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An Historical Review

Past-Presidents, Fundraising Projects, Community Projects,
Major Milestones, Recognition and Award

1920s • 1930s • 1940s • 1950s • 1960s

1970s • 1980s • 1990s

2007-2008, Lauren Harrison Genovese, President

Annual Meeting in Review

A Year of Service,

Honors

and

Accomplishments

2006-2007, Susan Lerner, President

During this year, the Junior League of Miami celebrated 80 years of service to the Greater Miami community. Committed community volunteers and a series of fundraising events supported the League's focus on families at risk, enabling significant resources to be channeled back to our community through volunteer service, grant making, and partnerships with social service agencies. The Junior League of Miami's impact was felt by people throughout our community everyday, in many ways.

Annual Report

2005-2006, Andria Hanley, President

It was an eventful year for everyone with multiple hurricanes in the fall shutting down schools and activities in South Florida for many days. Despite the hurricanes, the volunteers for our community projects kept plugging away and, as always, found ways to help.  On a local level, we replenished the refrigerators of our ITS residents after several days without power.  On a national level, we supported our sisters in the Junior League of Houston who were assisting thousands of New Orleans residents evacuated to their city. A full slate of outstanding projects, phenomenal fundraisers and a dedicated volunteer core made for another successful year for JLM.

Annual Report

2004-2005, Amy Sussman, President

A Message from Amy Sussman

Download PDF of Annual Report

Community Projects:

  • Done In A Day Responding to planned and impromptu requests from the community, trained volunteers assist in facilitating community events within the Junior League of Miami’s focus areas.
  • Early Childhood Initiative Foundation Project - Family Literacy Through Shared Beginnings Volunteers will select four site locations to pilot the Shared Beginnings programs (Both of our Inn-Transition sites, Dependency Court, Boot Camp and Reach Out and Read Clinics). Volunteers will receive required trainings in early literacy strategies over the summer. Programs will take place in October, December and March.
  • Girls Advocacy Project (GAP) Working with girls in the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Detention Center, volunteers fill the gaps in the Juvenile Justice System. Educational group discussions provide support while assisting girls in improving the decisions they make in their daily lives.
  • InnTransition North The JLM’s flagship project provides housing and resources to women and children who are victims of domestic violence, as part of a public-private partnership with Miami-Dade County. Each volunteer is partnered with a resident family to mentor and to join on regular outings.
  • Inn Transition South Junior League of Miami assisted Greater Miami Neighborhoods in building a 56-unit complex in South Dade to address the needs of homeless families and families who are victims of domestic violence. Our volunteers plan the tenant education program and participate in monthly activities with the residents.
  • Project Reach - Big Brothers Big Sisters Volunteers work with children in a group-mentoring program involving educational, recreational and cultural outings. Using guest speakers and group activities, participants learn conflict resolution, academic performance and career readiness.
  • Charlee/Gladstone Center For Girls Volunteers provide material and instruction for three recreational therapeutic programs including Creative Expressions, Conduct & Etiquette 101 and Planting Seeds of Hope.
  • Family Resource Center/Hurwit Crisis Nursery Volunteers plan and implement a field trip program while others remain at the nursery during the trips with the children who are too young to attend outings.
  • Foster Care Review Volunteers assist the citizen review panels by gathering specific information from foster care parents about children in their care. They will also conduct a workshop with their system partners and present their findings in a detailed report.

Community Grants

  • Notre Dame d’Haiti Summer Day Camp This second year grant recipient will again focus on an underserved population of children that otherwise would remain at home over the summer months, many of them unsupervised. Instead they’ll have an enriching summer camp experience.
  • Florida Immigration Advocacy Center Funds will be used to educate the Haitian community about domestic violence, the rights of women under the laws of the US and the availability of the LUCHA project to assist in legal immigration matters. Funds would be used to buy radio time on a Creole language station as a way to reach thousands of listeners.
  • Continental Societies, Inc. This volunteer organization will use funds to implement familial and educational programs at Little River Elementary School. Their continuous efforts have helped this school and its families in a very underserved area of Miami and they would not be able to continue without our support.

Board of Directors

President: Amy Sussman
President-Elect: Andria Hanley
Vice President/Communications: Cybelle Santo Domingo
Vice President/Community: Stephanie Demos
Vice President/Development: Gail Scott
Vice President/Finance: Lauren Harrison
Vice President/Membership: Vicky Hucks
Vice President/Planning: Leslie Cooper
Recording Secretary: Leanne Tellam
Bylaws/Parlimentarian: Maria Beguiristain
Nominating Committee: Katie Landsea
Placement Committee: Jen Green
Sustainer Liaison: Margaret Nee
Treasurer: Candace Vassillion
Assistant to the President: Juliet Bianca
Community Advisory Board Liaison: Keith Landon
Sustaining Advisor: Mary Lynch

2003-2004, Karen K. Cabrera, President

Annual Report 2003-2004

It is with great pride and pleasure that I look back on the last year of the Junior League of Miami. Our work covered the county from north to south, continuing our strong tradition of promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers...

2002-2003, Holly Battle, President

(Final Speech, May 20, 2003)

Major Milestones:

We opened Inn Transition South, a 56-unit Transitional Housing facility for victims of Domestic Violence and formerly Homeless families in partnership with Metro Dade County and Greater Miami Neighborhoods.

We celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the Encore Shop with a Wine tasting at the shop and a proclamation issued by Mayor Don Slesnick from the City of Coral Gables.

We launched a very successful Community Partners Annual Campaign aimed at support for JLM and its projects with out the use of event fundraisers.

As a result of successful fundraising through the years, for the first year, JLM funded community agencies that did not need volunteers with our Community Grant program.

The Ronnie Bermont Endowment Fund reached a record level of $350,000 and was invested. The money earned in 2002-2003 will be used for the first time to help fund projects for 2003-2004.

We presented at the annual AJLI Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in a Best Practices workshop about our e-Communications and Web site.

  • Fundraising - Net proceeds for this year were:

    • Fifth Annual Golden Palm Gift Market: $60,004
    • Second Annual Women Who Make a Difference Luncheon: $24,279
    • Second Annual Chili Splash: $8,645
    • The Encore Shop: $39,475.33
    • The Annual Community Partners Campaign: $89,999 for 2002-2003 and future pledges of $46,033
    • Headquarters donations: $1,510
    • Endowment Fund donations: $7,265
    • In Kind Donations: $107,300
    • And, our most valuable resource, our trained volunteers, provided more than 93,000 hours in our community, an additional value of $1,502,280, for a total fundraising effort for 2002-2003 of $1,886,790.90.

    Community Projects:

    • All Aboard Story Hour (Tutored/mentored over 300 children and distributed over 450 books),
    • Family Learning Partnership (collaborated with a network of community agencies to improve parenting skills and to ensure that all Miami-Dade’s children enter school with the foundation of literacy skills they need to succeed)
    • Done In A Day (Race for the Cure, Inn Transition North Clean up day, United Way Kick Off event and the Special Olympics Equestrian Event)
    • Girls Advocacy Project (provided learning activities and experiences to girls being held in detention at the Juvenile Justice Center. This committee worked with over 100 girls and also impacted the work conducted with the girls of at least 10 female guards)
    • Inn Transition North (Now in its 12th year, the Junior League of Miami's flagship project provides housing and resources for women and children who are victims of domestic violence successfully rebuild their lives. This past year, Inn Transition North housed 14 women and 26 children. Since its inception, 653 women and children have been served by the program)
    • Inn Transition South (modeled on the Junior League's successes in the North facility, opened its doors this year in December in partnership with Miami-Dade County and Greater Miami Neighborhoods. JLM volunteers provide life skills training to the women as well as work with other community agencies to provide services as well)
    • KAPOW (Kids And the Power of Work) worked with third grade students at Skyway Elementary to demonstrate the connection between school and the world of work. This spring, 120 students had the opportunity to visit Calder race track to experience the workplace first-hand)
    • KidCare Business Solutions (JLM volunteers in partnership with the Human Services Coalition will help disseminate brochures and other information regarding KidCare to Businesses throughout Miami-Dade County)
    • Project Reach - Big Brothers Big Sisters (JLM volunteers work with 10 -15 at-risk children two to three times a month in a group-mentoring program that involved educational, recreational and cultural outings as well as a work-readiness project. This past year 248 children had the opportunity to participate in this program with 95 volunteer hours per committee member. Activities included Ice Skating, Sailing, a Trip to Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Panthers Hockey, Miami Heat Basketball, Fishing, New Word Symphony, Fairchild Tropical Garden and many other places in the Miami Area. As a result of this program 5 children found permanent mentors and left the program)

    Super Leaguers:

    Jamie Adams, Susy Barrera, Jennifer Chelwick, Erin Dolan, Courtney Gardner, Lauren Harrison, Kristen Holmquist-Munroe, Jessica Lancaster, Vicky Lukis, Angel Michaels, Cybelle Santo Domingo, Meg Stamey, Jennifer Pfleger, Candace Vassillion.

    Leadership Awards:

    Andria Hanley, Jennifer Green, Karen Guy, Valerie Harvey, Vicky Colross Hucks, Susan Lerner, Meredith Mills, Margaret Nee, Helen O’Connell, Deb Radosovich, Sheri Shoup, Bonita Whytehead.

    Annual Awards:

    Provisional of the Year: Dana Martorella

    Volunteer of the Year: Meredith Mills

    Sustainer of the Year: Debra Owens

    Rebecca Herndon Bush Award: Lyn Pannone

  • 2001-2002, Julia Bianchi, President

    Annual Report 2001-2002

    The year 2001-02 was an incredible one for the Junior League of Miami. Our 76-year-old volunteer organization addressed numerous issues and accomplished many initiatives that we had established as goals at the beginning of the year...

  • 2000-2001, Debbie Korge, President

    Annual Report 2000-2001

    The year's summary includes a message from the president and a summary of projects, fundraisers and activities carried out in 2000-2001.

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