October Blog - General News & Updates

Hello Everyone!

I don’t know about you but, I cannot believe we are in the month of October already! I am so excited because this is my most favorite season of the year. For one, and I am sure most of you would agree with me, that the weather is absolutely gorgeous and so pleasant during this time of year. In fact, the weather is so perfect that it prompted me to take advantage of sitting outdoors, stream some classical music and begin composing this month’s blog. So here I am.

To catch up a on a past event, the Sip and Shop event at M. Marie and The Shop on Central Avenue in Downtown Winter Haven was a fun, entertaining evening with a little shopping with friends and a couple of cocktails and appetizers afterwards at Tempo. What is even better was that 15% of all sales from M. Marie and The Shop were donated to the League as well as $5 for every order of “The Sisterhood” drink at Tempo. What a perfect way to end the day!

Our first Mobile Food Pantry will be held on Saturday, October 26th from 9:00am to 10:30am at Gunter Park in Lake Hamilton. In partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay, our MFP program provides a supplement to existing food assistance in our community in order to decrease hunger and poverty through greater availability of food and household items, as well as by building caring relationships with the public.

If you have not already done so, I highly recommend participating in these events. This program services the great need to fight hunger in our community while also being a rewarding and a fulfilling experience.

I especially can attest to this. When I was a provisional member and new to the League, these events were the outlet that I hooked into the most because it was such a valuable experience to me every time and it just felt so great to serve others! If you are unable to make it to our first MFP, please do not worry, there are five more MFPs scheduled to take place this year. Please refer to the President’s monthly newsletter. Also, should you have any questions regarding these events, please reach out to Heather Reuter.

Something else to look forward to, the Light Up The Lanes Bowlaween fundraising event is just around the corner so come on out and join us! Be sure to wear your favorite costume and be ready for trick-or-treating, a food buffet, raffle items and a costume contest for the kids AND adults! All proceeds will help the League to help families in the Greater Winter Haven area. The Bowlaween spooktacular is Sunday, October 27th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at Cypress Lanes. Details on the event and tickets are on Facebook. Should you have any questions regarding this event, please reach out to Shawn Scott.

Last, but not least, Teacher Mini Grants applications are now being accepted. “Through the generosity of our donors, the Teacher Mini-Grant program provides district teachers the opportunity to enhance curriculum and instruction with compelling, innovative programs on an annual basis.” Applications are due by October 15th. Please share the Facebook post with your teacher friends if you haven’t already done so. Should you have any questions regarding these applications, please reach out to Krista Mahalak.

As you can tell, we have lots going on but I can already tell it’s going to be great month and there is still more to come this year.

In closing, our next General Meeting is at 6:30pm on Tuesday, October 8th at the Country Club of Winter Haven. It appears that we have a guest speaker on the agenda this night, Elizabeth Dupont. I am excited to listen and hear what she has to say. I hope you are, too!

I look forward to seeing everyone soon and, as always, thank you for being a supporter of the Junior League of Greater Winter Haven.

Stephani E. Lewis

Writer of the JLGWH Blog

2019-2020

Our Mission: The Junior League of Greater Winter Haven, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.