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!

I found the Junior Woman’s Club very much by accident.

I moved here in 2007 on a whim.  No friends, no family, 13 hours (on a good drive!) away from home, but fortunately with a job waiting for me.  I never had a hard time making friends at home but in Raleigh I discovered that it’s actually kind of hard to make friends as an adult.  Three years after moving I had a small group of friends but still it felt like I was missing something.  I had tried to volunteer with a few organizations in town but I found that those organizations just were not a great fit for me and my schedule. They either they had a larger membership than what I was searching for or they needed volunteers during my work hours.

On a “do I stay in Raleigh” or “do I go back home” kind of night I started doing a Google search for apartments in downtown Raleigh.  Ironically enough, the Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh popped up on my apartment search.  I clicked on the link, saw the happy faces looking back at me from the website and sent in my inquiry about joining.  I was invited to the February International Dinner, wasn’t able to attend, and proceeded to put it out of my mind temporarily.  Two months later I found myself at a meeting sitting next to Kelly Cherry, an existing member who had taken me under wing, and across from Nicole Conder, who was a prospective member in the same position I was.  I didn’t fully understand everything that happened during the meeting, but when it was over, I went right up to Casandra Webb, who was the Membership Recruitment VP, paid my annual dues, and planted myself right smack in the middle of the Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh.

JWC has helped me plant some much needed roots in my community.  There have been challenging times, fun times, and crazy times, but overall I love what JWC stands for and the work that I can do within the community.  I also can say that I have met some pretty fabulous ladies that I now call friends.  

       -Mandy Savard