mmer 2020
JACK AND JILL OF AMERICA, INC.
E X uEm C U C O M mer 2020 S
Summer 2020
PICTURED FROM LEFT:Â NVP MICHELLE GUILLORY
GENTRY ADAMS,
TANYA
ANDERSON, NE
GINA
NP
HAND,
NPD
DANIELLE
LISA
GRANT-DAWSON,
BROWN,
WILLIAMS-JACKSON,
NT
NCS
PAMELA
NRS
CONSUELLA
D
TAYLOR
N A Tu tIi vO N A L e Board Exec
1
3
5
6
President
Danielle Brown
National Vice President Tanya Hand
National Treasurer Pamela D Taylor
National Program Director Lisa Grant-Dawson
National Recording Secretary Michelle Gentry Anderson
National Corresponding Secretary Consuella Guillory Adams
National Editor Gina Williams-Jackson
N A Tq uIaO N A L rters Staff Head
8
Executive Consultant Tiffany Rose
Interim Executive Director Jamarl D. Clark
Membership Natasha Johnstone
Administrative Shalieda Marquez
Special Projects Kristjen Renard
Finance Toni Washington
13
10
NATIONAL PRESIDENT Danielle Brown
Greetings
JACK AND JILL MOTHERS, What a year 2020 has been! It is absolutely safe to say that none of us could have predicted that this year would throw us so many unexpected curve balls.
I am beyond proud of the
manner we have adjusted, recalibrated, and tackled adversity head on in the midst of the multiple pandemics we have been faced with.
In light of National Emergency announcements made earlier this
year,
related
the
Executive
business
and
Board
and
I
programming
made to
the
Virtual
executive Platforms.
decision This
to
to
transition
included
all
meetings,
Jack
and
Jill
installations,
initiations, and programming events. Like many, we shifted part of our focus to advocacy, education, and reform, as the world began to call
for
justice
for
Black
Lives.
Most
notably,
through
Sanding4Reform's
SistersUnited4Reform,
we
were among the 13 organizations that banded together to comprise the country's largest coalition of members
from
historic
African
American
Women's
Organizations
representing
more
than
5
million
women in the United States and globally.
#
It has been an honor and pleasure serving you as National President!
With love,
Danielle Brown,
National President
SISTERS UNITED4 REFORM Summer 2020 | 1
As leaders of African-American women’s organizations in America, we condemn in the strongest terms the senseless and unjustified killings of Black women, Black men, Black girls, and Black boys by police and vigilantes. We have organized knowing that we are stronger and more effective when we work together to raise our more than five (5) million collective voices and exert our collective power to address the unspeakable, horrific killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Nina Pop and too many others – killings that have sparked a global movement for racial justice. We stand united and join with Black communities across our country in an urgent demand for police reform now. Our national shame, which plays out on streets, in cars and even in the sanctity of homes that is resulting in the repugnant killings of African Americans, has reached a fever pitch that can no longer be tolerated. These latest killings, along with those we seldom hear about, have garnered national and international attention and share one common denominator — they demand justice. The trauma of these occurrences is exacerbated by the fact that the nation is in the grip of a horrific pandemic which has had a disproportionate impact on African Americans and other people of color living in poverty. Black, low-wage, essential workers, who risk their lives daily, have disproportionately contracted the COVID-19 virus and died, rendering the most vulnerable families’ recovery uncertain. As African-American women leaders, we are committed to using the power of our collective voice, vote, leadership, and influence as we join the American people and citizens around the world to demand that the routine use of lethal force by law enforcement officers who are duty-bound to protect and serve comes to a swift end. Our #United4Reform alliance comes on the heels of global protests over the deaths of George Floyd and too many others at the hands of the police, because of the color of their skin or how they identify.To achieve these goals, we present the following actions to our 5 million plus members and the broader community to hasten universal change as we continue to advocate and demand justice. #United4Reform Summer 2020 | 2
NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT Tanya Hand
Greetings Mothers, It
is
my
staying
sincerest safe
and
hope
that
healthy
you
during
all
are
these
unprecedented times.
The circumstances of this year did not stop us from celebrating
82 years
of
bringing the world cultural awareness, educational development, health (education and advocacy), civic (legislative advocacy and service) and social/recreational programming.
Chapters across the country were able to celebrate, in-person, the accomplishments of our organization prior to COVID-19 putting a damper on many activities.
MOMENTOUS MOMENTS Additionally, we kicked off our
MOMentous
Membership MOMents  recognition program! With the goal of celebrating mothers who exemplify what it means to be a
Thank you for your willingness and ability to adjust and continue on in our Mission!
Jack and Jill member and bringing our guiding principles to life, we recognize these extraordinary mother members for all that they do to represent the pink and blue!
Sincerely,
Tanya Hand,
National VicePresident
Summer 2020 | 3
Summer 2020 | 4
NATIONAL TREASURER
PamelaD Taylor Greetings and welcome to the final Execucom from the 2018-2020 National Executive Board. It has been such a
wonderful experience serving you as National Treasurer for two consecutive terms.
This year has proven to be one of many adversities, but you all have somehow made each day brighter!
One of many highlights from this spring was the Regional Treasurer Retreat! It was such a pleasure convening with all of the Regional Treasurers and collaborating on the implementation of new and improved systems of operations.
Notable 2018-2020 Highlights: Obtained purchase cards Implemented new year end financial submission process All chapters submitted accurate and complete financial filings before 7/31/2020 Tax returns filed on time each year of service I personally reviewed every chapter’s data file Held monthly meetings with the national budget and finance committee
Thank you again for entrusting me to serve you in this capacity. I hope that the systems we have put
Trained the new regional and budget finance committees
in place will contribute to the financial success of
Elevated the Regional Treasurer positions
this organization for years to come!
Created training for the financial secretary to work inside the same data
Sincerely,
file as the Treasurer
NT Pamela Summer 2020 | 5
NATIONAL PROGRAM DIRECTOR Lisa Grant-Dawson GREETINGS MOTHERS! During
the
greeting:
Winter
Happy
Edition,
New
Year!
I
greeted
Now
that
you
Spring
with
our
has
come
common we
now
know…It IS a DIFFERENT New Year! By the end of January, we were grieving the loss of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. In February, we were hearing
a
word
cascade
throughout
the
news
“DaRona” .
consistently – Coronavirus = COVID-19 =
lightly,
yet
Subsequently,
we would begin to use a different word which set the stage for our new year: Pandemic: adj. A disease that takes over an entire country or world. Thought the pandemic took over, Jack and Jill took a slight pause to recalibrate, but did not relinquish its Power to
Make
a
Difference.
Between
March
and
May
we’d
find
ourselves once again leaning on the power of prayer to make a difference
in
our
souls
and
calling
on
another
SAT
word
to
describe our current situation:
Racism/ against
noun
prejudice,
someone
of
a
discrimination,
different
race
or
antagonism
based
on
the
directed
belief
that
one's own race is superior.
Once again Jack and Jill would show up like an Unstoppable Train with
raised
voices,
signs,
fists,
and
virtual
platforms
ready
to
hear
the
voice
of
unrest
from
age
seven
to
age
Development)
was
seasoned.
Our
Six
Pillars
of
Power
(Cultural,
Education,
Health,
Civic,
Social/Recreational,
Leadership
immune to COVID-19 and have done more in every area to enhance and create value in not only your membership, but in the impact to your families and your community.
I enjoyed all of the in person and virtual initiations, installations, and associate group and bridging ceremonies and was grateful to attend several events in the Fall prior to COVID-19. Today, my soul looks back in wonder of how our ancestors made it over and through so much oppression and mistreatment of black folks in a country they did not choose
to
migrate
emboldened
as
we
to.
Our
execute
lives all
of
have the
been civic
uprooted
and
social
in
so
justice
many
ways
training
to
and the
our
call
streets,
to
action
stages,
necessary
churches,
and
and civic
buildings to raise our voices in outrage at the continued social injustice. Coronavirus isn’t the only thing killing Black People in 2020…Stay Woke and Stay Lifted my Sisters! We MUST overcome For The Children!
As this journey as your National Program Director concludes, thank you Mothers for trusting me to work with and for you. I have had an amazing time and appreciate the work, play, and the strategic programming risks we took to DO MORE to enhance your experience in Jack and Jill. It is through these efforts that I pray you were motivated and encouraged to do more as we prepare to look to the future of a centennial celebration of service in 2038. Once again,
I
thank
the
dynamic
28
mothers
that
I
liaise
with
in
their
various
areas
of
focus
in
addition
to
my
6
NEB
SisStars that I thoroughly enjoy working with.
With Love Traveling Up the Hill with You,
Lisa Grant-Dawson, Summer 2020 | 6
National Program Director
Webinars: Due to COVID-19, we expanded our reach to the membership and expanded not only the number of Webinars but the method of delivery by trying new concepts in light of our advanced reliance on technology. We added more Bedtime Stories, For Mother’s Only, and For Father’s Only sessions. We also developed two May Webinar Sessions starting with May 1, 2020 National Black Family Day: Uncorked interview with Writer and Director and Jack and Jill Dad, Prentice Penny. We were thrilled to have over 1,337 registrants and 733 attendees: An Unprecedented Webinar Record! The experience and feedback was amazing and we were excited to not only showcase a Netflix Movie that reached #1 two days after it first aired in March, during COVID), but we were elated to include our Memphis Chapter President Tracy McGee and our beloved National Editor Gina Williams-Jackson.
We did not stop there. As the shelter in place orders
continued
to
spread
throughout
the
country, we begin working on a new plan to support
our
unprecedented
families migration
during
to
a
new
this lifestyle
of living. On Friday, May 22, 2020, Jack and Jill
of
America
Night/Girls featuring
Night
Actor
hosted Virtual
and
the
Live
first
Date
Comedy
Comedian,
Bill
show
Bellamy.
The success of this webinar was beyond our expectations
as
we
had
over
3,500
registrants and 2,700 participants. The chat comments
exceeded
8,000
and
continued
after the show concluded. The laughter and connected we experienced as a Jack and Jill family was tremendous. As Bill shared with us, he
needed
us
and
we
needed
him:
the
laugher was truly good to our souls.
Summer 2020 | 7
NATIONAL RECORDING S E C RGEe nTt r yAARn dYe r s o n Michelle GREETINGS MOTHERS, Welcome behalf
If
you
2019 I
was
due
Children's
was
The
committee
travel, to
Trip
Jack
fulfill
to
our
cancelled
strongly
and
the
extenuating
Jill
of
plans
and
of
the
Our
hope
our
the
rich
surrounding mission 2021
marks
our
With
areas.
and
wouldn’t see
to
purpose the
want
JJOA
love
The
be
a
families
to
and
that
the
we
task
of
the
part
of
such
part
of
gratitude,
Recording
OK,
Secretary
edition,
for
the
like
famed a
remains to
a
know
how
excited
to
in
on Wall
my
19th, a
full
refund.
travel
to
with
is
safe
Tulsa, the
OK
next
and
opportunity,
journey
together.
massacre.
Wouldn’t
to
exposing
Oklahoma
the
Street
milestone?
it
support
to
the
Trip.
our
once
Tulsa,
the
Hometown,
Children's
would
milestone?
historical
at
that
committed
Black
look
Committee
continue
Tulsa
a
all
should
Americans
historical
such
Trip
you
given
on
NEB!
March
administration
African force
were
Execucom
take
2020
on
families
to
you
recommends
Youth
next
would
Michelle Gentry Anderson National
of
chance
welcome
Incorporated
year
a
a
participants
National
current
be
had
FINAL
the
2018-2020
circumstances,
all
history
and
100th
to
is
the
whole-heartedly
America,
administration. families
and
this,
of
Winter
Tulsa, Unfortunately,
to
we
Who
want
to
GOING VIRTUAL: Attended virtual teen conferences: Central Far West South Central Mid Atlantic Attended virtual Provisional Group training for CoMo Tiger Moms Virtual New Mother installations Virtual Teen Officer installations Virtual Mother Officer installation
SPRING 2020 NOTABLE HIGHLIGHTS Technology Worked with HQ to improve MIS-Digital Cheetah Improved for member interaction and information Committee assisted with 7 Virtual Regional Teen conferences Worked on virtual National Convention
 Regional Secretaries Worked with the Regional Secretaries on new Registration platform and conference planning Attended January's Regional Secretary Retreat
 Nominating Committee Worked with the National Nominating Committee to plan for the election process at virtual conferences Facilitated a virtual meet and greet
Alumni Task Force Worked with the Task Force to add a section on the Scope for Alumni activities Planned additional ways for our Alums to meet and serve JJ as Alums
Summer 2020 | 9
NATIONAL CORRESPONDING S E C R E uTi lA Ry Y Adams r o l suella G Con
GREETINGS TO EACH OF YOU WONDERFUL JACK AND JILL MOTHERS, It is with a sincere heart full of gratitude that I come to you in this final Execucom of the 2018-2020 NEB tenure.
I
am sure you can appreciate the dedication to the work and
commitment to excellence by the mothers working on the National Bylaws Committee and Policies and Procedures Committee during these past two years, as well as, their expertise on the subject matter.
Thank you for your
EVERYTHING! My experiences over the past two
years will stay with me forever!
Sincerely,
NCS Connie
NATIONAL BYLAWS & POLICIES AND PROCEDURES COMMITTEES When we started our journey nearly two years ago, the National Bylaws Committee and Policies and Procedures Committee members committed to work closely together as a team. It made sense to us because the work of these committees is codependent. The aligned influence helps the Organization establish reasoned sustainable governance that enable the members to lead, manage, and accomplish the work of Jack and Jill. These efforts are beneficial to the committee members, our membership, and the Organization. We fondly called ourselves the Good Governance Team. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Good Governance Team was schedule to have a retreat. Although we could not meet faceto-face, we did manage the Inaugural Good Governance Retreat virtually on March 21 and 22, 2020. We had 100% participation by the committee members. The agenda included productive discussions on the proposed bylaws amendments, the implications of the proposed amendments to the policies and procedures; and a workshop facilitated by National Parliamentarian Ramona Marsalis-Hill. The learning experience, welcoming fellowship and an innovative retreat platform, made for an extraordinarily successful retreat. This is the commitment of your Good Governance Team. The Team consistently and continually reviewed the eight major characteristics of Good Governance. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. One of our goals was to educate, engage, and empower our members on the elements and operations of good governance. In doing so, we committed to enhancing the quality of governance of the Organization, as a whole, and increasing the governance IQ of our members around the nation. The first step in this process was to review the status of our current governance on the local and national levels. What we discovered were great variances in the quality of how our national governing footprint was being implemented on the local level. Next in addressing this variance was to provide comments to each Chapter on how their local governance should or could be enhanced using a preliminary draft of a bylaws template to allow the Committee to comment consistently on the local documents around the nation. What we ultimately realized was that what was most needed was a Chapter Bylaws Template that could provide quality guidance to chapters at the local level. The preliminary template was reviewed and refined to reflect the best practices around the nation. Summer 2020 | 10
BYLAWS COMMITEE The Bylaws Committee provided each chapter an editable version of the Chapter Bylaws Template to be used as a guide to enhance or fully revise their local governing document.
POLICIES & PROCEDURES The Policies and Procedures Committee accomplished three main objectives including:
(1)
Delivery of the newly revised
2018-2020 National Policies and Procedures Manual.
(2)
Development of a comprehensive
The National Bylaws Committee received 185
Chapter Level Policies and Procedures
proposed bylaws amendments from across the
Implementation Strategy to facilitate
nation.
chapters’ understanding of the importance of
Conversations were had with the
members who submitted some of the proposed
policies and procedures, and to facilitate
amendments to ensure the best idea possible
their ability to draft or revise a Chapter Level
was presented. The Bylaws Committee
Manual.
members presented 106 proposed bylaws
series to roll out the Implementation Strategy
amendments to the membership for
and to introduce the Chapter Level Policies
consideration at the 44th National
and Procedures Toolkit containing the
Convention. The presentation was informative,
framework, guidance documents, checklists,
comprehensive, and educational
and other tools to facilitate successful
(3)
Delivery of a three-part webinar
implementation. Summer 2020 | 11
2020 NATIONAL FATHER'S RETREAT The Father’s Auxiliary hosted and facilitated the Inaugural Father’s Auxiliary Retreat on January 16-29, 2020.
Nearly 70 dads and
moms enjoy a weekend of activities, workshops, and relaxation at the PGA Nationals in Palm Beach, Florida.
Date: Luther
January King
Duration: evening
Reception, Activities, Committee
dads’ activities, relax while reaffirming or
Food: 3
receiving support from other committed dads.
–
19th,
(Arriving
Golf,
Resort
Sport
Workshop,
Banquet,
morning) &
Spa
Fishing,
Forum,
Networking
Community
Service,
and
Work
Meals/day
Experience Prerequisites: dad
(Martin
Thursday
Sunday
National
PGA
2020
Weekend)
Departing
Tours,
dads to bond with each other, participate in
learning new personal and parenting skills and
days
PGA
Activities: Cultural
The weekend was specifically designed for
4
and
Location:
16th
Holiday
(current
or
Being
a
JNJ
past)
In addition, the dads discussed their roles and commitment to Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated.
The theme for this conference was Stronger Together. How appropriate!
WORK THE
AND
JACK
AND
WAY!!!
Summer 2020 | 12
PLAY JILL
NATIONAL E D iIl lTi a mO R s-Jackson Gina W GREETINGS MOTHERS, Who
could
prepared year
have for
of
by
coronavirus,
is
state
transitioned starting
in
from
March
year.
have
been
all
Shelter met
in
to
Greater Advisor,
orders,
best
White,
by and
Mr.
Regional
hard
Golf.
Membership heart
of
virtual New
Member
conducted Directors May
has
of
deadline
and
assisted
platforms for
to
sessions
County
nationally
Public
the
Programming
is
even
Teen
Charters,
with
very play
the in
a
times, Officer
were
all
Regional
ceremonies
and
compliance
with
Creative and
of
Teen
Adolescent
Officers,
completion.
continued
Regional
to
ensure
for
more
ready
and
Group
we the
met
unprecedented
National
staff
to
learn
Incorporated,
Mother
Associate
HQ
and
the
assistance
hard,
were
of as
Presidents
included
Broward
these
Initiations,
technology 31
During
to
and
working
America,
virtually.
programming
It
lifeblood
Jill
and
and
provided
moms
the
and
Board
the
of
platforms
Prior
Peters,
Presidents
safety
advice
Teen
and to
agenda
Mujica,
America,
family
Teen
Mom
were novel
organization
each
Regional
After
Teen
environment.
Installations
the
is
Jack
pandemic.
RTP’s
Lenny
competitive Top
this
Thanks
we
remainder
with
we the
the
virtual
are
National
As as
the
the
the
the
practices
Worker.
on
to
for
Juandalyn
it
of
ensuring
events
Chapter
the
Dr.
by
Jill
to
Based
seven
to
However,
officials,
Wellness.
Lauderdale
Social
at
the
The
share
Raye
Psychiatrist
by
bring?
caused
and
continuing
prayers
Mental
presented Schools
in-person
retreat.
Fort
Jack
families.
and
would
referred
vision.
committed
impacted
bond,
Teen
we
pandemic
national
Our
Place
annual
about
and
and
program
their
always
members
local,
clear
global
2020
year,
COVID-19.
Incorporated our
and
a
what
special
perfect
blindsided
of
predicted
this
and
quality
regionally
for
teens.
been
an
absolute
pleasure
serving
you
in
this
capacity!
With
love,
Gina Williams-Jackson National
Editor
Summer 2020 | 13