Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville

26th Annual Christmas in the Park

2011-11-26T11:39:00.001-08:00

This year JA is pleased to have so many of the businesses downtown who were eager to get involved with this event. Magness Library will be having story telling, there will be a live nativity scene provided by Covenant Fellowship Church, lots of musical entertainment, the ever popular Telephone to Santa's Elves, Bounce Houses, Et Cetera will be providing a craft this year for the children, the Hot Dog man will be downtown providing delicious food for everyone, many of the downtown business will be open and offering free coffee, hot chocolate, or other beverages, along with Pioneer Pediatrics inviting everyone to come and have their picture made with Santa! This will be an event you don't want to miss! Bundle up and come join us for a night of fun, Tuesday, December 6th at 5:45pm!

Lacey Jones says, "This is one of my favorite events we do. This event, to me, signifies to the importance of coming together, celebrating the child in all our hearts, enhancing the lives of children in our community, while teaching my child this season is not just about presents, but about giving and doing so with a willing heart."

Christmas Luminaries On Sale Until December 1st!!!

2011-11-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

Junior Auxiliary Members are currently selling Christmas Luminaries to be on display at Christmas in the Park. Luminaries are $10/piece. Please see any JA Member to purchase!

Coats for the Community - October 15

2011-09-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville's

Coats for Community and Book giveaway

will be Saturday, October 15th
10am-1pm at Three Star Mall (in the former Bookland location).
Please help us spread the word!

JA of McMinnville collecting donations now!

2011-07-10T00:17:00.000-07:00

Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville is currently accepting donations to support three of their annual service projects: Coats for the Community, Pencil Pals and the JA Book Drive.

THIS IS AN ONGOING COLLECTION BY MEMBERS OF JA.

Items can be dropped off at Ashley's Attic in the Plaza Shopping Center, Peg Broadcasting Radio Station (Home of 105.3 Wow Country, Star 107, 1230 WAKI and 960 WBMC) or Security Federal Savings Bank. You can also contact any member of Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville to arrange pickup or delivery of any donations.

Coats for the Community

Provides coats and other cold weather wear and accessories to community members in need.

JA is COLLECTING new and gently used coats, sweaters, sweatshirts, hats, gloves, scarves, shoes and other cold weather clothing and accessories.

Pencil Pals

Provides school supplies to local schools for underprivileged children to be distributed by school guidance counselors on an as-needed basis.

JA is COLLECTING new and gently used backpacks, pencils, pens, pencil boxes, safety scissors, folders, glue sticks, composition books, and other school supplies.

JA Book Drive

Provides books to community children in order to foster an appreciation and love of reading.

JA is COLLECTING new and gently used, age appropriate books for children in grade levels pre-k to middle school. All appropriate genres accepted.

Thank you for supporting Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville and the children of McMinnville and Warren County!

Yankee Doodle Children's Parade

2011-06-17T23:33:00.000-07:00

Please join the ladies of Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville for their annual Yankee Doodle Children’s Parade on July 4th at 10:30 am in Downtown McMinnville. The Children's Parade is a part of the City of McMinnville's Independence Day Celebration.

For children 0 - 5th grade.

NO ENTRY FEE!
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Schedule:
9am - Check in/registration begins
10:15am - Particiants must be in assigned areas and judging begins
10:30am - The PARADE begins!
10:45am - Awards presented

Parent Information:
- No gas-powered - battery operated "Hot Wheels" type vehicles are ok
- Entries should have a patriotic or state/community-pride theme
- An adult must accompany small children on the "parade route."
- Entry numbers must be on the child (not the float), clearly visable to judges.
- Awards will be given immediately following the parade.
- Entry suggestions: decorated bike, tricycle, wagon, stroller, or any push/pull/pedal toy or "float" - kids and parents, use your imagination!

Pre-registration applications can be picked up at Ashley's Attic, McMinnville Civic Center, Chamber of Commerce, 105.3 Wow Country Radio Station, Magness Library and the Southern Standard.

Applications can be turned in to: Ashley's Attic & McMinnville Civic Center
Mailed to: Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville/Yankee Doodle Parade/P.O. Box 791/McMinnville, TN 37111.
or Entries can be handed in: at the parade location until 10am on July 4th.

Winners will be chosen in each category.

Contact Stephanie Ward at 931-808-9291 with questions about the event.

Thanks to our sponsors:
McMinnville Parks and Recreation
105.3 Wow Country
River Park Hospital
Southern Standard
Ashley's AtticSee More

"Hoppy" Easter from Junior Auxiliary!

2011-04-22T21:26:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter from Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville!

We had our fifth annual Hopping into Health Easter Egg Hunt last weekend and, even though it was a little cold and drizzle-y, we had a really great event

There were over 200 kids there, thousands of treat-filled eggs and dozens of special prizes...a good time was had by all! Thanks to our sponsors and to everyone who had a hand in making this year's Hopping into Health a success. Thanks especially to all of the kiddos and their parents who braved the yucky weather to come out and egg hunt with us!

Check out some of the photos from the event:

Hopping into Health 2011

2011-04-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Hopping into Health Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, April 16th

1pm

@ Hickory Creek Elementary

Thousands of eggs, lots of prizes, snacks and FUN!

FREE

For Children 0 - 10 years old

Come on out to this free event that focuses on encouraging children to practice healthy habits!

National Junior Auxilliary Week Project Ideas

2011-03-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

National JA Week is Sunday April 2 - Saturday April 9. NAJA suggests that JA members from all chapters go out into their communities to perform acts of service during this week to promote JA and also to help the community.

This year JA of McMinnville members are encouraged to do individual or small group service projects between the 2nd and 9th to show our community a little love for National JA Week - just get the project approved by President Stephanie Ward or Public Relations Chair Ashley Wright and the hour(s) can count towards your 2010-2011 hours calendar! Here are just a few ideas, but feel free to use your imagination about ways to help out in the community this week.

The CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER will be placing bows downtown McMinnville on Monday, April 2nd. Contact Ashley asap (607-6599) if you would like to help out with this project because we will only need a few helpers.

Warren County's HABITAT FOR HUMANITY will be working on a build on April 9th. The actual build will be very heavy duty work, but some ideas for JA members might be to take the workers some treats for lunch on the 9th, or buying some household supplies to help fill the house when it is complete. If you would like to participate in the build, however, they won't turn you away. Let us know if you would like to help out Habitat for Humanity of Warren County.

Also on April 9th, River Park Hospital will be hosting their annual SPRING WELLNESS FAIR at the Three Star Mall from 10am until 2pm. If you would like to attend the health fair to hand out Hopping into Health flyers or to volunteer in some other way, let us know.

Also on April 9th at the River Park spring wellness fair, BLOOD ASSURANCE (the non-profit blood center that provides the blood products to many of the region's healthcare facilities) will be hosting a BLOOD DRIVE and will be registering folks for the NATIONAL MARROW DONOR REGISTRY. Donate blood or get swabbed to register for the National Marrow Donor Registry for service hour(s). Blood Assurance will also be doing the same setup at COVENANT FELLOWSHIP CHURCH from 7am until 11am on Saturday, April 2. Your donations there can count towards your JA week hours too!

If you get it approved with a local school's guidance counselor (or we can get approval for you), you can VISIT SCHOOLS to read a book, do a craft or be a classroom helper in a classroom anytime during the week.

Please contact Stephanie or Ashley to let them know what project(s) you might like to participate in. Happy JA Week everyone!

A great gala!

2011-03-05T23:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who came out to the second annual Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville Crown Jewels Art Gala...every single person who bought tickets, donated items for the auction, bid on auction items, helped set up, catered, entertained, photographed, videoed or helped in any other way to make this year's event a success! All proceeds from the event will go back into our community through the service projects JA does in the community!

We had so much fun and hope you did too!

Junior Auxiliary on Facebook

2011-02-22T19:34:00.000-08:00

Have you visited our Facebook page?

Be sure to "like" us and be among the first to hear about upcoming service projects, fundraisers and other JA information!

If you're an active, provisional, associate or life member, this is another way to keep in touch with other members and to keep up with what is going on with the club.

Thanks in advance for helping us spread the word about JA through social media!

Don't forget your checkbook!

2011-02-21T19:58:00.000-08:00

So many really nice items have been donated to the 2011 Crown Jewels Art Gala silent auction!

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The auction will spotlight custom, handcrafted pieces from several local artisans.

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For example...

Our very own Madeleine Hamilton Hallum, a provisional member of JA this year... Madeleine is a self-taught painter who is originally from Mississippi. She has lived in many places across the country and the globe - from Alabama to Africa.

When she isn't painting, she is practicing medical nutrition therapy as a Registered Dietitian. She studied nutrition at the University of Southern Mississippi and Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Madeleine exhibits her art work in various locations and completes unique comissioned pieces for individuals upon request.

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She has so graciously donated a painting that she created especially for our gala!

This awesome Elvis print can be yours! Just be sure to have the highest bid on it in the silent auction! This is just one example of the awesome, original art work that will be available at the gala. It'll be fun to look but it will be even better to take something home!

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Be sure to bring your checkbook!

2011-02-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

Announcement:

Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville has voted to NOT hold the Junior Miss Warren County and Junior Auxiliary Princess Pageants in 2011.

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The past 15 years of pageants have been wonderful and we've had the opportunity to meet many amazing young women through this fundraiser, so the decision to suspend the pageants was not made lightly.

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The more than 11 service projects JA performs during the year are supported by two other fundraisers: The Crown Jewels Art Gala and Christmas Luminaries. We plan to use this opportunity to turn our focus on the two existing fundraisers to raise much needed money for our service in 2011 and into 2012.

Title holders for the 2010 pageants include (above left to right) Junior Miss Katie Haggard and Junior Auxiliary Princess Alyssa Ledbetter, and Junior Auxiliary Little Sister Blair Fisher. The three girls will continue to hold those titles until the pageants are picked up again. We couldn’t have three better girls to leave with these titles for an extended time. They have been wonderful representatives of JA during the past year and will continue to support the club’s efforts in the community as long as they continue to hold their titles.

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Stay tuned to the JA Facebook and blog for information about the future of the pageants. Feel free to email jamcminnville@yahoo.com for more information.

Gala Photography

2011-02-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

Amber Hertwig (above) of Asela Photography will be taking photos during the gala this year! Check out her web site to see some of her work and look at some of our favorites below. Amber is graciously donating her time and talent to help capture memories of the second annual Crown Jewels Art Gala and we would like to say a big THANK YOU in advance! We'll be giving out information at the gala on how to view and purchase the photos.

Please make plans to attend this evening of food, fun, friends and fundraising! Tickets are still available but they're going fast - only $50 each! Tickets can be purchased from any Junior Auxiliary member. All proceeds will go to support service projects performed by JA throughout the year.

Yum Yum! Crown Jewels Art Gala Menu

2011-02-15T23:13:00.000-08:00

Hors D'oveuvres for the second annual Crown Jewels Art Gala will be provided by the McMinnville Country Club. The menu will include the following items:

Chicken Kabobs
Crab-Stuffed Mushroom Caps
Smoked Ham on Mini Rolls with Honey Dijon Sauce
Fresh Vegetables with Roasted Onion-Garlic Dip
Large Gulf Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce
Chocolate Fountain with a Variety of Dessert Items to Dip

Please make plans to attend this evening of food, fun, friends and fundraising! Tickets are still available but they're going fast - only $50 each! All proceeds will go to support service projects performed by JA throughout the year.

Gala tickets make great Valentine's gifts!

2011-02-13T00:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's weekend!

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There's still time to get the perfect gift for your sweetie: tickets to Junior Auxiliary's Crown Jewels Art Gala!

Tickets are only $100 per couple and all proceeds go to support JA service projects for the children in our community! So you get yummy food, great music, fun with friends, a lovely evening AND you'll be supporting a great cause!

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Just contact your favorite JA member for tickets or visit our Facebook event page for more info!

Crown Jewels Art Gala 2011

2011-02-06T16:46:00.000-08:00

You're invited....

to join the ladies of Junior Auxiliary at their second annual Crown Jewels Art Gala for an evening of food, fun, friends and fundraising for the children of Warren County!

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When: Saturday, February 26, 2011 @ 7pm until 11pm

Where: McMinnville Country Club
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Tickets are $50 each - $100 for a couple and can be purchased from your favorite JA member or by contacting Ashley Moore on Facebook or at
931-212-7978.
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Attendees are invited to wear their masks and beads to go along with the Mardi Gras theme of the evening. Heavy hors d’oveuvres and drinks furnished by the Country Club will be served throughout the evening as guests are treated to the musical stylings of Spangler Entertainment.

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A silent auction will take place during the event as well. Gala attendees will be invited to bid on the donated items from 7pm until 9pm. The auction will showcase items created by local artisans and from local businesses!

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Come out and join us for an evening to remember and be sure to bring your checkbook! All proceeds go to support JA service projects throughout the year that support the children and families of Warren County.

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Visit our Crown Jewels Art Gala event page on Facebook and help us spread the word about the event! Click here!
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Some pictures from last year's event...

Graduate scholarships available through NAJA - DEADLINE APPROACHING!

2011-01-18T22:44:00.000-08:00

It's not too late to apply for the NAJA Graduate Scholarship.

Applicants must be pursuing graduate-level studies for one year in fields which address the special needs of children and youth.

There is less than one month to apply for this scholarship, so hurry!

Applications must be postmarked on or before February 1, 2011.

Click here for more information and to download the application.

Christmas in the Park 2010

2010-12-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas in the Park is tomorrow night! We hope to see you out there. Here are the event details.

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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

6pm until 8pm

Downtown McMinnville

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Order of Events

National Anthem by Diana Pelham

Posting of the Colors by the American Legion Post 173 Honor Guard.

Third Annual Luminaries Ceremony

Dance performance by the WCHS Pioneerettes

Musical entertainment by Jodi McAbee

Dance performance by Paula's Dance Academy Pee Wee, Youth and Junior teams

Musical entertainment by Covenant Academy Children's Choir

Cheer/Dance performance by Warren County Pee Wee All Stars

Musical performance by the First Baptist Church Choir

Musical performance by Diana Pelham

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Downtown Activities

Live Nativity - Covenant Fellowship Church

Inflatable Bounce Houses - Homeland Community Bank and Security Federal Savings Bank

Phone Calls to the North Pole - Ben Lomand Telephone

Visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus - Magness Library

Taking donations of non-perishable food items - Girl Scouts of Warren County

Children's activities at the Chamber of Commerce - Pioneer Pediatrics

And shop/visit the many Downtown businesses that will be open during the event!

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Be sure to have a bite to eat while you're there...

City Cafe

The Hot Dog Man

Main Street Bakery and Cafe

New York Grill

Noon Exchange Club Booth

The Sweet Shop

The Famous Junior Auxiliary Cider House (at Regions Bank)

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And most importantly...

Dress for the weather! It's going to be a cold night! But we'll have lots of great food, great entertainment, great fun...as well as some hot cider, wood-burning stoves and opportunities for the kids to run around, be active and stay warm!

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Thanks to everyone who helped make this event possible!

Gobble Gobble

2010-11-25T01:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville!

Another successful Coats for the Community!

2010-11-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all members and provisional members who came out to help with our 12th annual Coats for the Community project!

We would also like to send out a special thank you to our 2010 JA Little Sister Blair Fisher for coming out to help with the project, to Three Star Mall for allowing us to set up each year, to the mall shops (most notably Roses, Goody's and J's) for supporting this cause and for not getting upset when we take over the mall for a few hours and to our many many donors who make this project possible by donating their gently used coats and other cold weather gear!

We gave out 618 + coats and many hats, sweats, socks, shoes, sweaters, etc. and we saw so many moms, dads, grandparents and children come through to pick out coats to keep them warm this winter. We saw a larger number of people than we have in years past - the line started in front of the Bookland building and wrapped all the way around to the front of Goody's! We heard touching stories and met some really great people. Unlike some of our more anonymous or larger service projects, we got to see the faces of the people that our service helped. No wonder this project is the favorite of so many of our members!

We also gave out books to all kids that came through. The books were collected through our JA Book Drive project in late summer/early fall.

Congrats to project chair Danielle Miller and co-chair Carly Bruce for pulling off a very successful project!

Coats for the Community 2010

2010-10-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again!

Junior Auxiliary's annual Coats for the Community giveaway is coming up next week. This is a service project meant to help the families and youth in Warren County who might not have access to cold weather gear. In addition to coats, we'll have (a limited amount of) sweaters, sweatshirts, hats, pants, accessories and other cold weather wear.

Here's the info:

WHEN: Saturday, November 6, 2010 - 11am until 1pm

WHERE: Three Star Mall (in the old Bookland building)

WHO: All sizes for girls, boys, men, women and babies

WHY: To provide cold weather wear to those without

Coats and other giveaway items will be given out on a first come, first served basis. Please call (931) 607-6599 or email jamcminnville@yahoo.com for more information.

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD!

Christmas Luminaries

2010-10-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

Junior Auxiliary Christmas Luminaries are available now!

Make a $10 donation to JA of McMinnville in honor or in memory of a loved one and a luminary will be placed in their memory or honor at Christmas in the Park. This will be the third year for JA to do this project and we hope to make this year the best!

All proceeds from this finance project will go to support the many service projects that JA performs throughout the year.

Members: Christmas Luminaries packets were passed out at the September general meeting. If you haven't received yours yet, contact project chair Cole Black.

Start selling now because there's a prize for the member who sells the most! Each Luminary is $10 and you get one finance hour for every two luminaries sold!

Members of the Month - September

2010-10-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Each month during General Meeting, Sunshine Chair Anne Vance will choose several Junior Auxiliary active members to spotlight by sharing a few "fun facts" about them with the rest of the group. This is a great way for individual members to be recognized for the service they do for our community through JA and for all members to become better acquainted with one another. Contact Anne if you haven't filled out your member of the month survey yet.

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The members of the month for September are...

Jessica Johannsen, Ashley Moore and Kim Chisam

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-Jessica-

Your favorite food? Italian

Your favorite vacation spot? Somewhere far far away!

Least favorite chore? Ironing

What instrument can you play? None

Do you sing in the shower? What songs? No

Favorite TV show? Grey's Anatomy

Morning person or night owl? Morning person

The happiest moment of your life? When my baby girl was born

Favorite J.A. project? Coats for the Community

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-Ashley-

Your favorite food? Mexican

Your favorite vacation spot? Gulf Shores

Least favorite chore? Ironing

What instrument can you play? None

Do you sing in the shower? What songs? No

Favorite TV show? Modern Family

Morning person or night owl? Night Owl

The happiest moment of your life? Marrying my hubby!

Favorite J.A. project? Hopping into Health

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-Kim-

Your favorite food? Italian

Your favorite vacation spot? The beach

Least favorite chore? Dusting

What instrument can you play? A little bit of piano

Do you sing in the shower? What songs? No

Favorite TV show? Friends

Morning person or night owl? Night Owl

The happiest moment of your life? When my son was born.

Favorite J.A. project? Hopping into Health

Members of the Month Spotlight - August

2010-08-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

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The members of the month for August are...

Jessica Higgins What is your favorite food? Italian

Where is your favorite vacation spot? The Beach!

What is your least favorite chore? Folding Laundry

Can you play an instrument? Yes. The Bazooka.

FYI Fun Fact: The bazooka is a brasswind musical instrument which is several feet in length and incorporates telescopic tubing like the trombone. Often, bazookas are very simply constructed with scavenged materials like pipes and funnels (see photo above).

Do you sing in the shower? NO!

What is your favorite TV Show? Desperate Housewives

Are you a morning person or a night owl? Neither

What has been the happiest moment of your life? The birth of my three sons.

Which JA project is your favorite? Coats for the Community and Hopping into Health

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Marcy Bolding

What is your favorite food? Pasta

Where is your favorite vacation spot? Destin, FL (but really, anywhere on the beach)

FYI Fun Fact: Destin was voted 'Best Beach in the South' and 'Top Family Destination' for nine years running by Southern Living Magazine readers. Also picked as the 'Best Beach in America' by USA Today readers.

What is your least favorite chore? Mopping

Can you play an instrument? No

Do you sing in the shower? No

What is your favorite TV Show? Real Housewives of Orange County

Are you a morning person or a night owl? Night Owl

What has been the happiest moment of your life? The birth of my two children

Which JA project is your favorite? Christmas in the Park

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Courtney Oleksik

What is your favorite food? Steak

Where is your favorite vacation spot? On the beach

What is your least favorite chore? Cleaning bathrooms

FYI Fun Fact: The sink has 100,000 germs per square inch, where the toilet seat only has 100 germs per square inch.

Can you play an instrument? No
Do you sing in the shower? Nope

What is your favorite TV Show? Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives

Are you a morning person or a night owl? Morning person

What has been the happiest moment of your life? Getting married and having my little girl and next, having my baby boy!

Which JA project is your favorite? Christmas in the Park

Happy Memorial Weekend

2010-05-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

Advertise during our Junior Auxiliary Princess and Junior Miss Pageant!

2010-04-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

There are two options for advertising this year:

Advertise in the pageant program. The printed program is sold to attendees during the pageant and becomes a keepsake for many to remember the event.
1/3 page (approximately business card sized) = $25, 1/2 page = $50, full page = $100.

Advertise with a PowerPoint ad that will be played during all breaks/intermissions during both pageants. Everyone in attendance will see your PowerPoint ad over the pageant stage! PowerPoint ads are $30 each.

Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville is a non-profit organization, so this donation to the pageant gets you advertising and a tax-deduction! Deadline to advertise is May 10th.

Please call or email Ashley with questions or to reserve your ad space: (931)607-6599 or jamcminnville@yahoo.com.

2010-04-03T22:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter from Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville!

Hopping into Health - This Weekend!

2010-03-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Come out to Hopping into Health - the Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville FREE Easter egg hunt - this Saturday, March 27th behind Hickory Creek Elementary at 1pm!

Thousands of eggs!

Prizes!

Snacks!

The Easter Bunny will be there too! So parents be sure to bring your cameras and/or camera phones for free picture opportunities!

Pageant Applications are available!

2010-03-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Applications are available for two Junior Auxiliary pageants to be held on Saturday, May 22, 2010. They can be picked up at Ashley's Attic, Kathy's of McMinnville, Memories Bridal Boutique , Merle Norman Facial Spa and Tan 4 U.

We will soon have a downloadable version of the application available right here on the blog and, of course, you can call 931-607-6599 or email jamcminnville@yahoo.com to get one.

The pageants are open to girls in Warren County, Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Grundy, Sequatchie, Van Buren and White Counties. Contact pageant chair Ashley Wright at the above number or email for more information.

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Junior Miss is open to girls who will be 14, 15 or 16 years old on May 22, 2010.

Junior Auxiliary Princess is open to girls who will be 11, 12 or 13 years old on May 22, 2010.

2009 Junior Miss - Caroline Carter

2009 Junior Auxiliary Princess - Leslie Moulton

All proceeds from these pageants go to support Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville's service projects.

Easy Beef Stew Recipes

2010-03-13T23:26:00.000-08:00

Several members have been asked to make beef stew for the upcoming Wings Ministry Family Fun Event. Having never made beef stew, I immediately started looking for easy, yummy recipes for the dish. I found a couple that sounded really good and I thought I'd share.

Amazing Beef Stew

From the cookbook: Daymaker Countertop Inspirations - Simple Slow Cooker Meals

You will need:

2 cups chopped carrots
3 cups chopped raw potatoes
2 small apples, chopped
2 pounds beef stew beef, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 cups apple cider
1 to 2 tablespoons flour

Directions:

Place vegetables and apples in slow cooker.
Add meat and sprinkle with salt, thyme and onion.
Add cider.
Cook on low heat 10 to 12 hours.
Thicken with flour during last hour of cooking.

(Remember, a slow cooker works best when it is two-thirds full. More food may lead to an undercooked meal and less food may lead to an overcooked meal.)

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Old-Time Beef Stew

From Paula Deen via the Food Network web site

You will need:

2 pounds stew beef

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups water

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 or 2 bay leaves

1 medium onion, sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Dash ground allspice or ground cloves

3 large carrots, sliced

3 ribs celery, chopped

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

Brown meat in hot oil.
Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice.
Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours.
Remove bay leaves and garlic clove.
Add carrots and celery.
Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer.
To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid.
Using a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth.
Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot.
Stir and cook until bubbly.

Happy cooking everyone!

A few pics from the Crown Jewels Art Gala

2010-02-27T22:07:00.000-08:00

The inaugural Crown Jewels Art Gala seemed to be a great success. The food was great, the band was entertaining, the kids' art work was inspiring and a good time was had by all.

Here are just a few pictures from the evening.

Crown Jewels Art Gala

2010-02-24T17:29:00.000-08:00

The Crown Jewels Art Gala is this weekend!

Saturday, February 27th - 7pm - McMinnville Country Club

Attendees will enjoy...

heavy hors d'oeuvres,

live music from local band Bootleg,

a silent auction featuring a variety of gift baskets

and art work by Warren County children.

If you haven't bought your tickets yet, though, don't worry...we'll be selling them through Saturday night at the door!

Don't miss this event. All proceeds will go to support the many service projects of Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville.

2010-02-15T17:58:00.000-08:00

Hopping Into Health

Saturday, March 27, 2010

1pm

Hickory Creek Elementary

Come one, come all to this free event that focuses on encouraging kids to have healthy habits!

FOR MEMBERS:

Every $5.00 spent on Easter egg fillers = 1 service hour

Water and healthy snacks (goldfish® crackers & Go-Gurt® are recommended) to serve the kids at the egg hunt are currently being collected. Please bring them to the February or March meeting.

1 snack or water = 1 service hour

On March 27th, JA members arrive at 11a.m. to help spread out the eggs and set up.

Contact chair Jessica Higgins for more information.

XOXOXO

2010-02-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day

from Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville!

Passing the Torch - Snow Princess Pageants

2010-01-20T21:19:00.000-08:00

One goal of Junior Auxiliary is to create projects for the community and then, when it becomes necessary, to turn the project over to other groups or individuals who can continue the good work that the project has done.
.....................................................................

Well,we decided (this year) to drop the Snow Princess Pageants as a Junior Auxiliary project in hopes that we could "pass the torch" for someone to raise money for another cause.

.....................................................................

Miss Susan Burks, a former JA president and current active associate member (and the creator of the Snow Princess Pageants), decided that she would take over the pageants to use as a fundraiser of her own for a charity that is very close to her heart.

HERE ARE (RIGHT TO LEFT) SUSAN, RANDI FUSTON JENNIFER SAIN AND LINCOLN SAIN DURING A SERVICE PROJECT WITH SCHOOL CHILDREN
...................................................................

AND HERE IS SUSAN PASSING ON THE JA OF MCMINNVILLE PRESIDENCY TO NATALIE MILLER AT THE ANNUAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN 2008.
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Her son Theo was born in March 2009 with a heart condition that could be fixed with surgery.
Over the past few months since his birth, Susan and her husband Matt have spent a great deal of time in Nashville while Theo was in the hospital. While they were there, they often stayed in the Ronald McDonald House. Susan says that the RMH provided her with a place to put her feet up and relax a little after giving birth to Theo. The RMH also gave her and Matt a place to recover when they needed a break from the stress at the hospital - a place to recharge.
Many Warren County families have benefited from the RMH's services, so even though it is located in Nashville, RMH is very much a local cause.
.................................................................
Susan says after seeing firsthand the great things that the RMH has done for hers and so many other families, that they have her heart.
...............................................................

So on February 20th, Susan will host the Snow Princess Pageants and all of the proceeds will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville. Children are at the heart of Junior Auxiliary so we're very excited to support her endeavors!

Here's the info:

The Snow Princess Pageants

Saturday, February 20, 2010 - 5pm

Covenant Academy Gym

Little Miss Snow Princess - 5 to 7 years old

Young Miss Snow Princess - 8 to 10 years old

Miss Snow Princess - 11 to 13 years old

Applications are available at Ashley's Attic, Kathy's, Memories Bridal and at Mommy & Me.

....................................................

Deadline to enter: February 10th

(Late applications will only be accepted with prior approval and with a $10 late fee.)

...............................................

Check out the Snow Princess Blog for more details about the pageants.

Contact Susan with any questions at 931-273-4195 or susangburks@hotmail.com .

Crown Jewels Art Gala tickets for sale now

2009-12-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for that perfect Valentine's Day gift for your sweetie?

We can help...

Saturday, February 27, 2010 @ 7pm

Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville will present

The Crown Jewels Art Gala

a formal fundraising event at the McMinnville Country Club

attendees will enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres, a live band and a silent auction featuring art work by local children.

Tickets are $100 a couple ($50 a person)

and are currently available at Gary's on South High Street, from any active or provisional Junior Auxiliary member, or by contacting project chair person Kelly Wood at 808-1521 or jamcminnville@yahoo.com.

All proceeds will go support the many service projects of Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville.

Christmas in the Park

2009-10-21T20:50:00.001-07:00

The date for our 24th annual Christmas in the Park has been set.

Join us in beautiful Downtown McMinnville on Tuesday December 1st for a night of caroling, cider, games, fun and other Christmas treats - all with friends, family and the ladies of Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville!

Stay tuned to the blog for more news about this wonderful community tradition.

Christmas Luminaries

2009-10-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year again! Christmas is just around the corner and we’re in the process of planning Christmas in the Park. Last year, as a separate project, we began selling luminaries in the weeks building up to Christmas in the Park to decorate downtown during the event.

We’ve already begun selling the luminaries to decorate at this year’s Christmas in the Park and we’re really excited about the potential to raise lots of funds to help meet the needs of the children in Warren County!

Here’s what you need to know:

· Luminaries are $5 each – or more if a donor feels so inclined.

· Each member is encouraged to sell at least 20 luminaries.

The deadline to turn in names is the November General Meeting on November 17^th.

· Contact your family members, friends, fellow church members, boss, children’s teachers & coaches, coworkers, in-laws, hairdresser….you get the picture!

· We’re selling luminaries in memory of and in honor of …for anyone that they want to buy a luminary (or several!) for.

· Businesses can also purchase luminaries in honor of their employees or just with the name of the business on them.

· We’re also focusing this year on selling luminaries in honor and memory of our local veterans and also for those currently serving our country. We will have a special section for these luminaries.

· Emails have been sent out with notes, sales sheets and receipts.

· If you have any questions feel free to contact Project Chair Ashley Wright at (931) 607-6599 or jamcminnville@yahoo.com.

For the Public:

Contact your favorite Junior Auxiliary member or Ashley Wright if you’re reading this and would like to purchase a luminary (or several!).

All donations to Junior Auxiliary are tax-deductible (receipts are available).

Coats for the Community - This Weekend

2009-10-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

COATS FOR THE COMMUNITY
- COAT GIVEAWAY -

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17th

THREE STAR MALL

(In the old Bookland)

9:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Coat & winter weather gear giveaway for all ages
All sizes will be available - baby to adult
for more information contact project chair Lori Womack or call Ashley Wright (931) 607-6599.

Vanderbilt Children's Hospital's Queen for a Day

2009-10-12T18:50:00.001-07:00

Our Junior Auxiliary Princess, Leslie Moulton, recently participated in a very special event at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville.

Queen for a Day is a program that offers quality of life services through play therapy programs at no charge to pediatric cancer patients (ages 1 to 21) in hospitals around the nation.

Each Queen for a Day event consists of make-overs, manicures and rhinestone tiaras in an upbeat setting. These events provide a distraction from the strain of treatment that these children are having to go through at the hospitals. Queen for a Day measures their success in smiles, laughter and personality transformation in their patients.

The organization is completely volunteer based, relying upon the generosity to give their time, resources and money to fulfill their mission. Queen for a Day strives to create an atmosphere where kids can feel like kids again. Each child that participates gets to keep their tiara from the event as a tangible reminder of how good it feels to reign as "Queen for a Day".

Vanderbilt Children's Hospital recently held a Queen for a Day event for some of the little girls who are patients there to get an opportunity to meet with and be pampered by local pageant queens and princesses!

Not wanting to leave the boys out, Vanderbilt also created a special Hero for a Day program for them! Much like the Queen for a Day program, Hero for a Day gave little boys who are patients at Vandy a chance to meet real life heroes! Nashville firefighters came out to let the little guys know that they, too, are heroes for enduring what they have to face every day at the hospital! Instead of tiaras, the guys get fire hats and fire gear to dress up in.

This is such a cool program and we're so happy that Leslie chose to represent us and to volunteer her time for this worthy cause! She got the opportunity to crown and pamper several of the patients who participated in the event as the official nail painter! She got to spend time with Miss Tennessee USA, Kristen Motil and Miss Southern Tennessee, Katie Hoppel while she was there for what I'm sure was a wonderful experience. Leslie and her mom were both incredibly touched by the children that they met and the stories that they heard while they helped out with this event.

Thank you Connie for sharing this information and the photos with me! I know that you're so proud of Leslie and, you should definitely know; so is Junior Auxiliary! She has an incredibly big heart for such a young girl!

In other Leslie news; She recently won the title of Warren County Princess 2009 in the pageant held by the WCHS Pioneerettes! Congratulations Leslie!

We are thrilled to have such poised, beautiful, sweet and all-around-great girls representing our organization this year!

To learn more about Queen for a Day, visit their website at www.qfad.org.

Congratulations!

2009-09-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

We are very excited that our very own Junior Miss Warren County, Laura Caroline Carter, competed in and won the 2009 Fairest of the Fair Pageant at the Warren County Agriculture and Livestock Fair!

She did a wonderful job in the pageant. She was graceful, beautiful and she totally kicked butt on her top five question! Congratulations Caroline (and thanks for letting me borrow some of these photos)!

Here Caroline is after being crowned by Victoria Woods, 2008 Warren County Fairest of the Fair and 2009 State Fairest of the Fair!

Here is Caroline posing with the Fairest of the Fair Emcee, Miss Emily Hobbs (who just so happens to be a past Junior Miss Warren County).

Here she is with her court - left to right; Megan Boren 1st runner up, Caroline, Victoria, Caitlin McClain 2nd runner up and KayAnn Moore 3rd runner up.

Caitlin just happens to be a former Junior Miss Warren County too. She did an awesome job as well and we love that we had not one, but two Junior Misses represented in the Fairest of the Fair court.

All of the girls did wonderful in the pageant but we're especially proud of all of "our" girls that participated! Congratulations ladies!

Did you know?

2009-09-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

*Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer.

*On the average 12,500 children and teens will be diagnosed with some form of cancer each year in this country.

*One in 330 children will develop cancer by age 20.

*Although the 5 year survival rate is steadily increasing, one quarter of children will die 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

*Cancer remains the #1 disease killer of America's children - more than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Asthma and AIDS combined.

*In the U.S. almost 3,000 children do not survive cancer each year.

*Over the past two decades, only ONE new cancer drug has been approved for pediatric use.

*Currently there are between 30-40,000 children undergoing cancer treatment in the U.S.

*As a nation, we spend over $14 BILLION per year on the space program, but only $35 MILLION on Childhood Cancer Research each year.

*There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.

*Research funds are scarce as most money is diverted to well-publicized adult forms of cancer, such as breast and prostate.

*Right now, this second, somewhere in America, there are 7 children fighting for their lives who won't live through the day.

Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville wears gold for Andy, Morgan, Riley, Lauren, Jackson, Hunter & all the other children affected by cancer.

Who do YOU wear gold for?

Pencil Pals

2009-07-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

It's back to school time again and many families don't have the resources to go buy the supplies that they need. Through our Pencil Pals project we try to provide at least some of those supplies for the school kids that are really in need.

Items that are needed:

pencils

ruled paper

folders

crayons

glue/glue sticks

new or gently used backpacks

UPDATE 8/24: Irving College Elementary needs pencils, wide-ruled paper, stick glue & scissors.

~~It will be determined at Executive Board how many items will make up a service hour.~~

UPDATE:

10 items = 1 hour

1 backpack = 1 hour

Feel free to go ahead and pick the supplies up ~~(while they're on sale) and bring them to the August General Meeting.~~

Items can still be brought to the September General Meeting.

Contact Project Chair Sheila Boyd or Co-chair Jessica Higgins if you have any questions about the project, additional items that you can donate or if you have information about a child in need.

Make sure to spread the word about the upcoming Warren County Schools' Back to School Kickoff at the Three Star Mall on Saturday August 8th. They give out free school supplies to the school-age children in attendance so make sure to encourage the families of children that you think might need the assistance to attend...but tell them to be there early...the supplies go fast!

OH! And don't forget about the Tax-Free Holiday August 7th, 8th & 9th. It's the perfect time to shop for Pencil Pals!

Yankee Doodle Children's Parade

2009-06-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Who: All children 0 - 5th grade

All Junior Auxiliary Members are invited to help out- Active, Associate & Life

Ashley Wright - Chair Kim Chisam - Co-chair

What: The Yankee Doodle Children's Parade - NO ENTRY FEE!
When (for the public): Saturday July 4, 2009 - 10:30am

(For Members) - 8:30 until 11: 00 am

Where: Warren County Courthouse Square - Downtown McMinnville

Pre-registration forms are available at The McMinnville Civic Center, The Chamber of Commerce, Magness Library, The Southern Standard and Ashley's Attic.

They can be returned to Ashley's Attic

or mailed to

Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville / P.O. Box 791 / McMinnville, TN 37111

Why: The Yankee Doodle Children's Parade is a service project for Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville

For those of you who aren't familiar with this project:
The Yankee Doodle Children's Parade is part of Warren County's Independence Day Celebration and is sponsored by McMinnville Parks & Recreation (who allow us to hold the event during their 4th of July Celebration), PEG Broadcasting and Southern Standard Publishing.

It allows children (and their parent "helpers") to use their creativity in designing a "float" for the parade. Participants can show off their national, state & community pride through this project, which is something that J..A. likes to encourage. The project also promotes family togetherness, learning, confidence, hard work and, of course, fun!

The Schedule:
8:30 - 9:00am Set Up
9:00 - 10:00am Check in / Registration
10:15am Participants must be in their assigned areas / Judging begins
10:30am Let the PARADE begin!
10:50am Awards will be presented to winners in each group
11:00am - ? Clean Up (shouldn't take long)
_________________________________

Rules & Additional Information:

*For children 0 to 5th grade (2009-2010 5th graders)
*There are 5 categories this year and they are:
- Babies, Toddlers & Preschool
- Kindergarten & 1st Grade
- 2nd & 3rd Grade
- 4th & 5th Grade
- Group (maximum 5 children to a group)
*NO GAS POWERED VEHICLES ALLOWED in the parade. Battery-operated "Hot Wheels" type vehicles are acceptable.
*Bikes, Tricycles, Wagons, Strollers or any other push, pull or pedal toys are also allowed.
*The floats must be patriotic or state, county or community pride themed.
*An adult may accompany small children and push strollers in the parade.
*Entry numbers must be on the child and be visible for judging. For groups, the entry number must be on the "lead" child.
*Awards will be presented immediately following the parade when all participants are lined up in front of the stage according to the directions given.
*The winners must stick around after receiving their awards for a group photo for the paper.

Annual Education Conference

2009-06-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

Ten members traveled to Franklin, TN for the 68th annual National Association of Junior Auxiliaries Annual Education Conference.

While we were there, we got to learn a lot, spent a lot of quality time together, got to know some of the other chapters and came home with lots of ideas for projects and fundraisers.

Here are a few pictures from the event.

Hoppin' into Health

2009-04-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

Hop on over to Junior Auxiliary's

3rd annual

Hoppin' into Health Easter Egg Hunt!

Saturday April 11, 2009

10 am

....................................

For children 0 to 10 years of age.

FREE!

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10,000 prize-filled eggs!

Larger prizes will also be awarded and snacks will be provided!

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Attendees will get a chance to visit with the Easter Bunny and Hello Kitty!

Parents, bring your cameras!

Junior Miss Warren County and Junior Auxiliary Princess Pageant

2009-04-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

Junior Miss Warren County
And
J.A. Princess Pageant

Saturday, May 16
6:00 p.m. at Covenant Academy

..............................................

The pageant is open to girls ages 14-16 for Junior Miss Warren County and girls ages 11-13 for J.A. Princess. Contestants must reside in Warren County or surrounding counties; DeKalb, Cannon, Van Buren, Grundy, Sequatchie, Coffee, and White. Applicants must be enrolled in school full time and must never have been married or have had a child.
............................................................

Applications may be obtained at Kathy’s Bridal, Dream Maker Bridal, Memories, the Middle School, W.C. High School, and Boyd Christian.
Electronic copies can be obtained by emailing pageant chair Holly Magness.
.............................................................................

Application Deadline: May 2nd
Mailed applications must be postmarked by May 2nd, 2009
...........................................................

For additional information concerning the pageant, contact
Holly Magness at home 668-3605 or cell 247-2842
Or feel free to email holly.1979@hotmail.com
.......................................................

Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
All proceeds from these pageants support various JA service projects including;
Coats for the Community, Christmas in the Park, Healthy Children, Healthy Futures, Smile, and Hoppin’ into Health Easter Egg Hunt.

Junior Miss Pageant Program

2009-02-28T23:03:00.000-08:00

Advertise in the Junior Miss Pageant program!

For parents, friends, family, etc.: Give a shout out to your contestant in our pageant program. This is a great way to send a special message like “Good Luck” or “I love you” to your favorite contestant.

example:

For businesses and other organizations: Give a shout out to your favorite contestant or say “good luck” to all of the girls. Advertising in the pageant program is an affordable way to gain exposure for your business or group. Hundreds will see your ad!

example:

(All program ads will be black and white.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** 1/4 page in program - $25 ** Half page in program - $50 **

** Full page in program – $100 (includes 2 free tickets to the pageant) **

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please Make Checks Payable to Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville

All donations to Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville are tax-deductible...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contact Holly Magness at holly.1979@hotmail.com or (931)668-3605 or (931)247-2842 for more information or to secure your ad space.

Space is very limited, so act fast!

Snow Princess Pageant Applications Available

2008-12-29T17:31:00.000-08:00

Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville

presents
The Snow Princess Pageants

Saturday, February 21, 2009
at Covenant Academy Gym
at 5 pm

The pageant will be limited to the first 50 applications received in each category.

Each contestant will receive a tiara.

Rules:

Little Miss Snow Princess Contestants must be 5-7
&
Miss Snow Princess Contestants must be 8-10

by February 21, 2009.

Entry fee/ Sponsor fee is $55.00.

Contestant must be a resident of Warren County .

All gowns must be below the knee.

All make-up must be natural and age appropriate.

All applications must be received by February 3, 2009. (Remember, space is limited!)

Call Chairperson Cole Black at 931-212-5794 if you have any questions.

Applications are available at Ashley's Attic, Memories Bridal and Formal Shop, Kathy's, Southern Traditions, Attitudes, The Southern Standard, Mommy & Me, Data Solutions, Homeland Community Bank and all Warren County Elementary Schools

Or you can email us at Jamcminnville@yahoo.com for an electronic version of the application.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from our annual J.A. Christmas Party. We all had so much fun eating, laughing, sharing recipes, talking, bonding and looking at all the pretty ornaments during the "Dirty Santa" gift swap! Laura and Kevin Dunlap have a beautiful home and we are so grateful to them for allowing us to come together there to celebrate the season! Thanks to everyone who took a night out of their busy holiday schedule to spend a night with "the girls" and to those of you who couldn't make it this year, WE MISSED YOU!

During the party Sheila Boyd gave out an prize to the member who got the most donations during our luminaries project this year. Congratulations to Rosie Shirley (below)! Thanks to all members who donated gifts for the prize.

Near the end of the night Kevin came home with the kids and headed upstairs to put them to bed. Little Jackson snuck back downstairs to play on his tricycle! He was so cute and having so much fun "sneaking" around...I couldn't help but capture it on film!

Merry Christmas Everyone from Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville!

J.A. Christmas Party 2008

2008-12-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

This year's Christmas Party is being hosted by Laura Dunlap at her home on December 16th at 6 pm.

All members are invited - that means Active, Provisional, Associate and Life Members. Everyone attending just needs to bring a finger food and an ornament for the "Dirty Santa" gift exchange!

Sheila Boyd will also be presenting the top "luminaries" seller with a prize basket...just in time for Christmas!

Contact Laura Dunlap for directions to her home.

We'll see you there!

Christmas in the Park 2008 Memories

2008-12-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

Our 23rd annual Christmas in the Park was a big success. It's such a great opportunity for the entire community to come together for a free night of family fun...and there were a lot of people out to enjoy the night!

We began the evening with a welcome from President Natalie Miller and a mini-ceremony honoring some of the kids from our "Healthy Children, Healthy Futures" project (Lauren Patterson, Jackson Dunlap, Morgan Mingle and Andy Dunn were there....our prayers are with Presley Slatton who could not attend).

Then the luminaries were lit all around the stage and the names on them were read. A big THANK YOU goes out to Miss Sheila Boyd who organized the whole luminaries project...great job Sheila!

In addition to Santa Claus, there were several other Christmas characters in attendance...they provided lots of photo opportunities and handed out candy to the kids! Thanks to member M.A. Higgs and her family for helping us out with that!

After having their picture taken with Santa Claus - kids were able to go and make frames to display them in. Junior Auxiliary members were on hand to help with this craft.

Facepainting is always a favorite for the kids and there was a line wrapped around the Regions building for most of the evening! Even without white paint (oops!) our "artists" for the evening made all of the kids happy with snowmen, crosses, Christmas trees, snowflakes and other Christmas-y things!

In addition to the Cider House, craft table and facepainting...Regions Bank provided a warm oasis out of the cold for many attendees!

The Cider House is a favorite tradition for Christmas in the Park and every year it is ran by the year's provisional members. The girls did a great job this year giving out cookies and smiles and keeping the cider flowing!

Choirs from churches and schools from all around the community as well as a few musicians and singers performed from the stage...Christmas carols and music filled the air! Thanks to everyone who provided their talents for the evening!

Here are members Brooke Totherow and Randi Fuston taking a quick hot chocolate break in between acts on the stage...

A group from Covenant Fellowship Church provided a living nativity scene to remind everyone the real reason for the season! Thanks Covenant!

This was our first year to not use Polaroid film for the free Santa Pictures...we used memory cards and color photo printers to get the photos out this year! It was hard work but the pictures turned out so great!

Thanks to everyone who came out! Thanks also to our sponsors for the event...all of the support really makes the night special!

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Christmas in the Park 2008

2008-12-01T22:21:00.000-08:00

You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm tellin' you why...Santa Claus is comin' to town!

......................

Yup, Santa is coming to McMinnville TONIGHT for our 23rd annual Christmas in the Park!

.......

He'll be there right around 6 pm to help us light the Downtown Christmas Tree, then he'll set up shop to visit with all of the children, to find out if they've been naughty or nice, and to double check what everyone wants under the tree this year!

.....

Santa will also be posing for pictures with the kiddies and J.A. will be providing free prints of the pictures for everyone!

............................................

Santa will be bringing Mrs. Claus and some of his elves along with him to the event so there will be no shortage of fun and photo opportunities for everyone!

So, come see us tonight in beautiful downtown McMinnville for a night of FREE fun for the entire family!

Click here for more information.

............................................

MEMBERS DON'T FORGET: Bring 3 or 4 dozen cookies to Jessica for the Cider House. See the Chapter Reminders to the left for details.

Giving Thanks

2008-11-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings,
thank you, Lord that I can hear...for there are many who are deaf.
Even though I keep, as long as possible, my eyes closed against the morning light,
thank you, Lord that I can see... for there are many who are blind.
Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising,
thank you, Lord that I have the strength to rise...for there are many who are bedridden.
Even though the first hour of my day is hectic when socks are lost,
toast is burned, tempers are short and children are so loud,
thank you, Lord for my family...for there are many who are lonely.
Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines,
and the menu is, at times, unbalanced,
thank you, Lord for the food we have...because there are so many who are hungry.
Even though the routine of my job is often monotonous,
thank you, Lord for the opportunity to work...for there are many who have no job.
Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day
and wish my circumstances were not so modest,
thank you, Lord..for life.
Author Unknown

.................
Associate member (and former chapter President) Danielle Sliger had this on her blog and I think it's a very nice reminder for us all to appreciate all the blessings we have.

...............................

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Christmas in the Park - December 2nd

2008-11-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

Come out and see us at Christmas in the Park. It's shaping up to be a really exciting event with several new activities planned to go along with the classic favorites!

Show up a little early to see the first ever Christmas in the Park Luminary Lighting Ceremony..I think it will end up being a new tradition for our community!

Stephanie Ward, our Coats for the Community chairperson, is planning to set up a coat giveaway booth during the event. We think this will be a good opportunity for folks that didn't make it out to the mall in October who need coats now that it has gotten colder outside.

Play Day at Jungle Jym

2008-11-02T17:55:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from our play date with some of the kids from our "Healthy Children - Healthy Futures" project and some of our members' kids too!

....................

The weather was great...not too hot and not too cold. It was a fun afternoon with pizza, juice boxes, facepainting, fingerpaints and lots and lots of playing! We can't wait to do something like this again very soon!

Christmas Luminaries

2008-11-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

A Note From Sheila:

Ladies,

I'd just like to remind everyone about the Christmas Luminaries project and to encourage you all to get out there and sell them! Thank you in advance for all your hard work. I am so sorry that I wasn't able to attend October's Provisional Social due to sickness. I look forward to meeting each of our new Provisional Members soon...you're all welcome and encouraged to participate in this fundraiser!

With this project, we have the potential to raise lots of funds to help meet the needs of the children in our community that we help! And won't the luminaries look beautiful decorating downtown during Christmas in the Park?

Here are a few reminders:

If you were not at the General Meeting in October you need to contact me to hear more about the project and pick up your Fundraising Packet ASAP (extra packets are located at Ashley's Attic in the Plaza Shopping Center).
Don't forget to mark your calendars, the deadline to turn in names and money for this Fundraiser is Tuesday November 18 at our General Meeting. Please continue to work hard; it's only little over 3 weeks away.
Please remember that Ashley Gillentine (co-chair of this project) and I will be contacting the businesses in the town to purchase Luminaries. We did this because we want to avoid any cross-overs where multiple members contact a single business. However, your help is welcome with selling to businesses and if you have a close connection with a local business and would like to sell to them please call me and let me know so that they will not be contacted twice!
I'd like for everyone to set a goal of how many luminaries that you would like to sell and then GO FOR IT! As an incentive to sell, sell, sell...I have gotten together a little prize basket that contains some treats from several Junior Auxiliary members' businesses! The top seller in this project will be awarded the prize basket at the Christmas Party in December. This is just a little incentive to help all of us meet and exceed our goals for this fundraiser!

As always, I am here for you if you have any questions. Please feel free to call me with questions or suggestions! You may email me your up-to-date sales if you would like and and I will send out totals next week.

Have a great week and thank you all so much!

: ) Sheila Boyd

668-9599 Home

235-0796 Cell

10th Annual Coats for the Community

2008-10-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

We held our 10th annual Coats for the Community this past Saturday and it was a huge success! We had a ton of coats to give away and nobody left empty-handed!

We also gave out hats, shoes, snowsuits, sweat shirts, sweaters, windbreakers, gloves and other items of clothing.

Coats for the Community Chairperson Stephanie Ward wishes to thank everyone in the community who donated and all of the members that helped with cleaning, collecting and giving out the coats.

Something to think about

2008-09-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
-Leo Buscaglia

Ladies,
There is so much potential for us, through the work we do, to really make a difference. I hope that in everything you do that you remember this. When you're out in the community, whether it is with Junior Auxiliary or just in your daily life, I hope you realize the impact that you can make in someone's life...and you might not even realize it when you do. We've been given such a wonderful opportunity through J.A. to do a lot of good in Warren County...so let's keep up the great work and keep on making a difference in this community!

Welcome Provisionals!

2008-09-17T19:31:00.002-07:00

We are pleased to announce that all of this year's proposed Provisional members were voted into the club at our September general meeting and were welcomed at our October general meeting with a social held in their honor!

We'd like to welcome the following ladies into our Junior Auxiliary family:
-Marcy Bolding
-Kimberly Chisam
-Nicole Chisam
-Tiffany Gannon
-Lacey Jones
-Tiffany Keeton
Ashley Moore
-Pamela Shelton
-Rosie Shirley
-Veronica Stepien
-Anne Vance
-Kelly Wood

From their applications we learned that they are a very hard-working, passionate and dedicated group of women and we're very excited to have them join our group!

We hope that in the next few months that they take opportunities to get to know the other members of the club and that they learn a great deal about J.A. and what this organization is all about. The work that we do is not always easy but it's always rewarding and we're happy to have these ladies to join our cause!

Print Cartridges for Boyd

2008-09-17T19:31:00.001-07:00

Because we believe in helping the schools in our community to achieve their goals; we are currently collecting empty print cartridges for Boyd Christian School.

If you have access to any empty print cartridges please consider donating them to this project. You can get them to Susan any time or you can hang on to them until and bring them to one of the October meetings.

If you know of a school that is doing a similar collection, feel free to share it with the group...we might just be able to help out! We're always excited to help out the kids in our community in any way that we can.

The Children's Advocacy Center

2008-09-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank Donnie Carter from our local Children's Advocacy Center for coming to our September general meeting and visiting with us a little.

She gave a very informative talk about what the C.A.C. does in our community and provided us with some useful and practical knowledge about what we can do as individuals to help prevent child abuse and neglect in our community.

We also discussed the Angels' Autumn Fest, a fundraising event that the C.A.C. is hosting in October. We have been asked to help with the serving duties at the event and we are very excited that we've been given the opportunity to help the C.A.C. in any way that we can. Tennessee's first lady, Andrea Conte (pictured above, during another children's advocacy event), is the speaker and with her at the helm, it looks to be a very prestigious event and a great opportunity for our community to come together to help a really worthy cause.

You can learn more about the event or reserve your tickets by contacting the Children's Advocacy Center at 507-2386.

Scholarship opportunity from NAJA

2008-08-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

The National Association of Junior Auxiliaries, Inc. was established in 1941 with the purpose of uniting members "to render charitable services which are beneficial to the general public, with particular emphasis on children, and to cooperate with other organizations performing similar services." Our slogan is "Care Today - Character Tomorrow".

It is only natural that we wish to support those individuals that also believe in supporting the special needs of children and who are in professions that do just that.

The NAJA scholarship program was established in 1962 and since then has awarded more than 429 grants totaling over $881,865.00 for graduate study in fields which address the special needs of children and youth.

Scholarships are awarded each April. The applications are available only from September 1 through February 1 and only through the NAJA website.

Applicants must be:

Working or planning to work directly with children.
Pursuing graduate level studies for one year in fields which address the special needs of children and youth. Graduate fields of study include, but are not limited to: Counseling, Psychology, Mental Health, Special Education, Speech Pathology, Exceptional Children, Remedial Skills Development, Hearing Impaired, Gifted and Talented, etc. Scholarships are NOT awarded for graduate work in administration or general education.
A U.S. citizen and permanent resident of a state with a Junior Auxiliary Chapter:Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas.
Planning to attend a U.S. college or university for full-time or part-time study.

To members:

Spread the word about this scholarship. We have a lot of folks in Warren County taking on their Masters in fields catering to the special needs of children...and free money is always helpful! Talk to M.A. if you have any questions.

To the public:

If you are interested in learning more about this scholarship please feel free to contact us at jamcminnville@yahoo.com or visit NAJA online and click on the scholarship link on the left-hand side. We would love to see some Warren County applicants (and scholarship recipients!) this year!

Pencil Pals

2008-08-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

Susan is still accepting Pencil Pal items for those of you who still want to help out.

Packs of pencils, paper, crayons, backpacks, school boxes, safety scissors, etc. etc. etc.

Gently used back packs and certain other school accessories are also being accepted...a great use for those "old" backpacks and school things from last year, don't you think?

Just drop any items off on her porch, at Ashley's Attic, or you can call and speak with her about setting up an alternative drop-off/pick-up plan.

Please help with this project...it's an easy way to get hours but you'll be helping out a lot by making a child's back-to-school special!

How to count your hours? 5 items = 1 hour OR $10.00 = 1 hour.

Pencil Pals

2008-08-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

A note from Susan...

Hey Guys! I’m the chair of pencil pals this year and we need lots of supplies!

We don't have enough supplies right now to cover all the schools and kids that depend on our donations. Some kids will need everything… backpacks, calculators, markers, paint, paper, scissors, folders, glue, etc.

My goal is to have the supplies to the schools before the first day of school, August 7th.

So we need to stock up now!

Please help with this project...it's an easy way to get hours but you'll be helping out a lot by making a child's back-to-school special!

How to count your hours? 5 items = 1 hour OR $10.00 = 1 hour.

As soon as you can email or call me and I will arrange a pick up for you or drop it off on my front porch.

Since this is tax-free weekend, it's a great time to take advantage of the back-to-school deals out there to get these supplies. Shopping for good deals and helping out kids AT THE SAME TIME...what fun!

Thanks!

Back to School Book Giveaway

2008-07-31T22:01:00.000-07:00

Come join us

this Saturday,

August 2nd

for our 2nd annual J.A. Book Giveaway during

Warren County School System's Back-to-School Kickoff

at Three Star Mall from 9am until noon.

Through this project, we are able to distribute hundreds of books to children from all over the community. Each child that visits our booth can pick out one book that they like to take home with them.

Last year, for our first time around, we collected and distributed over 300 books free to kids who came by our booth at the event...this year we have over 1,000 to give away!

We see this as an opportunity for the kids to pick out books that they would like to read...not just a book that they've been assigned to read. We hope that through this project we are able to encourage kids to learn to love reading...and maybe give them an appreciation for charity and giving along the way.

We'll see you there!

Also check us out in today's Southern Standard on page 5-A for the story about our book giveaway!

County Wide PJ Day

2008-07-27T01:08:00.000-07:00

This whole town has been hit hard with the news of so many of our kids having been diagnosed with cancer. We love to support the American Cancer Society and Vanderbilt Children's Hospital whenever we can, but since kids are our "thing", we wanted to do something to help out those kids in our community and their families with their day-to-day needs - gas to and from Vandy, eating out, bills, etc. etc. etc.

This idea to raise and distribute money to local families battling cancer was presented at a meeting several months ago and all of us wanted to help so we began brainstorming.

Jamie Lorance came up with the idea to raise money by sponsoring a pajama day for all of the schools. Each child, teacher or school staff member who wanted to participate and wear their pajamas to school on that day only had to make a donation to the fundraiser.

On Friday, May 8th, the plan went into action! The schools that participated were Bobby Ray, West Elementary, Eastside, Centertown, Morrison and Covenant Academy.

$996.00 was raised for the cause!

This was a great opportunity, not only to raise the money for a great cause, but to talk to the students about giving and about really making a difference in the community and the world. Kids really get a kick out of getting to help out others, especially other kids, when given the chance...so this was the perfect project to really get them involved!

Thank you to EVERYONE who participated! To all of the kids who wanted to help and gave change from their pockets, to all the parents who sent money from home, to the teachers and school staff who gave what they could...

THANK YOU THANK YOU!

A special thanks goes out to all of the teachers for taking care of the donations and organizing of their individual classes; especially to Monty Childers at Morrison, Stephanie George at Eastside, Natalie Miller at West, and Pam Gross at Covenant Academy. Also thank you to all of the principals for allowing us to do this project at your schools.

We've gotten the chance to give out some of the money already and it is such a blessing to be able to help out a family with at least some of their financial burdens. We will continue to raise money for this fund throughout the year so that we can keep it replenished and be able to give monetary help when it is needed the most. Watch the blog for details about this fund and the projects we have planned to continue raising money for it.

Jaime, way to go! Congrats on the success of this project!

Back to School Kickoff and J.A. Book Giveaway

2008-07-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

A note from Kristy:

I hope everyone is having a GREAT summer!

It has been confirmed that Warren County School System's "Back to School Kick Off"
will be held this Saturday, August 2nd
from 9 am-12 pm at Three Star Mall.

We have over 1,000 books to give away this year!

We'll be handing the books out to the children who come to our booth at the Back to School Kickoff and we need several members to work the booth to make sure that everyone who visits the booth gets some individual attention.
If you are available to work, please let me know ASAP.

Schedule:
8am - 9am Set up
9am - 12pm Hand out books
12pm - ? Pack up and tear down (this shouldn't take long)
Please let me know if you can work and for how long.

This project is an easy way to receive hours and it's fun!

I'll be emailing everyone with details about the event as I hear them and about the location of our booth.

Thanks for your help!

P.S. It's not too late to bring in or collect books for this giveaway! Contact Kristy if you have any age-appropriate books for children and/or young adults to add to our supply or bring them to the Junior Auxiliary booth on August 2nd to Three Star Mall.

Provisional Applications

2008-07-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

A Note From Brooke:

Just a reminder that it is time for provisional applications to be getting out.

We've already had a great response this year so I'm really excited about this year's provisional class!

I will need all applications turned to me by the August chapter meeting. If anyone needs an application just call or email me and I'll get one to you.

Also remember that each member is only allowed to propose two names so if anyone has invited more than two women to apply for membership, just make sure that you ask around and find someone who isn't over their limit to propose them (this is a NAJA rule).

I hope everyone is having a great summer and I'll see ya in August!

Thanks!

P.S. If you are not a member of Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville and would like to know more about becoming a member; Brooke is the woman you need to talk to. Feel free to contact us at jamcminnville@yahoo.com or Brooke personally at jbtotherow@yahoo.com.

Congratulations Yankee Doodle Winners!

2008-07-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

Our Yankee Doodle Parade winners were listed today in the Southern Standard on the front page of the Lifestyles section. A couple of our adorable winners, Brownie Johnson and Kataen Shockley, even had their pictures featured on the page!

Go pick up a newspaper or check them out online at http://www.southernstandard.com/. Go into the archives and it will be listed on July 9th.

Thanks, once again, to all who participated in the parade this year! We'll see you next year!

Happy 200th Warren County!

2008-07-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

All four of our princesses were in the Bicentennial Parade on Saturday.

Junior Miss Warren County Caitlin McClain, J.A. Little Sister Merissa Chapman, Miss Snow Princess Madison Taylor, and Little Miss Snow Princess Elena Holder all rode in a couple of really cool convertibles - they threw candy to the kids, waved to the crowds and charmed everyone.

President Natalie Miller and Vice President Brooke Totherow also rode along in the passenger seats of the cars making it a complete J.A. event!

Thanks to Jodi McAbee and Jeff Vance for lending us their vehicles to use in the parade.
A BIG thank you goes out also to Seth Wright with the Southern Standard for making the lovely signs for the sides of the convertibles! They really made us 'pop'!

The parade was a lot of fun...here are some pictures from the day:

I loved the sheep and the Australian shepherd! They were popular with the whole crowd!

After the parade we found a Junior Miss fan in the crowd...none other than our very own Jackie Matheney!

The Yankee Doodle Parade

2008-07-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, as a part of Warren County's Bicentennial Celebration, we hosted our annual Yankee Doodle Children's Parade. It was free to all ages up to 4th grade and we really had a great turnout this year!

Winners were as follows:

Preschool Division:
1st - Brownie Johnson
2nd - Gracie Lynn Hancock
3rd - Kataen Shockley

Kindergarten - 1st Division:
1st - Carter Cantrell
2nd - Jakob Shockley
3rd - Brianna Simmons

2nd -4th Division:
1st - Livia Brewer
2nd - Bethany Porter
3rd - Justin Menninger

Group Division:
1st - Grant & Ethan Hitchcock
2nd - A Tie - group#3:Justice Woodside, Mattie Wilson, Jake Toney, Karly Wilson
group#4:Katie Toney, J.P. Toney, Lydia Wilson, not pictured Mia Grace Cantrell
3rd - Jalyn, Noah, Hanna and Maya Mart

Here are some of the pictures from the day...

Here is a picture of our lovely judges for the event. Our three oldest princesses; Caitlin McClain - Junior Miss Warren County 2008, Merissa Chapman - J.A. Little Sister 2008, and Madison Taylor - Miss Snow Princess 2008. They did a great job...when they first showed up to do the judging they all told me something to the effect of, "How are we suppose to pick between all these cute kids?"...they all were very professional about the judging process though and I think everyone was pleased with their choices! Thanks so much for helping out ladies!

Shauna Wiley was the chair of the event. She made sure to keep us all busy and made sure the parade ran as smoothly as possible. Here is one of the very cooperative daddies during the parade! Some of our contestants not old enough to even walk yet, while other contestants chose to "ride" in the parade on a "float" pulled or pushed by a helpful parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin or other likewise helpful adult - sometimes in costume! Steve Sliger here is the husband of one of Junior Auxiliary's former presidents and current associate members - Danielle Sliger. Steve pulled their two girls, Maggie and Marlie, in a decorated wagon for the group division...doesn't he look thrilled? LOL. Here are a few details from some of the parade's "floats". The day's theme was "our roots run deep" and some of the kids decided to express that theme with their parade entry. Others celebrated our county's birthday and did "support our troops" themed entries while others decided to keep it simple with just classic red, white and blue!

Thanks to all who spent hours decorating and putting together these wonderful works of art! Thanks to the kids who wanted to be in the parade, to the parents who allowed them to be, helped them with their entry and got them to the parade on Saturday! Thank you so much to everyone who came out, participated and helped J.A. to celebrate America's and Warren County's birthday!

J.A. visits Fairview Community

2008-07-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked to represent Junior Auxiliary as a judge for Fairview Community's Summer/4th of July Celebration and was asked to suggest a couple of other ladies to help me out. Our Junior Miss Warren County, Caitlin McClain, volunteered to come and so did our Parliamentarian Chair M.A. Higgs. Member Leanne Grissom is a member of Fairview's C.I.C. and she was there to help out with the pageant as well...she was actually one of the pageant's organizers and she did such a great job!

The weather was great...kind of warm, but the pageants were held inside of the community center's air conditioned auditorium...what more could we have asked? All of the kids were ADORABLE and emcee Randy England was really really funny!

Thanks so much to Fairview C.I.C. for inviting us to help out, we really had a good time!

T-shirts

2008-06-28T09:28:00.001-07:00

The Yankee Doodle Shirts are back from the printer! Aren't they cute?!

Come by the shop (Ashley's Attic) and get yours

or call me and I'll bring it to you.

If I'm not at the shop when you come by, the box is in front of the register. Inside the box with the shirts there will be a list of your names with the sizes you ordered...just check your name off the list when you get your shirt.

If you haven't paid me, just leave a check or cash with whoever is running the shop.

Each shirt is $11.

I'll also have in the box some schedules for the Junior Auxiliary events on July 5th...pick one of those up too.

As always, call me if you have any questions: 607-6599

Member Appreciation Brunch Recap

2008-06-24T22:21:00.000-07:00

Our Member Appreciation Brunch was a success!

It was open to all active, associate and life members and it was really a great opportunity for us to spend a little “off-duty” time together, getting to know each other a little better, sharing individual and group accomplishments, welcoming new Active members, celebrating our Associate and Life members and, of course, giving out some awards!

___________________________________________________________________

Those award winners were:

Jennifer Brooks - Member of the Year
Jamye Jaco - Executive Award for Service
Pam Cantrell - The Presidents Award for Participation and Enthusiasm

The awards say it all! Congratulations ladies!

___________________________________________________________________

Members that were granted Active status were:

Cole Black
Lori Womack
Jennifer McBride
Carly Bruce
Allison Tupper
Danielle Miller
Christie Gilispie
Jessica Higgins
Aimee Hale

Congratulations Ladies! We're so excited to have you in the club - You were such an enthusiastic Provisional Class and we're so excited to see what you'll do now as Active Members!

____________________________________________________________________

Members whose status changed from Active to Associate (meaning they served the equivalent of 1 Provisional year and 5 Active years in J.A.) were:

Jennifer Brooks
Pam Cantrell
Joyce Britton
Tina Smith
Dana Roller
Toree Craven

Congratulations to y'all too! Your service to J.A. and to our community has meant everything...you've made the club what it is today and the rest of us definitely have some big shoes to fill!

_____________________________________________________________________

Finally, members whose status changed from Associate to Life (meaning that they served the equivalent of 10 Associate years OR paid the equivalent of 10 years' Associate dues) were:

Diane Wood
Joyce Britton
Cindy Rogers
Jackie Reed
Tammy Womack

You ladies have set such wonderful examples for the rest of us! We're so excited to be able to celebrate your service to the club and to Warren County...our Life members are really the rock on which our chapter is built, so congratulations to you on this milestone!

____________________________________________________________________

So thanks to all who attended this brunch. It was so much fun! Please feel free to email jamcminnville@yahoo.com to make suggestions for next year's Member Appreciation Event.

P.S. I'll be posting pictures as soon as I get them...keep watching the blog! -Ashley

Yankee Doodle Children's Parade

2008-06-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

Annual Education Conference

2008-06-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

Twelve of our members attended the Annual Education Conference in Birmingham, AL.

Susan Burks, Natalie Miller, Allison Tupper, Ashley Gillentine, Jamie Lorance, Jennifer McBride, Brooke Totherow, Shauna Wiley, Cole Black, Kristy Weeter, Holly Magness and Tabetha Sullens all packed their bags and headed out for a girls' weekend full of learning, bonding and networking with other chapters. We even got two national honor while there; the Robbins Family Scholarship Challenge - Sapphire Crown Recognition...and the Efficiency Award!

We all had a great time...and just last week a story about our trip made the Southern Standard!

Check out their site at http://www.southernstandard.com/ and we're in the lifestyles section for Wednesday June 18, 2008....and click here for the link if you can connect to it - read all about us!

We're in the News!

2008-06-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

Wednesday's Style Page in the Southern Standard had a story about our mural that was painted by J.A. Life Member Pat Bigbee. Go check it out at http://www.southernstandard.com/ or use this link!

The Bicentennial Committee is using the mural for the L. Virginia French Ball on Saturday night. Go to this link to learn about the details for this event.

Relay for Life

2008-06-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

Everyone make sure to attend Warren County's RELAY FOR LIFE.

When: Friday June 6, 2008 6 PM

Where: Warren County Middle School's Nunley Stadium

Why: All proceeds support the American Cancer Society

and its effort to support those affected by cancer and to eventually find a cure!

Everyone should attend this event! Teams made up of people from all over the community set up booths on the football field in order to raise money for the American Cancer Society. These booths offer a little bit of everything; food, crafts, games, face painting, hair styling, yard sales, etc. etc. etc. There's a friendly competition to see which team can raise the most money and they'll go to almost any length to be the winner....'Male Cross-Dressing Beauty Pageant' anyone?

J.A. won't have a booth there this year but our ladies are on several of the other teams so make sure to go and support them and the cause!

Yankee Doodle Children's Parade T-Shirts

2008-06-01T23:42:00.000-07:00

Any member interested in getting a Yankee Doodle Children's Parade T-shirt for July 5th, get in touch with me, Ashley Gillentine. You can get shirts for your kids too...we like to deck out our J.A. kids as much as we do ourselves! Just email or call me with sizes. The shirts will be regular cotton t-shirts, so order accordingly.

The design will be a play on Warren County's Bicentennial Logo with a Junior Auxiliary twist - on J.A. blue with white and red details.

You don't have to be working the Yankee Doodle Parade to have one. It will look good for as many J.A. members as possible to be in them on July 4th and 5th both! I believe that these will be nice to wear to any community event - not just in July - since it also has a Warren County and a bicentennial theme. Just consider this a J.A. shirt with a patriotic theme...not specifically a Yankee Doodle Parade shirt.

The shirts will be $11.oo each and the deadline for ordering them is Monday June 9th. I'd like to be able to get them to everyone well before July 5th.

We'd like to give a big thanks to Helen at Ashley's Attic and Pat Zechman of the Southern Standard for providing the shirts for this year's Little Miss Snow Princess, Miss Snow Princess, Junior Auxiliary Little Sister and Junior Miss Warren County for the event.

It's almost time!

2008-06-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the notes to the left, J.A. has been asked to help decorate and set up for the Bicentennial Event, The L. Virginia French Ball.

Friday afternoon President Natalie Miller, her son Aiden and I (Ashley Gillentine) got together with Carla King from Main Street McMinnville, Jimmy Haley from the McMinnville Preservation Council, and Jimmy's daughter Laura Kate Haley (who was our J.A. Little Sister last year) to begin making plans for the decorations.

One decoration in particular is a GIANT mural that belongs to our club (in the pictures). This mural, painted by Mrs. Pat Bigbee over 25 years ago, has been used in countless Junior Auxiliary pageants as well as other J.A. events and it was also used during Warren County's Quartoseptcentennial (our town's 175th anniversary).

So, once again, we have pulled it out of storage to serve our community. Jimmy had it cleaned and touched up early last week and now it is ready to be used as a backdrop during the L. Virginia French Ball!

Here are some pictures from our meeting. We'll be seeing you at the L. Virginia French Ball on Saturday night. Check out this post for details about the ball and where to find tickets!

(I love this photo! Jimmy seems calm, collected and, literally, in focus while everything around him is blurry, busy and rushed looking. That's how he always strikes me! I did not mean for it to be so art-y and symbolic but I'll definitely take credit for it!)

Associate-Active & Life-Active Status

2008-05-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

To all associate and life members:

We have a proposal for you!

We've heard many comments from Associate and Life members who have mentioned how much they miss being directly involved with the chapter. Obviously, they are happy to be "free" from the big hour requirements - but they miss participating in our projects, having a say in the projects and events that we participate in and definitely the fellowship with other members at meetings.

Enter the Associate-Active and Life-Active status! This is in our constitution and we were not using it! This is a great way for those who miss J.A. to reconnect with our projects and our group. We are a really strong membership with some really dedicated women and we run the chapter really efficiently, but we feel that we can always be better. We need our associate and life members, who still would like to be involved, to help make our chapter even stronger!

This status entitles those members to have most of the rights of active members. They can vote, recruit new members, serve on committees, propose new projects and chair projects - all the things that being a Junior Auxiliary member is about. The only limit is that they may not hold office.

The requirements for this status is that the member must attend at least four general meetings a year and must perform at least 24 hours of service during the year. Their dues will remain the same as their Associate and Life membership status requires.

We currently have 3 associates who have already jumped on board: Tabetha Sullens, Kellie Hutchins, and Pam Cantrell. We thank them for their participation and we are really excited to have them back. Welcome back ladies!

If you are interested in taking on this status; please call President Natalie Miller 607-2945 or Ex Officio Susan Burks 273-4195.

One of our main goals this year is to strengthen our chapter and to make our chapter more recognizable in the community for the type of service that we do. We think that we can help even more people this way - with more hands on board especially - since that is what our purpose really is.

As always, Associate and Life members are welcome to help us out with projects without this special status. But why not put those hours towards that 24 hour requirement and be an even more involved part of the chapter again?

After all, we miss you too!

Member Appreciation Brunch

2008-05-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

Watch your mailboxes for the official invitation...but here is the information:

Save the Date!

Our Member Appreciation Brunch
will be held at 10:30 am
on Saturday June 14th
at The Inn at Harvest Farms Lake

Tickets are $12 each (to cover expenses).
Members are encouraged to bring a guest if they would like.

Please RSVP by calling Susan Burks 273-4195 or Jennifer Sain 808-1479

The brunch will be in a garden setting. Casual dress is fine.

Come join us for an event that is sure to become a J.A. of McMinnville tradition - fun, door prizes, several awards including a 2007-2008 Member of the Year will be presented!

With this brunch we wish to honor those going active, associate and life this year.
We would like full membership participation...

associate and life members are encouraged to attend.
We would like this to become a tradition for our chapter - a time each year when our entire chapter can come together to exchange ideas,

to celebrate our individual and group accomplishments,

and to reaffirm our commitment to our club and our chapter's purpose in the community.

The Lucy Virginia French Ball - A Bicentennial Celebration

2008-05-27T19:44:00.001-07:00

The L. Virginia French Ball is less than two weeks away.

Have you bought your tickets yet?

This will be a formal dance/community social put on by the Bicentennial Executive Committee in honor of one of Warren County's former citizens; Lucy Virginia French.

The L. Virginia French Ball

will be held

at 7:00 pm

on June 7th

at the McMinnville Civic Center

Tickets are $12.50 each

Tickets can be purchased at

- Warren County Executive Building
- Warren County / McMinnville Chamber of Commerce
- McMinnville Civic Center
- Magness Library

-On the night of the event, tickets can be purchased at the door

This will be a great way for the community to come together!

Ladies, It's an excuse to get really dressed up and go out dancing....How often do you get to do that in McMinnville? Guys, this is the perfect idea for a date with your girlfriend/wife...

she'll think you're so romantic for thinking of it!

Bring the kids, bring your parents and grandparents....

It'll be a great event - a chance to hang out with your friends and/or family in a different

setting than the usual Saturday night,

you'll get a little history while you're there maybe,

and on top of all that - you're supporting your community!

We'll see you there!

Check the Warren County 200 Web site for more information on Lucy Virginia French, this event or any of the other upcoming Warren County Bicentennial events.

Who was L. Virginia French?

Lucy Virginia French (1825-1881) was a writer, poet and magazine editor of the Old South. Reared in Virginia and Pennsylvania, she met Col. John Hopkins French at a book store in Memphis, later moving to McMinnville after a whirlwind romance. They settled at the French Plantation Forest Home and Colonel and Mrs. French became the pillars of society as they lavishly entertained local folk as well as dignitaries who visited the town.
Mrs. French was a writer for several popular magazines of the time and became famous across the south and was recognized in national literary circles. When the Civil War erupted in 1861, she was supportive of the Confederacy and "refuged" at nearby Beersheba Springs where she kept diaries that she later became famous for.
That journal remains as a chronicle of the life in McMinnville during the Federal and Confederate occupations of the city.
After the war, French continued to write and publish until her death in 1881. She is buried in Riverside Cemetery in McMinnville. A Tennessee Historical Marker is now located at the sight of the Forest Home on Main Street here in the city.

Grateful

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We are grateful to the men and women who have given their lives in service to our nation. Without their sacrifice, the U.S.A. would not be as great, or as free, of a place as it is today.

We hope that you will stop for a moment today to remember those brave men and women. Remember that today is not about the long weekend, it's not about the big sales or the burger grilling...today is about the entire nation coming together to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation; for their families, but also for people that they had never even met...those men and women were truly heroes.

[NOTE: To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps." ]

What is Junior Auxiliary?

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For those of you who don't know; Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville is a chapter of the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries (NAJA) - a christian-based organization focused on making a lasting difference in our communities by meeting the needs of the citizens, especially the children. Our organization's slogan is "Care Today - Character Tomorrow"...along the same lines of the "Teach a Man to Fish" school of thinking. Click here to see the NAJA website.

We are a group of women, here in McMinnville, who believe that we can make a difference in Warren County and in order to do that, we participate in and host several service projects in the community;

from the fun and family-friendly Christmas in the Park, which has become a community tradition - a music, games and hot apple cider-filled night in downtown McMinnville that encourages family togetherness and community fellowship;

- to Coats for the Community, a project in which we collect donated coats and winter weather items from all over Warren County and then set up at the mall in the fall in order to give out the coats free to families and individuals who need them.

We also host the Junior Miss Warren County Pageant in April and the Snow Princess Pageants in February,

as well as several other fundraising projects in order to raise money to support all the service that we do for Warren County!

We'll be updating this blog pretty regularly so we hope you check back often to see what's going on with our club.

If you have any questions about Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville and our projects, would like to to learn ways that you can help out our organization, or would like to know about our membership requirements; feel free to contact our public relations chair, Ashley Gillentine at ashleys_attic_mcminnville@yahoo.com or talk to any J.A. of McMinnville member that you know.

Junior Miss Warren County Pageant

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2008 Junior Miss Warren County Pageant

When: April 5th, 2008
Where: McMinnville Civic Center
Time: 6pm

Contestants may be from Warren, Dekalb, Cannon, Coffee, Grundy, Sequatchie, White, Van Buren counties.

Open to ages 14, but not 17 as of April 5, 2008.

Contestant will compete in an interview 30%, on-stage introduction 10%, and an eveining gown competition 60%. Top 10 will answer an on -stage question.

Winner will recieve a crown, sash, prize basket, and $200.00 in savings bonds.

1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Runners up and Miss Photogenic will recieve a nice prize basket.

Miss Congeniality will recieve a sash and nice prize basket.

Applications can be picked up at the Southern Standard, Kathys, and Memories Bridal Boutique.

For more information or to have an application emailed to you contact pageant chairperson Brooke Totherow at 931-808-0683.

Snow Princess 2008

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Our new princesses!

Thanks to all members for a job well done!