75th Anniversary Initiative

The Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington (JLHB) has committed volunteer resources and donated $41,770 to the Mark Preece Family House in Hamilton, Ontario. 

  
  Families supporting loved ones in critical care in hospital can be miles from home and prefer to stay close to the bedside of their loved ones.
  The Mark Preece Family House will assist families in need of accommodation by providing home-like,  accessible accommodations and support in a compassionate environment for families of critical care
patients in Hamilton area hospitals.
  The Mark Preece Family House will service families from out of town and the local vicinity of Hamilton-
 Burlington.
  The Mark Preece Family House will be the first Hospital Family House of its kind to be built in Ontario.

Benefits to the community:
  Rest and support for family members in a home like setting
  Close proximity to the hospital and bedside
  Family remains close to support patients in critical condition
  Families lend support to other families in similar situations
  Personal expenses for families are minimized
  Contributes to the revitalization of the local neighbourhood

Background:
  Mark Preece, a respected Intensive Care Physician in Hamilton, required specialized cancer care that was not available locally.  While receiving treatment in Pittsburgh PA, a Family House was available to Mark’s family, allowing them to be close to him during this period. As Mark and his family recognized the importance of a Family House, after his death, family, friends and colleagues committed to ensuring the same type of care and support became available in Hamilton.
Hamilton is a regional healthcare centre, serving 2.3 million residents from central west and southern
Ontario, as well as many patients referred from the northwest area of the province. 
Hamilton Health Sciences family of hospitals provides leading edge health care for more than 40,000 acute care inpatient cases and almost 1600 rehabilitation cases each year. Annually, 2,400 acute in-patients have spent time in one of the Hamilton General Hospital’s intensive care units. Many patients at St. Joseph's Healthcare require extended hospitalization in areas such as the intensive care unit, rehabilitation unit and mental health and addiction programs.

The League’s 75th anniversary project addresses a current critical need in our community and reconnects members with the JLHB founder, Margaret Gilmour. The Mark Preece Family House building is located on the site, and incorporates some of the historical features, of the former Smart Turner business, owned by Margaret’s husband, Wm. (Bill) Gilmour. Although the building at 191 Barton Street East was recently devastated by fire, caused by arson, reconstruction on the same site is well underway.  A fall 2010 opening is anticipated.

For the past four years, the Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington has participated in Kids in the Kitchen, an ongoing awareness initiative spear-headed by the Association of Junior Leagues International, designed to help communities address the urgent issues surrounding childhood obesity and poor nutrition.

On Thursday March 19, 2009, Kids in the Kitchen were "cooking up" a delectable event at the Eva Rothwell Resource Centre in Hamilton, Ontario.  Guest chefs included Chris Haworth, an Executive Chef from Spencers at The Waterfront, in Burlington and Jason Gibson a Personal Chef; Jason Gibson Personal Chef Services. 

The New Member Group of the Junior League Hamilton-Burlington planned an exciting day of fun activities to develop knowledge about healthy living and how to make healthy lifestyle choices.   The children visited a variety of stations throughout the day; each with a specific theme:  cooking, fire  safety, fitness, farming and nutrition.

Professional chefs engaged the children, ages 6-15, with food preparation by creating a healthful meal, like chicken quesadillas and apple tarts, with attention to the major food groups; as positive role models in the community, our local firefighters spoke to the children on fire preventiona and personal safety; a certified trainer, Matt Green with Freestyle Fitness, took the children through a fitness routine they can do at home; the Hamilton Eat Local Grow organization taught about the benefits of consuming a diet of locally grown foods.  Each child received a plant to cultivate at home.  The day was fun and interactive.

Launched in 2006, this year, more than 210 Leagues in the U.S, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom are participating, providing educational initiatives for children and families in their communities.  Participants of the Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington Kids in the Kitchen have an opportunity to enjoy the food that they prepare, sitting down to eat together as a community family. Recent studies indicate that family dining improves dietary habits of children. At the end of the day, children were provided with products and information that will assist them to create the same type of meal in their own home.

This is the second event held in the Centre's newly renovated kitchen, with the Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington assisting in providing various kitchen items. The Eva Rothwell Resource Centre, operated by the Robert Land Community Association, is home to an ever-growing number of innovative programs and services that are helping to improve the quality of life and enhance social wellbeing for an entire North Hamilton neighbourhood. Some of the city's best kids are being inspired to bigger dreams and realizing unlimited potential. The Community Centre strives to provide access to community resources important to healthy living. Quoting Don MacVicar, Robert land Community Association Board Chair: "There couldn't be a more perfect time in life for the Junior League to connect with the children of the Rothwell Resource Centre. They have created a new and exciting vision to engage children in an interactive learning workshop.  That will not only be fun, but create dreams for the children and help to make their dreams come true."

Junior Leagues' Kids in the Kitchen initiative aims to continue making an impact by educating the public at a grassroots level. “We’re very proud of our new members and the enthusiasm with which they’re planning this year’s KITK event.  KITK has become a very important initiative for the JLHB and it’s exciting to watch it grow and develop, as our members continually apply fresh and creative ideas to this annual event” said Rita Lachance, President of the Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington.  Chef Chris Haworth, with Spencer’s at the Waterfront, states "We have to re-teach ourselves (starting with our children) the lost art of cooking a homemade meal, and more importantly, to eat as a family at the table. In recent years, we have lost this simple pleasure to the fast food TV nation we now live in. That's my motivation." and Chef Jason Gibson, with Jason Gibson Personal Chef Services, quoted “It is very important to me that children get a chance to learn how to prepare food for themselves. Part of our problem as eaters is that we never learn how easy it is to prepare simple healthy meals. We tend to lean on fast food for our daily intake, when really good healthy food is even faster! I hope the children will come away with some knowledge of how important it is to feed your body good stuff!”

Leagues across four countries will involve kids in hands-on activities related to preparation of their own meals and snacks, based on information that shows that kids who help with shopping and meal preparation are more likely to eat healthy foods. Junior Leagues also offer a comprehensive website with materials that interest both kids and parents. An online recipe collection features downloadable kid-friendly, nutritious recipes from celebrities, chefs and athletes, as well as an educational interactive game provided by Cartoon Network. Kids and their parents can also access downloadable nutrition and exercise tips and quizzes to test kids on their nutritional knowledge. The Kids in the Kitchen website can be found at www.kidsinthekitchen.ajli.org

The event, organized by our League's new members as their community impact project, was held at Fortino's on Main Street West in Hamilton. The young women of Grace Haven were given a tour of the supermarket, with suggestions and tips on how to choose ingredients that are economical and fall within Canada's Food Guidelines. With the guidance and direction of our members, they prepared several dishes suitable to serve at their child's first birthday party. Each teen and their babies left with a parting gift - kitchen gadgets, healthy eating information including a copy of Canada's Food Guide and healthy recipes for the moms; feeding bowls, books and toys for the babes.

Grace Haven
The Salvation Army's Grace Haven in Hamilton is a multi-agency partnership offering residential and day programmes in a compassionate environment, with educational opportunities and individualized social and parenting programs to enhance the lives of young single parents and their children.

Making a difference in our community!
Currently, and for the past 27 years, The Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington "Kids on the Block" puppet troupe have been helping our elementary school children understand and accept differences in people. This form of puppetry is a powerful medium of education that enlightens local children on the issues of disability awareness, medical/educational differences, and social concerns.

Our Kids on the Block puppeteers present skits to children in a marvelously effective and fun way. The appealing and realistic characters encourage children to ask these puppet characters questions that they may be too intimidated to ask a real person. The skit content and the subsequent dialogue helps children to identify similarities between themselves and the puppet "kids", strengthens positive messages on issues such as bullying, vandalism and smoking, and helps to dispel myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities and differences.

The programs and materials presented are thoroughly researched and developed by Kids on the Block Inc. with the co-operation of national organizations representing specific issues and with the assistance of experts in the field of study.

If you are interested in booking a Kids on the Block performance or become a Kids on the Block puppeteer, please contact kob@juniorleague.ca or call (905) 525-1077. To learn more about the Kids on the Block program please visit the Kids on the Block Inc. website

 
JLHB Past-President Marion Goard presents a cheque
in the amount of $100,000.00 to the VON Foundation
Board Chair, Kate Bursey at the grand opening event.

The Junior Leagues "Rebuilding a Better New Orleans" project mobilized close to 1000 volunteers over the course of nine days and more than 600 came from 200 cities in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. 14 Leaguers, friends, and family represented the Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington, working side by side other Leaguers from other cities!

Over 12,000 hours of sweat and determination during the week’s projects culminated in the gutting, sheetrocking, painting, flooring, cabinetry, plumbing of 25 house projects in the Freret Street area, general cleanup, including the neighborhood cemetery; at Habitat For Humanity's Musicians' Village, sidewalks were poured and painting continued to complete the construction of houses so that homeowners could return. In City Park, New Orleanians enjoyed a beautified new Band Stand after a weeklong of cleanup and planting. Restoration efforts at Willie Mae's Scotch House Restaurant has enabled this 90 year old restaurateur to start frying up her famous chicken again! Bourbon Street is very much alive, and after working all day, Leaguers enjoyed the cuisine and music New Orleans is famous for. On Thursday, October 5, work wrapped up early so that volunteers could take part in a tour and dinner designed to inspire and educate. The disaster tour covers the Ninth Ward, Lakeview, Old Metairie, and Gentilly, including a stop at the Red Cross for a presentation on disaster preparedness. The Junior League volunteers in attendance left equipped to serve as ambassadors for this cause as they return to their own hometowns. The collaborative efforts of these women from so many Junior Leagues reflect the motto of the entire Association: "Women building better communities." Never before has this message translated so literally.

For more information, visit the Junior League of New Orleans website.

Ronald McDonald House - Home for Dinner
Recently, Junior League members were treated to a recreational cooking class at Liaison College of Culinary Arts in Hamilton. The prepared meals were delivered to Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton in support of their "Home for Dinner" program. The Junior League of Hamilton Burlington was instrumental in the creation of Ronald McDonald House in 1993 and has continued to work with the 'Home with a Heart' on several occasions since then.

"To the Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington:

I want to thank you so much for providing our families with all the incredible "take out" meals. We have received many comments not only about how delicious they are but also how they're a perfect lunch to take to the hospital. We’re thrilled by how our families have enjoyed our Home for Dinner program. Thanks for being part of it."

Pearl Wolfe
Executive Director
Ronald McDonald House
Hamilton, Ontario

 Canadian Junior Leagues have donated more than 340 boxes of clothing nation-wide to various women’s shelters, community organizations and agencies.

"Clear out your Closet" Clothing Drive is a community impact initiative of The Canadian Federation of Junior Leagues (CFJL) in association with specialty retailer Talbots. Through the unique retail partnership with Talbots Canada, the CFJL is able to mainstream this clothing drive at a consumer level as CFJL and Talbots invited Junior League members, friends and customers to drop off their gently used fall and winter clothing at any Talbots store throughout Canada, for this event.

FRIENDS for Success is a natural choice as the local recipient selected by the Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington for clothing donated through the "Clean Out Your Closet" initiative.  Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington (JLHB) members have collected clothing, volunteered their time to work with clients, painted their new location, and most recently, financially supported their Phenomenal Women speaker series.

FRIENDS for Success Inc. is a program of the YWCA Hamilton, committed to helping individuals who are experiencing difficult life circumstances. Most of the participants are women. By providing clothing and support necessary for employment success, the program enhances the well-being of families and the community. To date, more than 1,200 individuals have been assisted - from both Halton and Hamilton partner agencies. Over 90 referral agencies send clients to FRIENDS.

Some of the recent community projects with which the Junior League has been affiliated are: Ronald McDonald House, The Halton Women's Shelters in Milton and Burlington, the expansion project of Grace Haven's Young Parent Resource Centre, as well as the purchase of a stereotactic mammographic biopsy unit at Henderson Hospital. Our current focus is Respite Care.

Increased the principle sum of the Junior League of Hamilton-Burlington, Inc. Bursary to $24,000 at McMaster University, by pledging an additional $10,000, matched by the Ontario Trust for Support Program.

Participated in the Association of Junior Leagues International Done in a Day project of Kids in the Kitchen, in Hamilton's Grace Haven; young mothers were taught how to easily prepare a nutritious meal.

Discretionary Fund Disbursements

A Discretionary Fund has been established by the JLHB to provide modest financial support to other organizations whose needs and programs align with our Mission of pormoting voluntarism and improving our community. Tax-exempt, non-profit, registered charitable organizations providing special services, educational programming for children and youth, the elderly or for women's issues may be eligible for a grant. More information is available here...

Discretionary Fund Disbursements 2008-2009

 The Welcom Inn Community Centre
 St. Martin's Manor
 Camelot Centre Adult Day Program In.
 ROCK - Reach Out Centre for Kids


The League's contribution and commitment to these worthwhile projects can only be accomplished through the community's generous support. Please continue to support the Junior League of Hamilton Burlington, Inc. and its initiatives by attending the JLHB's Annual Holiday House Tours.

Grace Haven Home - Young Parent Resource Center $100,000 and JLHB members directed the capital campaign.

Henderson Hospital - Hamilton Cancer Center - Stereotactic Mamographic Biopsy Unit $100,000.

Ronald McDonald House - Feasibility study and $100,000.

Created Junior League Centennial Endowment Fund with the Hamilton Community Foundation $40,000 and Burlington Community Foundation. Read the News Release

$10,000 Created Junior League Great Lakes Collaborative Environmental Endowment Fund with the Burlington Community Foundation for over $46,000.

Funded the Royal Botanical Gardens Nature Interpretive Centre.

Partnered with the Hamilton YWCA to establish and secure funding for the Supervised Access Program.