President's Message

Much is expected from those to whom much has been given – and in these challenging times, members of the Junior League of Atlanta have truly been given a gift. That gift is the unique opportunity to step in where others cannot, and through our collective power of service, provide essential help to women, children, and our community partners.

I have heard first-hand from so many of our partners how much they appreciate our volunteers – their commitment, their reliability, their expertise and experience, and most of all, their passion. Our partners are so grateful for League service and really depend on our support!

During the course of the 2009-2010 League year, we are building on our core community service and fundraising activities. And, we are introducing some new initiatives, including trainings for mandatory reporters of suspected child sexual abuse, the Junior Leagues of Georgia Million Minute Read, and enhancements to our websites and systems.

As part of our commitment to children, we strive to be a big voice for them – to be their advocate, taking action on behalf of their futures. The Junior League of Atlanta was just awarded the Big Voice for Children Award from Voices for Georgia’s Children – and we were the first organization to receive this award in its history! The award recognizes the League’s commitment, compassion, and foresight in creating programs that help children today and tomorrow, and for our work at the state capitol.

I am also excited to announce that in conjunction with the eleven other Leagues in Georgia, we’ve embarked on the Million Minute Read. Through the Read, we are working to surround children with words and ideas, and to help them develop critical language skills that are the foundation for success in life. In just 5 months, we have reached over 800,000 minutes of our 1,000,000 minute goal!! It is so exciting to see us make such incredible progress toward such an audacious goal.

I want to thank all of our members for all they do. They are such remarkable women, giving so much of themselves to others. J.M. Laurence said, “It’s not what we have in our life, but who we have in our life that counts.” This is so true!

Fondly,

Susannah Balish
2009-2010 Junior League of Atlanta President