Fant-Hobbs and the Legislative
Committee, Marian Grant, Margaret Cunningham, Karen
Mosley-Davidson and Flora Taylor.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 27
PHILADELPHIA
Nestlings Focus on Financial Literacy
On October 20, the Nestlings had their second activity for the program year focused on Financial Literacy.
Hosted by Loren Hamilton and her son Sebastian, a
Nestling the program focused on teaching our children
the value of money though mini-stores set up throughout the room and using play money for purchases.
The second store was Sebastian’s toy and book store.
Utilizing the same principles and a different cashier the
children choose various items that were within their
budget, counted out the money and received change or
realized that they did not have enough to purchase their
ideal item and would choose an alternative item.
The first store was Sebastian’s Bakery and one child
was a cashier and all of the children were given play
money and allowed to “purchase” an item from the
store. The goal was to teach them the value of the dollar, understand counting principles and how much they
could afford to purchase with their allotted amount.
The children loved this activity due to the interactive nature, variety of items for “sale” and playing
“cashier”. In the end they walked away with an item
from each store, a better understanding of pricing, budget and teamwork as they all helped each other choose
items and count money.
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
Chapter Host Game Day at Villa Rosa Nursing Home
On November 17, more than
75 mothers and children from the
Prince George’s County Chapter Jack
and Jill, hosted Game Day at the Villa
Rosa Nursing Home in Mitchellville,
Md. Our goal was to create a fun,
interactive event for the primarily
elderly residents of the facility.
On the day of the event the
nursing home auditorium was transformed into a party room complete
with vibrant fall decorations. We
played bingo which is a favorite of
the residents; other card and table
games were available. Jack and Jill
volunteers provided “spa” services
including manicures, hair braiding, and barbering.
To prepare the residents for the upcoming holiday
season, one of our moms led an activity to help residents create their own greeting cards. The chapter also
supported a Villa Rosa Christmas auction by donating
28 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
gifts.
In order to reach as many Villa Rosa
residents as possible, teams of moms
and children read to or shared words
of inspiration with residents who were
room-bound. Groups of children and
Moms walked the halls singing from
a song book compiled by one of our
members.
Villa Rosa residents and Jack and Jill
volunteers alike enjoyed musical performances by our own children and a
professional saxophonist. All age groups
participated in the event, from the kindergarten through 2 year olds who made
tissue flowers for the residents, to the
Senior Teens who adopted Game Day as a service project. The feedback from Villa Rosa about the event has
been overwhelmingly positive and without exception
our chapter members feel overwhelmingly fortunate to
have been able to give our time and services.
RESTON
Staying on the Right Side of the Bench!
On October 13th, Reston Chapter 7th-8th graders participated
in a mock trial at the Alexandria, Virginia Courthouse thanks to Lt.
Kapetanis with the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office. Jack & Jill Jr. Teens
toured the courtrooms and lock up (jail). The fact pattern involved
various drug-related charges stemming from a student who allowed
another to keep his backpack in his locker. It was an eye opening,
enlightening and riveting experience for all!
Harvest Fun at the Corn Maze & Sleepover with the Sharks
Have you ever shot pumpkins or corn cobs from a cannon? Reston
Chapter’s 3rd and 4th graders did that and more as they enjoyed a fun
filled sunny afternoon at Temple Hall Farm’s Corn Maize in Leesburg,
Virginia. Jack & Jillers were “lost” wandering in the maze and followed
clues to exit the 24 acre maze on this beautiful autumn day. Did you
know that a shark loses at least one or two teeth per meal? Luckily for
them, they grow back quickly. Our 3rd and 4th graders learned all types
of fun filled facts about sharks and other sea creatures as they participated in the Sleepover with the Sharks Immersion Program at the
National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Reston Chapter Jack
& Jillers enjoyed a behind the scenes tour of the aquarium and ended
their overnight visit with a winning game of shark Jeopardy.
Autumn in the Reston, Virginia Chapter!
Local history came to life as Volunteer “Conductors” led 25 members of the Reston Chapter on a hike through a section of the historic
Underground Railroad in Sandy Springs, Maryland. The group of 5th
and 6th graders impressed the guides with their knowledge and their
questions about the experiences of people fleeing to freedom and the
people who helped them. The visit was a powerful reminder of the
risks taken by thousands of enslaved people determined to be free.
ROCHESTER
Twixt Tweens, Young Teens Create a Family Tree
In order to be leaders
of tomorrow, we need to
know our leaders of yesterday.
The twixt teens and
young teens, as well as the
Moms, did an activity in
which they created a family tree. We started out
by discussing family trees
and printed out a census
record for each child. After
scouring through the census records, and discuss-
ing family facts with their
mom, they transferred
what they found onto their
family tree and presented it
to their peers. It was exciting to see children learning about their heritage and
hearing parents tell stories
of the past. Many parents
expressed their delight at
the activity and wished to
continue digging up their
history at home.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 29
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
Chapter Hosts Rock the Vote Event to Honor Carole Robertson
The
Southern
Maryland
Chapter of Jack and Jill of America,
Incorporated celebrated “Jack and
Jill Day” and honored the memory of Carole Robertson by joining
together for a Rock the Vote event.
All age groups participated in exciting activities to promote leadership
in the community and civic responsibility. As part of the day’s events
the teen group shared a presentation remembering and paying tribute to the life of Carole Robertson.
This activity gave our chapter a
wonderful opportunity to enlighten
our friends and neighbors about
the significance of Jack and Jill Day
and promote the memory of Carole
Robertson. Our goal for this event
was to engage the children in the
legislative process and promote
the importance of a citizen’s right
to vote. The Southern Maryland
Chapter’s children had an opportunity to participate in a mock presidential election and design crafts to
support their candidate. This was a
joint activity with surrounding Jack
and Jill chapters and allowed all the
children the chance to understand
the importance of voting in every
community.
In addition to the tribute to
Carole Robertson, our most talented teens showed that they could
really “Rock the Vote”! The Teens
held a wonderful Rock the Vote
party that included Teens from
other local Jack and Jill Chapters
and like-minded area teens. The
event showcased the Teens ability
to not only demonstrate their commitment to sharing the importance
of registering and voting but of
celebrating those accomplishments
in a safe and fun environment. In
addition to raising awareness about
the important issues and need to
participate in this, and each election, the Teens raised $531!! Great
Job!
SUFFOLK COUNTY
Directing Attention to Those in Need
As the holiday season is upon us, we find ourselves
reflecting on the past year and the blessings of our Jack
and Jill families. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, we
gratefully pause in thanks for a family of Mothers who
pulled together with an outpouring of compassion to
help one another weather this devastating storm. The
impact of the storm reminded us to be grateful, not
only for the daily comforts we often take for granted,
but the fact that we have blessings to spare! As many in
our community continue to struggle, we have directed
our attention to assist those in need. A chapter wide
turkey drive was executed by our teens and plans are
underway to support our communities for the holidays
30 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
with toys, clothing and food. In October, we had the
privilege of hosting the Metropolitan Cluster, and what
a wonderful Cluster it was! The 49 Mothers of the
Suffolk County Chapter were delighted to welcome over
400 cluster attendees and kick off the Eastern Region’s
Cluster cycle. We were proud to celebrate our two
Regional Officers, Lisa Evans Chapman, Regional Policy
& Procedures Chair and Taylor Hamilton, Regional Teen
Foundation chair as well as first place winners in the
Oratorical Contest, sisters, Brittany Morris, Division I;
Autumn Morris, Division II; and all the participants in
the Oratorical Contest! The success of the Cluster was
due in no small part to the dedication of our Cluster
Chairs Lisa Evans Chapman,
Melodie Laidlow, Denise Lowe,
Mireille Lubin, Carmelia Taylor,
and our chapter Mothers, but
also to smiling faces of the
Cluster attendees who warmed
our hearts. We left the cluster,
inspired and excited, looking forward to our 50th Program year!
In closing, we wish you all the
joys and blessings of Christmas
and a New Year filled with health,
peace and happiness.
SYRACUSE
Chapter Hosts Annual Mother’s Tea
On a lovely Sunday afternoon on October 14, the Syracuse,
N.Y. chapter of Jack and Jill participated in its annual Mother’s
Tea. We were honored to be blessed with the presence of our
National Vice President Tammy King who was in attendance.
The day was filled with wonderful fellowship as our prospective
Mothers had a chance to experience a small taste of what our
dynamic organization is all about.
One of our chapter founders, Dr. Ethel S. Robinson shared
memories of her desire and passion to provide not only her
child, but other children the exposure to enriching activities
that would forever impact their lives. We also heard from
Mothers whose children have graduated out about what Jack
and Jill meant to their family and heard a letter of appreciation
from a former Teen.
Current Mothers shared some of their experiences and
Prospective Mother’s reflected on their interest and what they
hoped Jack and Jill could do to improve the quality of life for
their children. The room was filled with warmth and the joyful
sounds of talking and laughing as we enjoyed one another’s
company. At the end of the day, we realized that we all share
the same goal; to provide the best quality of life we possibly can
for our children.
As we press on full speed ahead with all we do as Mothers
for our children, it was nice to sit back, relax and revel in one
another’s company.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Jill’s Chill: Mothers Unwind, Reconnect at Wine Tasting Event
The Washington, D.C., chapter’s
activities during the month of October
mirrored the warmth and vibrancy that
are typical of autumn days.
The first “Jill’s Chill” of the year, organized by our Networking Committee,
was a festive wine-tasting event hosted
by Bernardine Evans on October 19.
Her home provided the perfect setting for the 35 moms in attendance to
eat, drink and be merry. Later in the
evening, special guest/wine consultant
Shari Sheffield opened three reds
and three whites and demonstrated the basics of appreciating wine
-- including swirling and sniffing,
decanting, and storing. She also
described how to pick a favorite.
On October 21, Malaika JonesKebede graciously welcomed 51
current members, 22 prospective
members and 2 legacies into her
beautiful home for the Prospective New
Member Tea. Mothers visited over a
sumptuous spread. During the presentation that followed, the executive committee and committee chairs discussed
organizational goals and highlighted
chapter activities. Because induction
this year is limited to Groups 1 and
2, the presenters offered a broad perspective, encouraging mothers to think
about the Jack and Jill experience over
the next 10-plus years.
Seventy participants from the
D.C. Chapter attended the Eastern
Region Southern Cluster on
October 27. A total of 59 mothers, 9 high school students, and 2
middle school students attended
meetings and workshops that provided valuable information on our
roles as parents and members of
Jack and Jill.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 31
TEEN HANG
SUITE
32 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
ARUNDEL BAY
Answering the Call to Service
The teens of the Arundel Bay Area Chapter heard and answered
the National Executive Board’s call to service. The teens partnered
with the Lighthouse Shelter in Annapolis, Md. The Shelter provides
food and housing to the homeless. Meeting at the home of two
Chapter teens, the teens packed 100 lunches. Before they started,
each teen read a quote about service and then reflected on what it
meant to them. One of the quotes was from George Washington
Carver. Mr. Carver said “No individual has any right to come into
the world and go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and
legitimate reasons for having passed through it.” It was good for
the teens to reflect on this during the Thanksgiving season. Many of
the teens gave thanks for what they had and committed to helping
those who were less fortunate. The teens agreed as a group that
giving through community service was very important. In an effort
to be healthy, they packed each lunch bag with a sandwich, bottled
water, fruit, cereal bars and applesauce. Afterwards, a retired Police
Officer spoke to the teens about the proper way to conduct one’s self
if stopped by the police. The activity was titled “Lunch and Learn”
because the teens prepared lunch and then learned how to handle
themselves if stopped by the police. Once done, the teens ate dinner and used the opportunity to bond. A great time was had by all.
Everyone left feeling good about themselves and motivated to serve
others.
BERGEN PASSAIC
Ready Set, Go! Bergen Passaic kicks off its Healthy Living and Literacy Project with
The Paterson Boys and Girls Club
In October and November
the Junior and Senior Teens
were an important part of
making this program successful by participating in the
planning of the activities. The
teens and the Club children
have enjoyed the experience
and are looking forward to
the activities throughout this
Program Year. Each month we
had approximately 80 3rd and
4th graders.
October was the kick-off
event and the Teens planned
Ice Breakers, Line Dancing
Lessons and Rely Races. The
teens supervised a competitive game of obstacle course
and relay racing. Afterwards,
the Club kids completed a
Reading exercise led by a Jack
and Jill Mom and Educator,
Lisa Brown. They were also
provided book marks to track
their reading. We capped off
the afternoon with line dancing and a healthy snack. The
teens led a lesson on the
importance of eating healthy.
Mothers also learned a few
new dances! The fun was so
contagious the K-2 got in on
the action!
November was all about
literacy. The Junior Teens read
a book about President Barack
Obama and led a question and
answer session, in our soon
to be dedicated Jack and Jill
Reading Room. Ms. Brown
then led a Literacy Mini-lesson
on reading just right books The 5 Finger Rule. Thereafter,
students shared their favorite
books, drew a picture of it
and shared the experience in a
small circle.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 33
BROOKLYN
Teens Help with Sandy Recover Efforts
Brooklyn Chapter Teens participated in recovery
efforts as volunteers who handing out food, water and
other supplies to Coney Island residents recovering
from the storm. Mercedes Mackie, President of the Jr.
Teen President group, reflected on the experience in
the essay below.
“On Sunday November 4, I traveled to Coney Island
25 street and Surf Ave in Brooklyn NY. Several Jack and
Jill Moms and Kids were there also. One of our Dads
was a lead organizer. We didn’t know what to expect
when we got there. It was cold outside; I could only
imagine how the people living there at night felt. I was
happy to see so many volunteers. It was sad to see a
line almost a block long of families waiting for food,
water and other supplies. I handed out food and water
until the line disappeared. Walking to the car and driving through the area you could see the devastation of
“Sandy”. My best memory of Coney Island was when
my Dad and I would get Nathans hot dogs and ride the
Cyclone rollercoaster. The Cyclone roller-coaster was
still there, I hope they will re build Coney Island, especially Nathan’s. I hope people will be able to get back
to their normal lives soon, but I think it is going to take
a while. I am glad I could help.”
COLUMBIA
Lunches for the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center
The Jack and Jill Columbia,
Maryland Chapter’s commitment
to developing compassionate leaders of tomorrow was in evidence on
November 17, as our Senior Teens
gathered at River Hill High School
for a full day of community service.
With 44 pounds of food donations gathered by the age groups,
our teens spent the morning packing nutritious lunches for guests
of Grassroots Crisis Intervention
Center, a local homeless shelter
and crisis intervention facility. They
then transported the lunches for
34 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
over 50 people to the center. The
teens served and interacted with
family residents walking around to
shake hands and have light conversation. In addition, the teens
planned activities and provided
reading sources for the children.
Notes of positive thoughts
were created by the teens which
were attached inside all the reading
materials.
One of the teens who participated said, “It was truly a life
changing experience. To see so
many people who live only a few
blocks from us; who look like us,
yet they can’t support their families
and don’t know where their next
meal or paycheck is going to come
from.
That just goes to show, no matter where you live or travel there
are always going to be people less
fortunate than ourselves. However,
that’s where we come in to play. If
more people kept volunteering to
donate on a daily or weekly basis,
maybe we could start to eliminate
hunger.”
ESSEX HUDSON
Essex Hudson Teens Visit Columbia University
The Essex Hudson Teens kicked off their programming year with their Teen Retreat. Invited speakers
were Officer Alonzo Brandon of UMDNJ who presented
on “How to Respond when Approached by An Officer of
the Law or Authoritative Figure” and Mr. Steven Wilder,
Market Manager VP of PNC Bank on “How to Manage
Your Money and Start a Savings Plan”.
Teens are focusing on their meetings, modules, and
community service. In October, the Teens attended a
college preparedness tour of Columbia University in
Manhattan, NY. Organized by teen members Chancellor
King and Micah Smith, they contacted chapter resources and scheduled a campus tour, financial aid workshop
and information session.
Essex Hudson boasts 9 seniors, its largest group of
graduating teens in the chapter’s six year history. Led
by a dynamic team of Teen Advisors, Tammy Williams,
Janet Smith, Sheryl Stoessel Suarez, Linda Gadsby and
Paige Graves our teens are looking forward to hosting
their 1st chapter Fundraiser in the Spring. The teens
will host a “3 on 3” Basketball Tournament and support
our designated charities, NJ Seeds, the American Red
Cross and the Jack and Jill Foundation. We look forward
to your participation and attendance.
GREATER ALBANY
I’m Just a Bill ...
The time period to receive
an unrestricted license has been
extended and you are restricted
from participation in extra curricular
activities. These are two of the New
York State bills that were discussed
by the teens of The Greater Albany
Chapter of Jack and Jill of America
on November 11 at the Bethlehem
Public Library.
The host teens, Bethany
Caldwell and George Stain engaged
12 teens in activities to learn more
about the impact of legislation on
youth in New York State. After a
short presentation by George on
tips for public speaking, Bethany
provided an overview on how Bills
become Laws in New York State and
the role of Lobbyists in this process.
The public speaking tips were
practiced as the teen became lobbyists (pro and con) for the afternoon
for two bills; a bill that proposed
changing the young driver permit
law and a bill that barred some
groups of High School students
from participating in extra curricular
activities.
The team of three lobbyists
deliberated and after much discussion, position papers were developed. Each lobby group presented
their positions to their peers as
well as ‘the ‘legislature’ (3 parents).
After careful consideration the ‘legislature’ recommended that both
bills be sent back to committee. The
group was so concerned about one
of the bills that they are contemplating writing their legislators to share
their perspective. Many valued the
exercise because they understand
they will be in the position to vote
during the next mid-tem elections.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 35
GREATER ESSEX COUNTY
Coat Drive Supports Jersey Cares
Drew Kucy (3rd from left), the site coordinator
for the statewide 17th Annual Jersey Cares Coat
Drive, receives coats from members of the teen
group of the Greater Essex County Chapter of Jack
and Jill of America, Inc.
The teens collected more than 50 coats as
part of a recent community service initiative to
support Jersey Cares, which will distribute the
winter coats to men, women, children and infants
in need. Pictured (l to r) are Teddi Mattox, Brittany
Cooper, Mr. Kucy, Julian LaVergne, Courtney Stith,
and Erica Ellison. The local Jersey Cares site, Unity
of Montclair, 84 Orange Road, will be collecting
new and gently used coats now until December
15. For more information visit www.jerseycares.
org or contact the Montclair site at 973-746-0259.
GREATER UNION
Greater Union Trendsetters: Awesome October!
Listen Up! It’s time for a math lesson, or possibly
even a life lesson. Let’s start with a simple equation. Add
Greater Union Teens, a Yale tour, a Slam Poetry contest,
an after party and a fantastic road trip together and what
do you get? If you haven’t figured it out yet, the results
equal a great time for the teens on their Connecticut
road trip. On the cool, fall morning of October 13th, the
teens gathered in the Watchung, NJ Sears parking lot @
6:00 a.m. and began their 2 hr. trek up to Connecticut.
The first stop on the trip was Yale, where we were
treated to a tour of the prestigious university. Our tour
guides were three Yale students who provided us with a
great tour, from an African American perspective. At Yale
we were joined by several teens and their Moms from
the New Haven chapter. Our tour began and ended at
the renowned Afro-American Cultural Center, where we
spent time learning about the African American influences on Yale’s history and participating in a Q&A session pertaining to Yale’s admissions process, educational
opportunities, etc. After the tour, we walked around the
area and visited the Yale bookstore, where we had an
36 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
opportunity to purchase lots of Yale gear. Afterwards,
we enjoyed a scrumptious lunch of chicken wings, pizza
and fries at the notable Wallingford, Connecticut restaurant, Archie Moore’s. After lunch, the teens went on a
brief tour of Choate Rosemary Hall, led by Ryan Shepard,
a Choate 11th grader. After the Choate tour, the teens
had some downtime at the hotel, in order to rest up for
the night’s events. Later that evening, the teens experienced Choate Rosemary Hall’s first ever interschool
Slam Poetry contest, hosted by Ryan. Following the Slam
Poetry contest, our teens then joined students from
Prep Schools across the New England area, as well as
teens from the New Haven chapter, for an exciting, jampacked dance. On Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast
together and had a teen meeting before heading back to
New Jersey. In short, it was a fun-filled weekend, inclusive of education, cultural, recreational & social activities. Many thanks to our Teen Advisors, Ms. Jacqueline
Miller-Shepard & Ms. Raquel Horn & teen mom, Ms.
Hairston for a weekend of fun memories!
METROPOLITAN
Metropolitan Chapter Junior Teens Explore Debate
As another historic presidential election approached,
our Junior Teens were awash in politics. In an effort to
provide Group 4 kids with a concrete experience with
debate technique and an appreciation of its place as a
means of communicating a candidate’s political view,
the group gathered to learn why presidential debates
are sometimes so influential. On October 28th, 18
members of Group 4 gathered for mock presidential
debate.
The afternoon started with a discussion on debate
strategy and how to be successful. After watching
a clip from the second presidential debate between
President Obama and GOP candidate Mitt Romney, the
kids had an opportunity to comment on the performance of both candidates. The kids were then divided
into four groups and were given a topic to debate. The
kids were responsible for preparing ideas and remarks
that reflected the pro and con position for the questions they were to address in the larger group. After
an animated exchange, a panel of three parent judges
gave feedback to the subgroups based on presentation,
content and teamwork.
The activity culminated with a discussion and
debate that addressed the characteristics of each of the
candidates, and which man had what it would take to
be the next president. The Junior Teen group worked
well together and found learning to listen, as well as
speak, was bonding for them.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY (MD)
Senior Teens Host Annual “Black Family Day” Thanksgiving Dinner
On November 4, the Norbeck Country Club played
host to the Senior Teen group, led by Senior Teen
President, Angelique Perkins and her co-host, Jordan
Perry as they presented a Thanksgiving/Black Family Day
performance to commemorate “JJMCMC Celebrating
our Family Legacy,” from the year 2000 to present-day
that brought the crowd to its feet, singing, dancing and
swaying to the melodic sounds of some of their favorite artists from the period but not before tissues were
passed around as they were taken back to many tragic
events that also plagued our National and local communities.
fallen artists of the period in their rendition of the Soul
Train show with performances by Jordan Dove, Robbie,
Lee, Lauren Ruffin, Kayla Mims, Elana Harris, Taylor
Reeves, and Kiev Gambrell.
However, nothing could rival the famed Soul Train
line and dancers as the crowd joined them to the
sounds of Chuck Brown’s showstopper “Bustin Loose”.
Closing out the show, all JJMCMC children dedicated
their rendition of the duet between Whitney Houston
and Jordin Sparks as they sang “Celebrate” to honor the
fifty golden years of the Chapter!
Act One began with a moment of silence in
tribute to the most significant event to affect their
generation; the slaying of Trayvon Martin. Act
Two opened the highs and lows of the period with
a video and lyrical dance dedication to the fallen
heroes of terrorist attacks, racism, and natural
disasters and the celebration of the 2008 election
of the first African American President, Barack
Obama.
Angelique also serenaded the efforts of our
Chapter past and present presidents with the
Alicia Keyes solo “Super Woman”.
Act Three brought the house down as the
teen group put on holographic performances with
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 37
NASSAU COUNTY
Junior and Senior Teens Join Forces with FEMA to Assist with Sandy Relief Efforts
The devastation from Hurricane Sandy was far
reaching and greater than anyone of us could have ever
imagined. There are so many families on Long Island,
including many from our Nassau County Chapter who
continue to suffer from a myriad of storm-related challenges.
Everything
about
scheduling the teen
November activity was
unconventional. Thanks
to the commitment of
our chapter members
and our continued willingness to help those less
fortunate, even when we
are in need ourselves, on
Saturday, November 17
and 18 teens from the
Nassau County Chapter
volunteered to work with
FEMA at the Freeport Recreation Center in Freeport,
New York.
The FEMA workers appreciated having our teens
join their relief efforts. Our teens greeted the community, handed out important storm-related informa-
tion, unpacked boxes, gave out water, toys and help
served food.
Our teens enjoyed participating in a service activity in which they could see they were making a big
difference. Moreover, they found that they could
directly relate too many
of the people they were
serving.
Many of our Jack
& Jill families reside in
Freeport where several areas in that community were completely
destroyed. Not only has
the physical landscape
been altered greatly but
the lives of many of the
residents in this community are forever change
The Nassau County
Chapter Junior and Senior Teens continue to make us
proud. They exhibited great selflessness and maturity.
This was a great learning opportunity for them, where
they demonstrated leadership skills, community service and team work.
NATIONAL HARBOR
Get Out the Vote Activities
On November 3, the National
Harbor Chapter’s Pearls and
Panthers (9th – 12 grades) participated in a Get Out the Vote
drive. Our teens and Regional
Teen Legislative Chair Melanie
Hutchinson distributed “Vote”
flyers at the Bowie Gymnasium
in Bowie, MD in support of the
38 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
regional legislative initiative to
raise awareness and encourage
voting in the national elections on
November 6th.
Also, Khayla Toyer, recent Jack
and Jill graduate and former Teen
Vice President of the National
Harbor Chapter, worked the phone
banks at Hampton University’s
Barack Obama Campaign Office to
“get out the vote”.
The National Harbor Chapter’s
teens exemplified the grassroots
efforts that took place all over the
country to encourage people to
become active participants in the
voting process.
NEW CASTLE
A Weekend of Leadership and Service at a Wilmington Back to School Drive
The Sr. Teens of the New Castle
County, Delaware Chapter gathered
on August 24th - 25th to launch
their program year. Newcomers participated in a weekend of leadership
and community service. A c t i v i t i e s
began on Friday evening with JMB
Leadership Modules that focused
on Personality Characteristics &
Leadership, Interviewing Skills &
Business Attire, and Risky Behavior.
The workshops were led by Sr.
Teen Advisors, Karen Jenkins, Carol
Washington, and Lauren Wilson.
Fathers, Michael Jenkins and Brian
Washington, also facilitated modules. Staff from the Beautiful Gate
Outreach Center conducted an interactive session enlightening teens on
risky behaviors and the consequences. Following their workshops, the
teens had a sleepover which gave
them an opportunity to swim, get
acquainted and have some fun.
afternoon, teens culminated their
retreat by kicking off a monthly
commitment to volunteerism. Teens
volunteered at a local Back-toSchool Drive held at the 30th Street
Park in Wilmington. Teens would like
to acknowledge UnitedHealthcare
Community Plan of Delaware for
donating backpacks & lunch boxes
and The Congo Funeral Home
for inviting them to volunteer at
this event. Congo provided the
school supplies, food and fun. The
Newcomers are already making an
impact on “Changing the World”.
Community service is a way of
life for the Newcomers. On Saturday
NEWTON
Volunteering at the Mass. Avenue Baptist Church Food Pantry
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving the Newton
Chapter Teens volunteered their time at the Mass. Ave.
Baptist Church Food Pantry in Cambridge, MA. This
Thanksgiving outreach activity has become an annual
community service event that the teens eagerly look
forward to by assisting those who are less fortunate.
The teens distributed turkeys, an assortment of fresh
seasonal produce and non-perishable goods to benefit
200+ families in need.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 39
NORTH JERSEY
Jack and Jill North Jersey Chapter Relief Efforts
The North Jersey senior teens in keeping with
tradition, collected over $400.00 in food and toiletry
items to help with recent relief efforts. New Hope
Baptist Church located in Newark, New Jersey will
be the recipient of the donations. New Hope Baptist
Church is working along with FEMA to distribute the
donations in order to facilitate Hurricane Sandy relief.
The North Jersey
senior teens routinely collect five to eight bags of
food monthly for distribution to various organizations. In addition to food
and toiletries, clothing
and money have also been
donated to various charities. The Human Needs
food pantry, located in
Montclair, New Jersey,
and KinderSmile, which
provides dental care for
impoverished children at
home and abroad are other examples of community
efforts by our senior teens. Annually, the teens prepare food, set up, serve and clean up at Christine’s
Soup Kitchen, located in West Orange, NJ. And, for the
past 3 years the senior teens have also worked with
City Harvest located in Union Square, New York. For
this charity, the teens collect fresh food and produce
from vendors, (last year
300 pounds of food was
collected) it is then taken
to soup kitchens in the
area, who prepare and
distribute nutritious hot
meals. North Jersey’s
teens’ continue to demonstrate the meaning of
volunteerism and community service.
PHILADELPHIA
Political Campaigning 101
The Hilltop I and II, our high school group, October
Activity was ”Political Campaigning 101.” The focus of
the activity, political campaigning could be applied to
everything from school elections, community organizing, city, state and national offices.
The teens were broken up into groups and asked to
envision a “perfect community”, what would it contain,
what type of programs and priorities? All of their ideas
were written down and they were surprised to see that
all of the suggestions would involve political action.
We then discussed political messaging and the components of a campaign plan for either an elected office or
an issue campaign. We had speakers that were involved
in politics including a political director of a national
campaign as well as a ward leader who did political
organizing on a grass roots level.
The kids then worked on a get out the vote mailing
for the upcoming national election while they viewed
the film, “The Young Candidate”, a documentary about
4 young people who ran for various elected offices
in their communities. Open political discussions took
place welcoming all opinions and topics.
Congratulations to Chase Wilson for winning a
President Obama’s Volunteer Service Award for 2012!!
Chase Wilson
40 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
PITTSBURGH
A Day of Giving
The Pittsburgh Chapter of
Jack &Jill (teen chapter) has
become very interested and
dedicated to addressing social
issues that plague the area by
participating in a variety of
community service projects.
On September 21, our teen
chapter volunteered at the
Greater Pittsburgh Food bank,
a local ball recipient, as part of
the Fall Food Share Day. During
this service project, our teens
spent their afternoon touring
the food bank and learning
about the wonderful services
the food bank provides.
The younger group of children engaged in activities such
as making place mats for senior
citizens and watching an educational video on an
important social issue: hunger in America. While there,
the teens donated the healthy snack options that were
assembled snack bags for various after-school programs. The donations didn’t stop there! Our teens also
donated school supplies that were packed into backpacks for deserving students.
POTOMAC VALLEY
Program Year Kicks Off with a Moonlight Cruise
The 2013 program year looks terrific for Senior
Teens of Potomac Valley Jack and Jill! In the midst of
the graduation of last year’s seniors, Rachel Clayton,
Emani Verlynne, and Billy Webb, the group is at its
largest since 2006 (the graduating class of Brooklyn
Wilkinson, Brandon Huger, and Chris Webb). This is due
to the combination of an influx of high school freshman
and new chapter members from last year.
The new executive committee consists of President
Kelsey Spencer, Vice
President
Kendall
Mitchell, Secretary
Ntebo
Mokuena,
Treasurer
Kelsey
Brown, and Skylar
Mitchell as Editor/
Historian.
The
appointed positions
of Sergeant at Arms
and Parliamentarian
have gone to Darren
Williams and John
Hale IV respectively.
The Senior Teens opened the 2012-2013 program
year with the 7th Annual Moonlight Teen Cruise on
Sunday, October 7th, 2012. The event was the first of
the year and was open to all Senior Teens of Potomac
Valley. It provided an opportunity for all members to
get to know each other in a less formal setting and
almost all of the teens were
in attendance. The evening
began at Pier 4 in Southwest
D.C. and by six o’clock the
festivities were underway.
The night was one of
food, music, and dancing
that allowed everyone to
interact with each other as
well as those from other
chapters in the Eastern
Region. All of the Potomac
Valley teens are dedicated to
working together to achieve
a productive year and enjoy
all upcoming events.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 41
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY
Youth Empowerment Summit and Freshman Dinner
Youth Empowerment Summit
in their lives and the lives of others.
On Saturday, October 13, more than 50 Senior
Teens of the Prince George’s County Chapter participated in The Youth Empowerment Summit at the Camelot
in Upper Marlboro, Md. This great event was organized
by Prince George’s County Council Chairwoman Ingrid
Turner, with additional support from the MarylandNational Capital Park & Planning Commission.
Freshman Dinner
The Summit’s theme was Educating, Equipping,
& Empowering our Youth for Success. The interactive
workshops on finance/entrepreneurship and leadership were a huge hit! This one day event provided the
Sr. Teens with all the necessary modules needed to
attend Teen Conference. The Senior Teens also learned
hands-on, easy-to-implement techniques that will help
them make sound decisions and foster positive change
Prince George’s County Sr Teens gathered for our
Freshman Dinner on November 10, in Glenn Dale,
Md. This annual tradition, hosted by the Freshman
Moms, is a seated dinner for all 67 Senior Teens and
their Moms. The purpose of the event is to encourage
bonding and fellowship, and have some fun too! This
year’s Fiesta theme opened with each Senior Teen having to guess the celebrity personality taped on their
back by asking questions to other Sr Teens. Next, the
Senior Teens feasted on tacos, enchiladas, rice and
beans, and nachos. Finally, each grade entertained
the others by performing a karaoke song. It was great
evening of camaraderie.
RESTON
Planning for Parties, Practicing for the Cotillion/Beautillion
The month of November was
very busy for the Reston Sr. Teens.
During the monthly meeting,
Reston Sr. Teens discussed the 2013
Eastern Regional Teen Conference,
leadership modules, and holiday
fundraising. They also began planning for the December Sr. Teen
42 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
Holiday party. The small ballroom
in which they conducted their
November meeting was also the
practice area for the 2012 Reston
Chapter Cotillion/Beautillion. Many
of the teens immediately put on
their dancing shoes after the meeting was adjourned!
Reston Senior Teens performed
the Carole Robertson tribute at
our annual Jack and Jill Day Family
Picnic held at Woody’s Golf Range
in September.
ROCHESTER
Teens Assist at Ronald McDonald House
On November 10, the teens of the Rochester, NY, chapter participated in an annual community service event
at the Ronald McDonald House. The teens and their families donated and prepared healthy lunches for the families staying at the RMH. Families are able to stay at the RMH while their ill children are cared for at the Golisano
Children’s Hospital. The teens also washed and put away dishes for the families. After preparing the lunches the
teens were able to tour the house and talk with some of the families.
ROCKLAND
The Adventure Before the Storm
All television and radio reports indicated that
Hurricane Sandy was scheduled to hit the Northeast
by Monday. So on October 27, the Rockland County
Senior Teens bravely participated in a “friend raiser”
with the Xinos/Kudos Club before the storm actually arrived. The Xinos/Kudos Club is a mentoring
program for high school students sponsored by the
National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Incorporated ~
Epsilon Chi Chapter of Rockland County. They courageously hosted the trip to Six Flags Great Adventure
in New Jersey in hopes of raising funds to help
fund expenses needed to attend their Annual Teen
Leadership Conference in March 2013.
In attendance were nine Jack and Jill Senior Teens
from the Rockland Chapter, five teen guests and one
mother. Overall, we traveled safely to and fro with
26 teens and two chaperones. The teens were well
behaved and responsive.
The teens enjoyed a day of recreation and social
engagement with one another, as they went on various rides and viewed several attractions. Everyone
agreed that the real main attraction was when the
sun faded to night and “FRIGHT NIGHT” was in full
swing.
The Senior Teens were honored to collaborate
with the teens of the Xinos/Kudos Club for a worthy
cause. They look forward to other opportunities
where they can perfect their leadership skills and do
public service with several local organizations in the
near future.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 43
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
Piscataway-Conoy Tribal Council Election
On November 3, the Southern Maryland Chapter
of Jack and Jill proudly took part in the first PiscatawayConoy Tribal Council election. The Piscataway-Conoy
Tribe is holdings its first Tribal Council Election following
state recognition as one of two Native American Tribes
indigenous to the State of Maryland on January 9, 2012
by Governor O’Malley.
The Southern Maryland Chapter’s Teens helped the
community by ensuring that the voting process was a
fair and equitable process in the Native American community. To have the honor of the opportunity to assist
as the tribe in seating the first official non-provisional
tribal council was a wonderful opportunity for the chapter, the children and the mothers.
The teens and mothers of our chapter were honored to participate in this historical event which gave
our young people the chance to not only observe this
legislative process, but take a part in it.
SOUTH JERSEY
Fall Fun with the South Jersey Teens
Where can you find princesses, villains, butterflies
and laughter in one place? At the South Jersey Chapter
of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Fall Fun Dress Up Party!
In the spirit of “Changing Today for a Better Tomorrow”,
the Lords and Ladies (Teen Group) of the South Jersey
Chapter hosted a Fall Fun Dress up Party for the Chips
and Twigs group.
The Lords and
Ladies expressed an
interest in being mentors to our youngest
group after attending
many chapter wide
events and not having the opportunity
to interact with the
future leaders of the
group. Our youngest group truly looks
up the teens and so
44 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
Mame Young, mother to both a Chips and Twigs daughter and a Lords and Ladies son, opened up her home
for this activity. The teens came dressed up in a variety
of whimsical costumes and ready to provide a fabulous
night for the little ones. They organized activities such
as pumpkin painting, contests and various games which
included freeze dance and a pumpkin obstacle course.
They each brought a
bag of candy to be
added to treat bags
for the little ones. It
was difficult to tell
who had more fun,
the teens or the little
ones. There were
smiles, treats, and
beginning friendships
for all!
SUFFOLK COUNTY
Suffolk County Teens Respond to Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy roared in on October 29 and
wreaked havoc on the lives of many in the Suffolk
County community. After surviving days and sometimes
weeks of lost power, heat ,internet services, and cable
TV our teens had a new appreciation for the comforts
of home and turned their thoughts to helping those in
need.
We received an urgent call from one of the many
existing food distribution centers in our area to distribute food and for turkeys to feed 1,500 on Thanksgiving
Day. With only a 48-hour turnaround time, our teens
sprung into action to address the need. The teens
unflinchingly offered themselves in service at Mercy
House distributing food to those
who came.
In the four hours they spent at
Mercy House, countless families
came to collect food and clothing.
In addition, the teens organized
a chapter-wide turkey drive and
were able to donate over 20 turkeys to be served on Thanksgiving
Day. Hurricane Sandy relief efforts
will be ongoing throughout Suffolk
County for many months and the
teens plan on being there to help!
SYRACUSE
Syracus Jack and Jill Teens Celebrate Election Day
On Tuesday November 6, Election Day 2012, the Jack
and Jill Teen members of the Syracuse Chapter gathered in
Chapter Recording Secretary Paris Williams’ home to watch
history in the making. They wore best Election Day appeal
and brought, and devoured red white and blue treats.
The event, the chapter legislative activity, allowed the
members to watch the election unfold and see democracy
in action. It was fun and informative to watch the election
returns come in and electoral votes apportioned to each
candidate. Witnessing the maps light up with red states and
blue states, the chapter was reminded of President Obama’s
dynamic speech to the Democratic Convention.
The chapter saw just how committed the rest of the
country was to vote and have their voices heard in this very
important election, instilling in them the importance of
having our voices heard as well. The Syracuse Chapter will
remember this historic night for years to come.
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 45
WASHINGTON, D.C.
DC Teens Have Fun and Serve the Community
The DC Chapter “Tweens”
started the month of October by
spending a beautiful fall afternoon
at Terrapin Adventures in Savage,
Maryland. They enjoyed zip lining, team building, football tossing,
pizza, lots of laughs and a special
ride on the “big wing”. They also
did two service projects for Thrive
DC, an organization with a mission
46 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
to prevent and end homelessness
by providing vulnerable individuals
a comprehensive range of services
to help stabilize their lives, which
includes its Daily Bread/Daily Needs
Program. The DC Chapter delivered 90 healthy take home meals
for women and served meals to
over 50 women at the Thrive DC
kitchen. Group 5 has scheduled 9
service dates for Thrive DC, which,
combined with our support for So
Others Might Eat, will advance the
Eastern Region’s community service
goal of each chapter feeding 100
people this program year.
SAVE THE DATE: JULY 20-25, 2013
28TH BIENNIAL
EASTERN REGION
MOTHER’S CONFERENCE
ALL ABOARD!
Start making plans NOW to attend this
Jack and Jill “work and play” cruise,
aboard Royal Caribbean’s Explore of the Seas,
sailing out of Cape Liberty Cruise Port
in New Jersey.
Destination: BERMUDA!
REGISTRATION OPENS
JANUARY 2013!
THE EASTERN GAZETTE • 47
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
FEBRUARY 2013
SEPTEMBER 2012
1
Associates Appreciation
Program Year Begins
Jack and Jill Day Celebrations
CaroleRobertson Day Recognitions
25
Cluster Souvenir Journal Ads Due
OCTOBER 2012
1
1
National Per Capita and National
Conference Fee due to National
Treasurer
Regional Per Capita and Conference
Assessment due to Regional
20
Metropolitan Cluster, hosted by
Suffolk County Chapter, in Long
Island, N.Y.
27
Southern Cluster, hosted by the
Burke-Fairfax Chapter, in Falls
Church, Va.,
MARCH 2013
3
21-24 Teen Conference, Hosted by the
Newton (Mass.) Chapter, at the Boston
Marriott Copley
APRIL 2013
20
Program Books due to National
Program Director and Regional
Program Chair
3
Northern Cluster, hosted by the
Bridgeport, Conn., Chapter, in
Norwalk, Conn.
17
Delaware Valley Cluster, hosted by
Chester County, Pa., in Newark, Del.
DECEMBER 2012
1
Father’s Appreciation Events
MAY 2013
National Black Family Day Celebration
Chapter Evaluations due to National
Program Director
7
Teen Conference Registration Opens
15
Up the Hill Submissions due
24
Jack and Jill Founder’s Day
26-27 Teen Leadership Summit, Howard
University, Washington, D.C.
31
New Chapter and Officer Installations
15
Foundation and Loose Change due to
Regional Treasurer
20
Distinguished Mother nominations due to
Regional Secretary
31
New Member Joining Fees and
Headquarters fee due to National
31
New member and teen joining fees New
member and teen joining fees due to
Regional Treasurer
Grant Proposals due to the Regional
MAL
JANUARY 2013
Deadline for legacy requests
48 • THE EASTERN GAZETTE
Children’s Cluster, Hosted by the
Queens Chapter, New York
Chapter Elections (Mothers & Teens)
NOVEMBER 2012
1
Carol Robertson applications due to
Regional MAL
JUNE 2013
15
Roster of Chapter Elected Officers due to
Headquarters and Regional Secretary
15
Deadline to complete Chapter Officer
Transitions
30
End-of-Year Financial Reports due to
National Treasurer
JULY 2013
20-25 Eastern Region Mother’s Conference,
hosted by the Greater Essex Chapter,
Cruise to Bermuda (sailing out of
Bayonne, N.J.)