Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh Member Highlight #3

I grew up watching my parents serve in our community and I knew it was going to be in my blood. Growing up I was in Girl Scouts for 10 years and received the Gold Award my senior year of high school.  So when it was time to head off to college I wanted to be involved in the community.  Luckily, the Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh offered a Meredith College chapter of the Junior Woman’s Club on campus.  Throughout my entire four years at Meredith College I was involved with the JWC of Raleigh and there were always opportunities to volunteer on service projects that JWC of Raleigh offered.  When I graduated in 2003 I did not graduate my membership from the campus chapter to the JWC of Raleigh.

It wasn’t until 2009 when I decided to get back into serving my community.  I met Jennifer McLean, a long time member, through a church bible study group I was attending.  We actually met at the movies and found out that we both had graduated from Meredith College and were neighbors who lived on the same street, what a small world. After talking with her she asked my sister and I if we were interested in going to a JWC of Raleigh meeting or social event.  I hesitated at first but I decided to just dive in because at that point in my life my college friends had moved away, were getting married, or having children.  I knew I wanted to meet some new women in Raleigh that were as passionate as me to give back to my community.

I was inducted in the JWC of Raleigh in 2010 and have loved every minute of being in this club!  For the 2013-2014 club year I will be Treasurer for my second term.  So, in the four short years I have co-chaired the Conservation committee and held an Executive Committee position for the 2nd year in a row.  I have loved working with all the great women that are still present, from the past, and can’t wait to work with the new members this club year.  There have been so many great service projects I have participated in the last four years, but my favorite has to be the renovation of the basement at one of the Methodist Home for Children houses in Raleigh.  It was fun working together as a team and transitioning the basement to an area the girls could hang out, work out and study.  I cannot wait to see what great projects the club will offer in 2013-2014!                    -Holly O’Berry

Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh Member Highlight #2

We want to take a moment to focus on our members and why they continue to volunteer with this organization!  It’s extra time out of their lives but for most, they have made great friends and find it rewarding and continue to be a part of JWC year after year.  Every few weeks we will highlight a member so you can understand why they are a part of JWC and what it means to them.   Our second member highlighted in this series is Mandy Savard!  Thanks Mandy for your contribution! (more…)

Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh Member Highlight

We want to take a moment to focus on our members and why they continue to volunteer with this organization!  It’s extra time out of their lives but for most, they have made great friends and find it rewarding and continue to be a part of JWC year after year.  Every few weeks we will highlight a member so you can understand why they are a part of JWC and what it means to them.   Our first member highlighted in this series is Misty Deyo!  Thanks Misty for your contribution!

Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh Member Series

It is hard for me to believe, but I have been a member of The Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh for eleven years.  I joined the Club as a young, newly married professional in order to meet new women and give back to the community that had come to mean so much to me since I moved to Raleigh in 1994.  I had no idea at the time how much this organization would come to mean to me.

It did not take long until I fell in love with being a Junior.  I fell in love with organizing the Governor’s State Tree Lighting ceremony, spending time reading books to children at the Raleigh Rescue Mission, and promoting Domestic Violence awareness. I fell in love with the opportunities and traditions that came with being a part of the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs, our larger, international service organization.  I fell in love with a club whose women willingly spent their free time serving dinner at the Ronald McDonald House, playing bingo with the inmates at the NC Women’s Prison, or gathering canned food to be donated to local food pantries.

The thing I love most about The Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh; however, the thing that cemented my membership as part of my identity, was my fellow members.  I have found some of my best friends here in this Club.  Women who brought me food during my sleepless first nights at home with a newborn, who sent me cards when a family member passed away. and  Women who have said, “Let me help you” and “don’t worry about it” and “you can do it.” These amazing women, above all else, are the reason I am so passionate about this organization.

Since I first joined The Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh, my life circumstances have changed dramatically.  I am now stay-at-home with my two beautiful children; however, my commitment to this organization and to our community remains as strong as ever.  I feel my time spent organizing, planning, and leading club projects has made me a better mother, a better wife, and a better person.  I became a Junior to give back to my community, but I am astounded at how much this Club and its members continue to give me.

-Misty Deyo, Immediate Past President