The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. (JLC) had a packed agenda at its General Membership Meeting (GMM) at Central Piedmont Community College’s Parr Center Theater on January 23. Three items were up for votes, including community partners for the new focus area for the JLC, a new slate of leaders and an edit to the mission statement for the JLC. The meeting concluded with a presentation from two UNC-Charlotte Urban Institute research associates, Angelique Gaines and Katie Zager.
Community Partner Presentation and Vote
Carolyn Benton, Community Impact Manager and Carly Egge, Project Development and Evaluation Chair, presented two new community partners for the JLC. We are excited to work with Families Forward and Los Angeles de Charlotte, who join our current partners, Done in a Day, Promising Pages, Renaissance West Community Initiative and Thompson Child & Family Focus. Families Forward, along with JLC volunteers, will support programming for children during educational workshops for parents, partner one-on-one or with small groups of children in a structured lesson, or assist with homework help and tutoring, plus pack backpacks and “essentials baskets” for participants throughout the year. Los Angeles de Charlotte aims to support youth during soccer practices, local tournaments and workshops focused on nutrition and health. The motion to approve the community partners for 2023-2024 passed. All community partners will contribute to the JLC’s new focus of supporting and providing physical and mental health programs and services for children in priority areas of Mecklenburg County.
New Leadership and Bylaw Presentation and Vote
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) recently adopted a new mission statement and the JLC voted to align its mission statement with the AJLI. An amendment to Article 2 Section 1 of the Bylaws was proposed striking out, “JLC is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.” Instead, the new mission statement will read:
The JLC is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training.
The motion passed and the JLC Bylaws will be changed to reflect the new mission statement. A new slate of leaders for the membership year 2023-2024 was also announced and approved by a majority vote.
Research Data from Urban Institute of UNC-Charlotte
Angelique Gaines and Katie Zager presented eye-opening data on behalf of the Urban Institute of UNC-Charlotte. Gaines’ research focuses on social well-being, economic opportunity, education and youth development, civic engagement and housing. Zager’s research uses data and mapping to understand aspects of community well-being with a special interest in housing, health and urban-rural connections. JLC members predominantly live in zip codes 28210, 28207, 28211, 28209, 28226 and 28203, which are located south of Charlotte, forming a wedge shape.
The zip codes the JLC serves are 28205, 28206, 28208, 28212, 28216 and 28217, which are located northeast and northwest of Charlotte, forming a crescent shape. The residents here tend to be 34.9% renters vs. 22.2% in Mecklenburg County in 2021; 27.3% of residents rely on food and nutrition services vs.14.9% in 2021; and the median household income is $49,399 vs. $66,641 in 2019.
The disparities in just those three statistics showcase the potential impact the JLC can have with its new focus area.
