Junior League of Cedar Rapids

Junior League of Cedar Rapids (jlcr) fulfills its mission through membership involvement in the bridging the g.a.p. Program which includes several initiatives - project guide:jlcr empowers foster youth through the development of life skills. Jlcr and foundation 2 partnered to connect jlcr members with the partnership of Iowa foster care youth council's local achieving maximum potential (amp) group. As a result, jlcr members and amp participants interact on a twice-monthly basis, developing bonds between adults and the teens.at bi-weekly amp meetings, jlcr members present on life skills, provide a healthy meal for 30-50 adults for less than $100, and connect one-on-one with amp participants.prior to the development of this partnership, amp participants often would choose to skip dinner to attend the meeting.jlcr members have presented on topics that range from media literacy and developing a responsible online presence to selecting colleges and future careers.approximately 840 meals were provided through the year. Jlcr members voted to add a "buddy" program to project guide, beginning with a small pilot program connecting 5 jlcr members with 5 teens participating in amp. Buddy pairs met at least monthly before amp meetings. The program will expand in future years.project advocate:jlcr supports efforts to ensure that youth aging out of foster care have the opportunities and services essential to live independently. Jlcr hosted a speaker series in fall 2013 and spring 2014 that featured presentations by foster care alumni, judges, four oaks/iowa kidsnet staff, foundation 2 staff, local judges, foster parents, school counselors and amp participants. Jlcr also participated in foundation 2's "future fest", an event designed to help prepare youth aging out of foster care.project provide:jlcr contributes suitcases with items foster alumni need to live independently.jlcr has provided more than 25 suitcases for youth aging out of the foster care system. These suitcases include bedding, utensils, cleaning supplies, pots and pans, and towels.additionally during the tax year, jlcr provided school supplies for teens through partnership with families helping families' back to school drive and year-round school supply closet. Many back to school drives focus on items for young children; high schoolers require much more specific and expensive items, including usb drives and graphing calculators.membership training:jlcr members attended association of Junior leagues international conferences, including fall leadership in detroit, mi, winter leadership in scottsdale, az, and organizational development institutes in indianapolis, in and ft. lauderdale, fl. Locally, jlcr hosted 11 educational and training sessions for members, with topics ranging from cpr to health and wellness. In addition, members had the opportunity to attend 9 webinars provided by the association of Junior leagues international, with topics related to League's mission. Summer and winter leadership trainings were held for board members and committee chairs. Jlcr sponsored a member's participation in the Cedar Rapids metro economic alliance's leadership for five seasons development program. Members attended local trainings through the Iowa cultural corridor alliance and participated in the beyond rubies conference.monthly community service projects (done in a day projects):jlcr members participated in 8 community service projects which were each completed in one day. Projects included decorating ronald mcdonald house for the winter holidays, participating in habitat for humanity's women build, and volunteering at playtime poppy.