JLC Public Affairs Team Meets with Governor Haley

Last week members of the JLC Public Affairs Team met with Governor Nikki Haley to discuss our new League focus of healthy children and to learn from her what issues she sees facing the children of South Carolina. Stacy Thompson, VP for Community, also joined the group and gave an overview of the League’s history and current work. Governor Haley seemed particularly interested in our collaborations with other community groups such as Palmetto Health Richland Children’s Hospital to organize the Healthy Kids Expo to take action to tackle issues in the community. She was also impressed with the size and dedication of our membership.


Governor Haley shared with us that from her perspective, the two biggest problems for children in South Carolina are the rising epidemic of obesity and literacy. She feels that the entire family needs to be educated on these issues to fix the problems. We told her about our Kids in the Kitchen program teaching about healthy nutrition and the work we have done through Smart Matters to encourage reading and learning for children and parents.

Governor Haley gave us some insight into a new initiative that the Governor’s Office will be launching later this month geared toward improving the quality of life for families in rural communities. Each month a different rural county in the state will be highlighted and provided with much needed resources such as health screenings, access to the DMV services and help to acquire their GEDs. In addition, Haley’s Office will be promoting the positive stories and news from these counties to the rest of the state.

Haley encouraged our members to get involved with this initiative and her staff will provide us with further information. As our time came to an end, the Governor pledged her support to the League and offered to assist with any of our volunteer or advocacy efforts to improve our community and state.

Many thanks to Public Affairs Team members, Katherine Haltiwanger and Jamie Shuster, for making this meeting possible.

By: Emily Brady, Public Affairs Team Chair

2012 Healthy Kids Expo: Can You B543210?

On Saturday, February 25, the Junior League of Columbia, Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital and USC Pediatric Institute Diabetes and Obesity Clinic hosted the 2012 Healthy Kids Expo from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Drew Wellness Center.

This was a free event for the entire family designed to engage everyone in learning healthy eating habits and lifestyle changes and participate in fun workouts to get both kids and parents moving. We entertained around 125 parents and children!

We focused on Palmetto Health’s new health initiative slogan: “Can you B543210?” We had the following stations to educated kids on healthy eating and lifestyle.

B- eat a healthy breakfast

5- eat at least 5 fruits and veggies each day

4- drink 4 glasses of water

3- eat or drink 3 servings of dairy daily

2- limit screen time to less than 2 hours

1- be physically active for at least 1 hour

0- avoid sweetened beverages

Also on hand, we had doctors and nutritionists from the new Palmetto Health Obesity and Diabetes Clinic and USC Sports Medicine to help educate about healthy eating alternatives. We finished the day with Columbia’s own national award-winning Double Dutch Forces, something our President, Kristy Ellenberg, couldn't resist sitting on the sidelines for! Go Kristy!!


Post by: Katie W. Rankin

Lunch with Leaders #2!

A nice lunch, a chance to learn from others in our community, and some informative conversation awaited 30 members of the JLC this past Tuesday. On March 28, 2012, a group of us had the opportunity to learn more about the league’s focus on healthy children and how that focus is shared by various nonprofit organizations throughout the state at a recent “Lunch with Leaders” at the JLC Headquarters. Leaders from the SC March of Dimes, Winston’s Wish, Healthy Learners, CASA, SC Prevention of Teen Pregnancy, Girls on the Run, Children's Trust of SC and Edventure talked to the group about what they thought healthy children meant, the main obstacles against children being healthy in South Carolina, and what we, as members of the Junior League, could do to help support their programs through our focus on healthy children.


While each speaker had individual ideas that focused on their particular organization, an overall theme of awareness and education emerged as the speakers gave us their thoughts on what should be done to help children stay healthy in all aspects of their lives. It was interesting to see how, although through different programs, the organizations shared a common purpose and goal. All of the leaders encouraged us to help spread the word about the programs available; as many people are just unaware of the various ways to get help when needed. I encourage all everyone to look up these organizations and see all the beneficial programs they have available and to tell other people, both in and out of the league, about these organizations when the opportunity strikes. We will be able to help relay our focus on healthy children by helping these organizations reach out to people who otherwise might not know where to go for their needs.

Thank you to the Education and Development committee for planning a great event for JLC members!

Post by: Meggie Baker

Stop! Don't Bother Me!

When I joined the Junior League of Columbia, I certainly did not imagine that I would find myself in a room full of League Women, early on a Saturday morning, screaming at the top of my lungs, "STOP! Don't Bother Me!" But alas, that is exactly what happened on the morning of January 21, 2012.

Usually, we are a community of hospitable women with the spirit of community and volunteerism running through our veins. However that morning, our blood was rushing for a completely different reason - Self Defense.

Thanks to the Membership Satisfaction Committee, a group of us participated in a 4-hour class to learn about safety and self defense. Each year, this committee develops programs for the benefit of our members - so this class was part of the annual lineup that also included an Evening Out at Pout, a Halloween party and a Photo 101 workshop, to name a few.

Deputy Torres, a member of the Community Action Team (C.A.T), with the Richland County Sherriff's Department, taught this class for our members. While Deputy Torres works in a role that involves community action, she volunteers her time to teach women these techniques in self defense.

The program is for women only, and as the website explains, sets out to "empower us to recognize our strengths and make sound decisions when faced with a potentially dangerous situation." Of course, the hope is that we will never have to use these skills, but feel confident and prepared if we are ever forced into such a scenario. Essentially, we learned ways to minimize our chances of becoming a victim that included physical tactics aimed at disabling an attacker long enough to escape.

When practicing each scenario routine, the first thing we all yelled was, "Stop! Don't Bother Me!" This tactic invites others in the area to become aware and possibly involved in what is happening. We are grateful that Deputy Torres volunteered her personal time to teach this program to our group. She also spent some time reviewing some best practices regarding personal safety and a few of those tips are shared for you below:

· Do not act or look like an easy target - walk confidently, purposefully, and briskly.
· Always be familiar with your surroundings. (Be Alert)
· Always approach your vehicle with the keys ready and phone in your pocket.
· If you see or sense problems while walking, change your route.
· If you are a runner, change your route regularly.
· Never get into a car, never. Even if someone has a knife or gun. Run and scream. Getting
into the car reduces your chance of survival since they can take you to a secluded location.
· Always park in well-lit locations.
· Be suspicious of anyone approaching your car.


If you took the class and want to commend Deputy Torres, or any RCSD employee, please commend an officer using their website form. If you missed the class, or want to get a group of your own together, visit the RCSD website for more information. Thanks to Alicia Harper and the Member Satisfaction Committee for another great program!

The program information included this quote, which sums it up nicely: "The paradox of self-defense is that the more prepared you are, the less likely you are to need it. When you can recognize and respond effectively to potentially dangerous situations, you are more confident in your everyday activities. You are also less likely to become a target of crime."

Post by: Cameron Risher

Done in a Day: Healthy Learners

1,400 toothbrushes, 1,300 tubes of toothpaste and 1,000 containers of floss where all donated for the Healthy Learners Done In A Day Provisional Project.

Over twenty Active and Provisional Junior League members gathered to stuff bags for school age children in the Midlands area. Bags where filled with combs, brushes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, deodorant and many other commonly used hygiene items. Junior League members spent a few hours assembling and cross checking over 500 bags.

When it was all said and done...I'm sure each member had a blast, but our hope is that each child who receives a bag will know that someone cares about them.

Post by: Bianca Crawford

My grandmother gave me this poem a while ago and I thought I'd share it with my fellow Junior League of Columbia members.

The Sculptor

I took a piece of plastic clay
And idly fashioned it one day,
And as my fingers pressed it, still
It bent and yielded to my will.

I came again, when days were passed,
The bit of clay was hard at last,
The form I gave it, still it bore,
But I could change that form no more.

Then I took a piece of living clay
And gently formed it, day by day
And molded with my power and art,
A young child’s soft and yielding heart.

I came again when years were gone,
It was a man I looked upon.
He still that early impress bore,
And I could change it, nevermore.

~Author Unknown

As the League enters the second half of the year, it’s a fitting reminder of the impact our Healthy Children focus has on the community. So…serve a shift, donate to Clean Sweep, sponsor a new member and stay active within the League. We all have the ability to be sculptors within the JLC.

Post by: Meredith Waldrop

Why I Joined the Junior League of Columbia: A Provisional's Perspective

Something interesting happens once provisional training meetings start. Even though I knew no magic JLC fairy exists to make everything run smoothly (even though there are many members I could name who just might be that very fairy), I quickly realized just how many women dedicate large chunks of their time and energy to make this organization effective. At a recent meeting the provisionals learned about finance, reimbursements and spending. These are the more administrative placements and functions that are the backbone for all the other events put on by the JLC.

Between the different types of DIAD (Done in a Day) projects, Holiday Market, Clean Sweep and others, it was easy to see that these women do not just dedicate their time because of a sense of obligation but because they feel a deep connection to this group and its mission.

With these thoughts just beginning to help me establish my connection to the JLC, I selected to participate in the Big Brothers Big Sisters picnic as my community shift. Beth Richardson did a fantastic job of planning this DIAD event. Along with a handful of other provisional and active members, we gathered at Edisto Discovery Park in Rosewood to help with food preparation, field activities, and showing the kids how to prepare healthy snacks. Some of our JLC members even took up the task of face-painting; believe me when I say that those kids looked spectacular!!

The saying goes that there’s nothing more special than a child’s laughter and watching these kids play and laugh was a truly inspiring sight. But, beyond that, to watch both the individuals who volunteered and who worked for Big Brothers/Big Sisters energetically interact with these children truly brought a smile to my face. This was a showcase of what the JLC strives to do – to reach out into our community and touch the lives of both children and adults.

As for the JLC members themselves, it was a wonderful opportunity to help this gracious group of people and we all had a great time playing field games with the kids; my particular favorite was playing with the parachute – I’m really just a six-year-old in a twenty-eight year old body. It was a fantastic chance to meet other JLC members outside of the normal social time before our meetings; I hope I will have the chance to participate in other community shifts to get a sense of the other good works we are doing in the Columbia community. Narrowing down my choices for a placement next year will be difficult!

To end, I was honored at the most recent GMM to be recognized by the members-at-large for volunteering to blog about my provisional year. Thank you for that, as I know that so many JLC members go above and beyond the call of duty and are worthy of recognition as well. I hope my entries serve to give people an idea of how this particular provisional goes through her first year in the JLC.

Post by: Meggie Baker