A Place to Serve & Grow

A Place to Serve & Grow

BY: LINDSAY CUOMO

When Stacey Goldsberry moved to Norman, she wanted to get involved and make connections in her new hometown. She stumbled upon the Junior League of Norman.

“I found the Junior League of Norman by googling ways to get involved,” she said. “I filled out the application and a couple of days later I was attending a meeting.”

Since the Junior League includes women from diverse backgrounds, personal goals and walks of life, Goldsberry found an organization to meet others in Norman.

“My fellow Junior League members are now some of my closest friends,” she added.

During her time with the Junior League, Goldsberry said she has gained more than just friendship. Junior League’s mission to improve the community through volunteerism has offered an outlet of service.

“We are an organization of women committed to volunteerism,” Goldsberry explained, who is now the president-elect of the Norman affiliate for the internationally spanning organization.

In addition to meeting volunteer needs for a multitude of other non-profits agencies, Junior League of Norman has two community outreach programs of their own. Both are focused on supporting youth in the Norman community.

Baby Steps, a partnership between the league, Norman Public Schools, Crossroads Youth and Family Services and the Center for Children and Families, is an early head start program that supports teen parents, both mothers and fathers, by providing quality early childhood education services, parenting classes and more. Since the program began in 1993, more than 160 teen parents participating in the program have graduated high school.

The league also works in conjunction with the Regional Food Bank and McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church to help to provide backpacks full of food to at-risk middle and high school students in Norman every weekend during the school year through their Food for Kids program.

In order to meet these crucial needs in the community, the league also focuses on equipping its members to be strong leaders.

“When you look at what we try to achieve, we focus on the potential of women and how to develop leaders in the Norman community,” Goldsberry explained. “We have a specific education and development committee that focuses on the needs in the league.”

The committee invites guest speakers, plans lunch-and-learn sessions and cultivates additional opportunities for members to expand their skill sets and leadership abilities. Just as many other social organizations have been challenged in recent months, the league has had to make adjustments in their usual gatherings.

“We are shifting to be more innovative in this world of COVID to stay connected and leverage the virtual environment,” Goldsberry assured. “This is the year of flexibility but we are focused on meeting the needs of our members.”

The league is now accepting new members for the spring semester and is open to women ages 21 and up.

“People sometimes think the Junior League of Norman is by invitation only but we are open to any woman that wants to get involved and give back to the community,” Goldsberry invited. “Whether you are a transplant to Norman or lived here your whole life, there is a place for you.”

To learn more about the league, how to join and their community programs, visit juniorleagueofnorman.org. – BSM