JANUARY 2023 || Volume 5, issue 5 |
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The Junior Women's League of Smithfield's 2022-2023 Provisional Class has a goal to collect 3,000 jars of peanut butter for over 600 local students at 22 Johnston County Public Schools in the Backpack Buddies Program, which provides children from low-income households with nutritious, kid-friendly groceries for the weekend when free school breakfasts and lunches are not provided. We now have 4 easy ways for the community - and beyond - to contribute to our Peanut Butter Buddies Drive. 1) Shop our Amazon Charity List 2) Donate via PayPal on our website 3) Visit one of the following grocery stores between 10AM-2PM to drop off an in-person donation of peanut butter, where JWL members will be stationed outside the store. Saturday, February 4 - Carlie C's IGA - 721 N Brightleaf Blvd, Smithfield Saturday, February 18 - Walmart - 1299 N Brightleaf Blvd, Smithfield Saturday, February 25 - Walmart - 5141 NC-42, Garner
4) Visit any of our Official Donation Stations in Johnston County and drop off jars of peanut butter (any size) in their Peanut Butter Buddies collection box now through March 7th. We encourage our community to join JWL in our efforts to help provide these children with this superfood--offering more than 30 essential vitamins and nutrients. With seven grams per ounce, peanuts have more protein than any other nut. Protein is essential for growing children and enables them to focus, concentrate, and perform better in school. On behalf of the children who will benefit from the assistance provided by Backpack Buddies, we thank you for your support of our Peanut Butter Buddies Drive! |
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-Hunger Heroes Pack over 10,000 Meals- On Saturday, January 21 the Junior Women’s League of Smithfield and River Dell Elementary partnered to bring Generosity Feeds, an initiative of the Replenish Foundation, to our community for "JWL Feeds--Meal Creation Event" to fight child hunger. The unique component of this organization is that all of the meals created stay local to your county. Together, alongside 251 enthusiastic volunteers of all ages, JWL Feeds was able to package 10,350 meals, which were disbursed among Backpack Buddies Programs at 25 Johnston County Public Schools, 8 Johnston County food pantries, and JWL's Blessing Boxes. These meals will be distributed to local children who need them most. Thank you to all of the incredible volunteers who not only contributed to the event's success, but made it such a memorable day with their energy, positivity, and willingness to work together for a great cause. The collective impact these meals will have on Johnston County children is immeasurable. On behalf of JWL, we would like to extend our greatest appreciation to all of you for being a Hunger Hero in our community! We cannot possibly capture the magnitude of this event in a few images, so we invite you to enjoy our slideshow of memories from that day. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve...you only need a heart full of grace...a soul generated by love." May we always strive to have a servant's heart. |
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-My Kid's Club Groundbreaking Ceremony- |
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Pictured (left to right): Stephanie Norris, Lindsay Wilson, Sarah Sheraski (MKC Executive Director), Lynn Stanley (MKC Executive Assistant), and Kelly Blanchard |
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On Monday, January 30, JWL members gathered to show our support for My Kid's Club's (MKC) new clubhouse at their very well-attended groundbreaking ceremony. Citizens from across the county, and beyond, attended this long awaited event to celebrate the upcoming construction of MKC's new 5,000 sq. ft. facility on N. Pollock Street in Selma. Since their former building was condemned following Hurricane Matthew in 2016, MKC's office has been operating out of Selma Elementary, with a secondary campus also located at South Smithfield Elementary. Their beautiful new facility will not only give them a place to finally call home, but also expand their youth participation across the county. MKC has been a vital resource for over 1,600 children in Johnston County since their original inception in 2006. Currently, they offer daily after school programs to more than 200 students ages 6-16 designed to help them learn the skills and attitudes they need to grow academically, succeed in their chosen career, and give back to the community. During the summer, they also offer field trips and scholarship overnight camps for their middle school and high school students. MKC values individual and group volunteers who have a passion for helping children and who want to have a positive impact on their lives. If this piques your interest, please visit their webpage to learn more about their organization and available volunteer needs. |
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JWL Pick 3 Raffle Drawings begin February 1 |
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Thank you to everyone who purchased a Pick 3 Raffle ticket to help make possible JWL's work in our community throughout the year. The daily drawings will begin on Wednesday, February 1, end on Tuesday, February 28 and will be held each night at 11:15 PM on WRAL Live. The winning ticket will be the first drawn NC evening Pick 3 and must be in exact sequential order. Please remember that ticket numbers can be drawn more than once, so JWL Pick 3 Raffle tickets should be kept for the entire month of February. Winners will be contacted by phone and/or email with prizes mailed out at the end of the event. Good luck! |
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Leadership SpotlightDecember and January |
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Each month we recognize a member, nominated by her peers, who has gone above and beyond in service and leadership within the league and her community. Since the league did not have a General Member Meeting in December, we will be recognizing our December and January Leadership Spotlights in this issue of our newsletter. These two amazing women embody JWL's mission and lead by example. Thank you both for all that you do! |
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Community Impact Grants and More! |
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Since our inception in 2015, JWL has been dedicated to improving the communities in which we live. We are honored to have stood beside so many amazing local organizations to identify and fulfill the ever-changing and growing needs of Johnston County through voluntarism and financial support. In an effort to expand our impact, JWL is pleased to announce that our applications for community impact grants, volunteer support, and partnership proposals are now readily available on our website. For more detailed information about each of these components, please click on the links above. We look forward to receiving your applications for support and working with you for the betterment of Johnston County. Please direct all questions to jwlsmithfield@gmail.com. |
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January General Member Meeting Barre3 Fitness Class with Lisa Begley Guest Speaker: Samantha Patrick |
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On the third Thursday of each month, JWL members host our General Member Meeting (GMM) at the Country Club of Johnston County. This meeting not only allows for fellowship among our members, but also serves as an update on upcoming league initiatives and to discuss volunteer efforts in our county. Additionally, these meetings are intended to be educational as it relates to community concerns and needs. This month, JWL members wanted to kick start the new year by making a commitment to a healthier, more active lifestyle. The talented Lisa Begley, owner of the Barre3 White Oak studio, led a Barre3 fitness class, which is an efficient and effective workout combining strength, cardio, and mindfulness that leaves participants feeling balanced in body and empowered |
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from within. JWL's ladies came prepared with yoga mats and light weights to enjoy their time together as they followed along to Mrs. Begley's instruction. Her lively personality, upbeat music, and optional modifications to exercises make this a must-do class which everyone can participate in. |
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Following our fitness class, we began our GMM with guest speaker, Samantha Patrick, a Substance Use Prevention Specialist with the Poe Center for Health Education. The Poe Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to positively impacting the lives of North Carolina youth through health education. Since opening in Raleigh in 1991, the Poe Center has educated more than 1.3 million participants from 94 counties. Their expert health educators partner with schools and organizations across the state to provide health education to children and adults. Engaging programs are available on nutrition & physical activity, adolescent development, general health, substance use prevention, dental health, bullying prevention, mental wellness, and cooking and gardening education. |
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Ms. Patrick led a discussion focused on bringing awareness to substance use/abuse throughout our state and gave an interactive demonstration on how to proactively dispose of unused or expired medications to prevent unintentional access and misuse of those drugs. Did you know? Not only does proper disposal prevent unintended access but it is also much safer for the environment by preventing medication from entering our local water sources. Ms. Patrick reviewed a few best practices for properly disposing of medication, such as: Find a secure locked drop box in your community or take the medication to your local
pharmacy and ask them to dispose of it properly. Use a medication disposable bag (deactivation kit). Avoid flushing medication down the toilet or in the sink. Avoid disposing of medication in the trash can unless using a deactivation kit.
We were also reminded that the responsibility lies with each of us to keep our loved ones and pets safe in our home. Locking Medicine Cases were introduced and distributed to our members as a resource to safely store medications and/or syringes. Ms. Patrick also gave members child locks to install on their cabinets to prevent unintended consumption of alcohol in the home as well. It was a very informative meeting with many beneficial takeaways and we greatly appreciated Ms. Patrick sharing her time with us. We encourage you to click on the links throughout the article and explore the many educational resources at your disposal to learn more. |
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