Jacqueline Moore Bowles
npjacque@jack-and-jill.org
Members of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.,
Thank you for visiting our national website. This year marks the 70 year anniversary of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Seventy years ago our founder, Marion Stubbs Thomas, launched what is now the largest family organization in America.
We are so grateful for her dare to dream attitude. This is an exciting time in our organization. This board asked you to help us quickly restore the moral integrity of the organization and our results are in. We’re at an all time high. New member intake for 2007 was higher than expected demonstrating the confidence that you have in this board. Provisional group interest was higher than expected and our “quit” factor is significantly lower than in previous years. Our members are willing to stand up for Jack and Jill, its principles and its moral veracity. We are strong, determined and have the resiliency that’s needed to sustain our organization. On behalf of the entire national board, thank you.
I would be remiss if I did not congratulate our newly elected regional officers and give a huge thank you to our 2005-07 regional officers who volunteered their time and effort to make Jack and Jill successful. This past August over 60 officers and committee chairs attended the National Officer training in Miami, Florida, site of the 2008 convention. We spent three days in discussions about leadership, organizational excellence, strengthening our membership and forging our strategic direction. Your regional officers are now prepared to fulfill their duties as part of this management team.
Our regional teen officers also attended the training to share their experiences, network with other teens across the country and set the agenda for the upcoming Youth Leadership Summit. Many of you know our philosophy is a work hard, play hard one so we ended our training with our teens instructing mothers on how to do the Cupid Shuffle. Yes, it was hilarious but we’re fast learners.
I extend a heartfelt welcome to our 1,114 new members to the Jack and Jill of America family. You have been invited to join the thousands of families who volunteer on behalf of our 11,739 children. Our organization is committed to the following three strategic goals:
• Enhance Youth Leadership Strategies
• Strive for Organizational Excellence
• Establish a National Leadership Position
Program Director Buie and her team continue to stress the importance of quality programming throughout Jack and Jill. All chapters have implemented the Teen Leadership modules for Jack and Jill teens and some have begun implementing the 15 leadership qualities into youth (ages 6-12) programming activities. Many have converted their service components to share the leadership modules with local Boys and Girls’ Clubs of America. Check out the Scope 2008 for more information.
Executive Director Renee Gadson and her staff are truly a blessing to this organization. They have organized the headquarters processes, hired additional support staff and continue to keep our organization running smoothly on a daily basis. They work tirelessly to make your experience in Jack and Jill a gratifying one.
New Website
Congratulations to Editor Johnson and the HQ team for making this a reality. As we move closer to organizational excellence we will rely more on technology to communicate with you, our members. Our next milestone is to activate the private portal section of the website. Our plan is to maintain member only documents in that section. Your membership ID number will become the gateway to access. Please keep your information updated in the MIS system.
Foundation
Our greatest lost was the retirement of Executive Director Lucille Hadley. She and her family are doing well in Florida. We thank her for her extended service to our organization. Last year our Foundation established several award categories for 2007 chapter contributions by teens and mothers. The Teen awards ($700 per chapter) will be presented at the upcoming Teen Conferences. The winners by region are: Greater Little Rock (Central), Metro New York (Eastern), Contra Costa County (Far West), Durham, North Carolina (Mid-Atlantic), Akron, Ohio (Mid-Western), North Houston, Texas (South Central) and Nashville, Tennessee (Southeastern). Three chapters based on mothers’ contributions to Foundation will be awarded $3,000 each at the national convention. In the small chapter category the winner is Dayton, OH from the Mid-Western Region; in the medium chapter category San Fernando Valley, CA of the Far West Region; and in the large chapter category Greater Essex County, NJ of the Eastern Region. Congratulations to all chapters for a job well done.
Legislative Summit 2008
In March Jack and Jill of America convened on the steps of the Capitol Building for the first National Legislative “On the Hill” Summit. Your Legislative Committee worked hard to make this event a success. Representatives from all 35 states were in attendance to discuss with our elected officials the importance of legislation aimed at bettering the conditions of all children.
National Convention (July 23-27, 2008)
This July delegates from across the country will attend the 38th national convention in Miami, Florida at the beautiful Doral Golf Resort & Spa. Our major business will be the bylaws revision, election of national officers and approval of the national budget. The convention chairs have well planned events for all family members. We’re expecting record numbers to attend our 70th Anniversary. Don’t miss this one… We’ll work hard and play hard.
Chapter Development
We are proud to have nine (9) provisional chapters on board to be voted on at the 2008 convention. This is phenomenal however, we have a number of chapters who fall below the 15 member threshold. This National Board is concerned about the health of those chapters and has put in place an accelerated plan for improvement or dissolution.
Member Documents
Every member of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. should have a copy of the Member Manual. It has been updated and new sections will be added to include Officer Transition. Member Manuals are available for order via the website. A limited number of copies will be available for purchase at the national convention. Copies of Up The Hill 2007 will be distributed in April to all chapter presidents. Thank you for being patient with us as we develop processes that work for us. A soft copy of Scope has been sent to every member. A hard copy will be mailed to all chapter presidents in May.
Peace and love,
Jacqueline Moore Bowles
21st National President