History of the Juniors Club in the 1990's

As the 55th President in the 62 year history of Juniors, Barbara Lapsley chose a theme focusing on the achievement of higher goals. "As the moon and stars draw ever nigh, let us set our goals as far and as high" was her challenge to our membership, and they responded with their usual enthusiasm and achieved great success.

The Coral Gables Junior Woman's Club won the Shining Star award at the Spring Convention for our free dental clinic's service to the community, and we also were awarded 3rd Place for the Outstanding Club in our category by the Dade County Federation of Woman's Clubs.

The Honorable George M Corrigan, Mayor of the City of Coral Gables, presented Juniors with a check for $10,000 for the dental clinic at our annual Cabaret, helping us provide $75,000 in dental care to approximately 900 children this year.

Cabaret'91, "Causin' A Commotion," was a great success. The addition of a matinee performance this year enabled us to realize ticket sales of $29,000 and additional Donations and Underwriting of $26,851 will make it possible for us to continue to operate the dental clinic. Juniors participated in many worthwhile events this year, including Special Olympics, Up With Downs Syndrome, Linda Ray Infant Center, University of Miami Woman's Cancer Association and Do the Right Thing. We also continued our holiday tradition with the Senior Citizens' Christmas Party at the Gesu Church in Downtown Miami and the delivery of Thanksgiving baskets to needy families.

In addition to our time, Juniors donated nearly $6,000 to worthy causes, such as Mailman Center, Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation, Channel 2, Hope Lodge, Up With Downs Syndrome, March of Dimes, Winnie the Pooh Bears for Israel, and Special Olympics, among others.

A very successful Ways and Means campaign of selling holiday scented pine cones generated $6,600 in profits this year, and additional profits were generated by participation in the Coconut Grove Arts Festival. We were able to make needed improvements to our Clubhouse this year, including a new parquet floor and mauve carpeting in the main room, new linoleum flooring in the kitchen and bar area, and attractive new window treatments. These modern improvements enabled us to realize a profit of $13,000 on our clubhouse operation and look forward to continued profits in years to come.

The goals we Juniors set ourselves this year were challenging, and we met the challenge and exceeded even our most ambitious expectations. With characteristic dedication and a positive, helpful, and loving attitude, Juniors will always meet the challenges of the future and achieve their gods, no matter how nigh.
Junior Love, Barbara
Sponsor: 1990-1991 Mrs. Pat Gabriel

Mrs. Rick Vair chose as her theme "Light the Way to Excellence." By helping meet the needs of our community, and awarding excellence, the community will see what we value, and recognize our efforts to make the world a better place to live.

This year we renewed Junior ties with former members. We added a Board position entitled Director of Associates. The Associate Director compiled a mailing list, sent out a monthly newsletter and hosted get togethers, the second Tuesday of each month. The benefits of this effort paid off and we were able to reunite many of our members.

During the fall the Ways & Means committee coordinated another successful year of Scented Pine Cone sales. In addition to the pine cones, we added a new product, Peppermint Potpourri. The profit from this project was approximately $3,500.

In keeping with our interest in dental care for children, the Juniors got involved with a new program called The Child Keypper's Bite Identification System. The bite identification system was a simple way to identify all children in the U.S. by using a computer software program.

During the holidays we prepared baskets of food for needy families, collected toys for the "Do The Right Thing" program, and hosted a party for senior citizens at the Gesu Community Center. We closed 1991 with our Holiday Party. "Awards of Excellence" were presented to several deserving people in our community. Unfortunately, Betty Vair had to cut her term short due to her move to Cleveland, Mrs. Michael Swan was installed as the new president.

We remained busy in 1992 with our participation in the Coconut Grove Art Festival. We raised $540, Working at the Kraft booth. We showed off our dance talents at the First Annual Coral Gables Merrick Festival and the CGWC Fountain of Nostalgia Dinner Dance.

This year we were well represented with 2 of our members sitting on the Dade County District IV Board of Directors. We were awarded First Runner Up for the Outstanding Club in our category by the Dade County Federation of Woman's Clubs.

We were continually making improvements to our Clubhouse and they certainly paid off. Our Club-house was rented almost every weekend for weddings or special parties and we enjoyed the profits. We netted $52,000 on rentals.

Our 54th Annual Cabaret entitled "Once Upon A Twist" was fabulous! For the second year in a row we held a matinee performance. We focused on group ticket sales and were able to make a tremendous impact, realizing over 700 group sales tickets. We raised over $31,000 in net profits. All of this hard work was expended so that we could continue to keep the door open to our dental clinic. The Juniors were presented a check for $8,000 from the City of Coral Gables and $2,000 from the City of Miami, helping us to provide over $95,000 worth of dental care to over 1,100 patients.

I would like to thank the members for their patience and support as I took over the responsibilities of president in midyear. We should all be proud of our accomplishments for we did "Light the Way to Excellence."
Love, Leslie
Sponsor: 1991-1992 Mrs. Pat Gabriel

The Coral Gables Junior Woman's Club lived up to Leslie Swan's theme for 1992-1993 "Making Miracles Happen In Miami." Many miracles were needed throughout our community especially after August 24th. Never will we forget those terrifying early morning hours as Hurricane Andrew ripped through our homes and neighborhoods. In just hours, this intense storm carved a path of destruction. Worse than a new home or new roof, it meant putting lives back together.

Hurricane Andrew hit our members hard. Twenty five percent of our members lost their homes completely and 80% sustained some damage to their homes or businesses. Our immediate efforts were directed at helping our members and their families recover from Andrew's wrath. To help with the Hurricane recovery efforts in our community, the Juniors participated in the "Children's Recovery Care Program." This program provided emotional and spiritual counseling for pre-school children affected by Andrew. The Juniors collected supplies needed for this program. Next, the Juniors also collected books which were desperately needed to replace all of the water damaged library books at Perrine Elementary School.

Our help reached out to fellow Junior Clubs. In November, we prepared and delivered refreshments to the Homestead Junior Woman's Club for their first meeting following Hurricane Andrew. The Homestead Juniors lost their clubhouse and almost every one of their members lost their homes to the hurricane.

During the fall, we kicked off our Ways & Means Project. We sold gift wrap, scented pine cones, coupon books and gorgeous holiday greeting cards. We also participated in The Ultimate Garage Sale.

As the holidays rolled around, our work continued. We distributed 9 Thanksgiving Baskets of food to needy families in our dental clinic. We hosted our annual Christmas Party for senior citizens at the Gesu Church Community Center in downtown Miami. We also donated toys for the "Do the Right Thing" toy drive. We participated as hostesses in the Coral Gables Holiday Stroll and purchased Christmas gifts for several girls at Hacienda Girls Ranch. We tried something new, we hosted our Holiday Dinner at our Clubhouse and it was a huge success.

We participated in an ecology program by recycling aluminum cans. We also made monetary donations to support Metro Zoo, Up With Down Syndrome Foundation, the Miami Rescue Mission, the Kind News and Coral Gables Elementary School's art program. We presented 2 of our members with $200 scholarships to further their college studies.

This year, we were very active in the Dade County Federation. Several members attended their Fine Arts Festival where we won 3 awards in the "Fabulously Funny Fashion Show." Fourteen of our members were models at the Springtime Fiesta Luncheon. Our Club also won a third place ribbon for the club having sold the most tickets to the Fiesta. The Gables Juniors were awarded runner up for the DCFWC's Outstanding Club in our category.

The Juniors also won several awards at the Florida Federation of Women's Club Spring Convention. Our Club had not participated in the official reporting process since 1988. We received First Place for Fund Raising, Second Place for Home Life, the 1993 Spirit Award, the 105 Membership Increase Award, and Honor Award. We were also recognized for participating in the President's Special Project and for reporting.

"Red Hot Rhythm", Cabaret 1993, was the most profitable ever! We raised $52,000 in fund raising and $40,000 in ticket sales. Included in our fund raising efforts was a donation of $7,076 from the City of Coral Gables. This year was the first time we have ever sold tickets for the balcony at Gusman Theater. This truly was a miracle.

Our Clubhouse continued to be rented almost every weekend. We netted a record $58,234. In addition to rentals for parties and special events, a television movie, "Extra Large II," was partially filmed at our Clubhouse, as well as a Kraft Cheese commercial. We installed a new air conditioning unit, a new hot water heater, a new dental clinic door and a new ceiling in the bar area. In the ladies room we spruced up by adding a new mirror, lights and ceiling fan, toilets and sinks.

Our greatest miracle of the year was a Grant we received from the Dr. John T. MacDonald Foundation. We were the recipients of a $47,500 Grant to renovate and refurbish our dental clinic. It was a year filled with making and receiving miracles.
Love, Leslie
Sponsor: 1992-1993 Mrs. Janet Barone

"Accentuate the Positive" was Pam Pedraza's theme for the 1993 1994 administration. The Active members worked hard to show the New Members all the positive aspects of being a Junior.

We got on the "High Road to Hollywood" and raised over $30,000 for our wonderful dental clinic. Our Clinic was positively beautiful after a complete renovation early in the year.

Our President and Dental Clinic Directors were invited to Centro Campesino for a Thanksgiving feast where they were presented with a plaque in appreciation for all our dental clinic has done for the migrant children.
We had one of the most successful Ways & Means projects in recent years as we sold pine cones, Christmas cards, Christmas decorations and bunnies and netted over $8,000. This money was voted to be given to the dental clinic.

We participated in HOBY, our annual Christmas party for the Gesu Senior Citizens' Center, the Linda Ray Infants Center, ROCK Camp and many more projects. We also assembled Thanksgiving Baskets for some of the families in our dental clinic and adopted a family at Christmas.

This year brought us even closer to the Coral Gables Woman's Club as we participated in several events with them. We hosted a card party for them and made $500. Our Senior's then donated $250 of that to our dental clinic. Several members attended the Senior's Nostalgia Ball. We attended the FFWC Fall Board and Spring Convention. We won a first place in Fund Raising and an Honorable Mention for our dental clinic.

All this and more made for a positively wonderful year.
Sponsor: 1993-1995 Janet Barone

Elaine Sevush chose as her theme for the Coral Gables Junior Woman's Club 1995-96 year "To Do Better Than Ever Before What Work I Have To Do", and without a doubt the entire club membership rose to the challenge. It was a year of setting goals and exceeding them, a year composed of multiple leaders and massive cooperation. Associate involvement was strong. It began early with installation and continued throughout the year including Cabaret. On the other end of the membership spectrum, a Juniorette Club was born, adding a positive new dimension to our club and our show.

The Fall brought a successful new member drive with 9 vital members remaining in our rank by years end. An exciting new Journal format was introduced and approximately $1,000 was saved in the printing of our yearbook. Fall Board was attended by 6 members, while Spring Board sent 8 to Orlando.

October brought "Junior Jackpot," a Casino Nite with record breaking profits of $12,000 for our dental clinic. Seventeen members attended the Hats Off Luncheon, 9 attended the Barton Ravlin Luncheon, 9 attended the CGSWC Nostalgia Ball, and 50 attended the UBC Christmas Show, demonstrating the Juniors capacity to support other causes in our community. The holidays brought our annual Thanksgiving Baskets, Christmas Party, and an elegant yet festive Christmas dinner at our club-house, which shone like never before.

The new year brought renovations to our clubhouse complete with electrical updating, some much needed closet renovations, and a new dance floor. The renewal of Dinners for Ten was enjoyed with forty of our members getting the opportunity to learn a little bit more about each other and The President's Reception strengthened that bond. After "Rockin' to the Rhythm" at our Preview Nite, members set down to the serious business of fund raising. With our files completely updated, our goal was set at $45,000 only to reach $51,780. This level of excellence could not have been achieved without determination of 2 members, Betsy Btitton and Barbara Lapsley, who aspired to succeed in securing the John T. McDonald Foundation grant for $12,000.
Never wavering from the Cabaret ticket sale goal set at $35,000, ticket by ticket we surpassed that too.

1996s Cabaret "Rockin' to the Rhythm" proved Cabaret's success could be measured in numerous ways. It could be measured in dollars and cents, with a final profit of $47,000, the unending creativity of our choreographers, the hidden abilities of our members, the complexities of the dance numbers, the innovative scenery built and costumes sewn, the publicity received, and the comradeship exhibited. No matter what measure you chose, we came out on top.

Our decision to undertake a Sunday Matinee proved to be the right choice and spirits were high throughout rehearsals, run throughs, performances as well as, breakdown and clean up. Each member can take pride in the fact that she did her part to keep the May Van Sickle dental clinic open yet another year. In addition, the CGJWC succeeded in attaining funds to provide dental care outside our clinic, thus broadening the scope of what our club has to offer the community. In recognition of these achievements Elaine Sevush was awarded in conjunction with Lisa McLellan, the Barbara Rosenthal Leadership Award for 1995-1996.
Sponsor: 1995-1996 Janet Barone

Barbara Lapsley adopted as her theme for the Coral Gables Junior Woman's Club 1996-97 year, "Friendships are stars in your crown," to promote the idea that the friendships we form, like the good deeds we do, become stars in the crown we will wear in heaven. They help us to become better people and make us more valuable as members of society. With this idea in mind, Juniors were represented at many community functions during the year and established friendships that will last for years to come.

Working together, Juniors accomplished major goals during the year. The reception area at the May Van Sickle Children's Dental Clinic was completely refurbished, and a much needed copier was added to the office equipment. Another major improvement was the complete revision of the application for treatment at the clinic. While these projects were being accomplished, the clinic handled 1,100 patient visits and provided $128,000 worth of dental care to the children of needy families.

The Ways and Means Committee came up with a very profitable fund raiser this year, called the "Rock And Roll Raffle." It was a fun evening, with lots of dancing, and it raised $5,000 for the clinic. The New Members Committee did a great job of bringing the new members up to speed on this year's projects. A new innovation this year was the installation of 2 new member classes, one in September and one in January.

Juniors not only served the community with dental care for our young patients, we also donated Thanksgiving baskets to our dental clinic families and provided a holiday party for senior citizens at the Gesu Church. As a consequence of attending the Linda Ray Infants Center "Hats Off Luncheon," 2 of our Associate members, Wendy Denkhaus and Trish Ramsay, secured $2,500 for the clinic with their 2°d Place hat design. As usual, our Associate members made great contributions to our success this year, and their efforts are appreciated.

There was a sizable group of Juniors joining Barbara Lapsley at Fall Board and Spring Convention this year. Juniors made some new friends and had a good time at both events. The Entertainment Committee brought back "Dinners For Ten" this year, and we had an excellent turnout. These dinners brought us together for lots of good food and conversation.

Juniors participated with our friends at Coral Gables Woman's Club this year in many ways. We were represented at all the Board Meetings, enjoyed an interesting book review, met the candidates for the school board election at a "Coffee With The Candidates" party, filled a table at the "Nostalgia Ball", and joined the Woman's Club as co host of a "Closest To The Pin" contest at the Biltmore Golf Course, raising $400 for a community project.

Also, in the spirit of cooperation with our gracious landlords, Juniors purchased a 2 ton air handler for the large ballroom at the clubhouse and participated with the Woman's Club in the renovation of the entrance and the installation of a handicapped restroom. The preservation of this historical structure that serves as our clubhouse is a major concern of the Juniors, and we welcome the opportunity to contribute.

This year's Cabaret, "Step On Out", was a smashing success both artistically and financially. The creativity of our matchless choreographers, Clay James and Paul Mungo, brought out the best of all our talents, and everyone was talking about Juniors. The videotape of the show ran for about 6 weeks on Coral Gables Cable TV, and the excellent production values brought to the show by Clay, Paul, Peter Smith and the Gables TV Network were major factors in the high level of entertainment that this Cabaret achieved. Artistic success is wonderful, of course, but this year's Cabaret also achieved record levels of financial success. Our outstanding fund raisers brought in $57,000 in grants and donations. And $35,000 in ticket sales, and all of our Cabaret participants can take pride in some very impressive numbers, both on and off the stage.
Many people contributed their time and talents to Juniors projects, both large and small, and it's always difficult to single out the one member who best exhibits the quality of leadership during the year. Basically, she accomplishes the tasks she is given and does more than is expected. She earns the respect of others, and expects no reward for her efforts. In recognition of the many hats she donned, the outstanding results she achieved, and the helpful attitude with which she approached each job she undertook, this year's Barbara Rosenthal Leadership Award was given to Vicki McGroarty.
Sponsor: 1995-1996 Janet Barone

Barbara Lapsley's theme for the Coral Gables Junior Woman's club 1997 98 year was, "Working together, our light shines brighter." Using the illustration that a single star is but a pin point of light, but all the stars together warm the night, each member's contribution, no matter how small, is regarded ac, an important part of the good we do for our community. During the year, Juniors continued their long tradition of working together , and they can take pride in their accomplishments.

To begin the year, 2nd Vice President, Bink Sime, wined and dined our 18 new member prospects. In September, we had a wine and cheese party at the clubhouse. October brought a Halloween party at Bink and Scott's home, and in November, we enjoyed an afternoon tea luncheon at Andy Young's home. The new member installation was held in January, at the clubhouse, and we ushered in 10 very dedicated and very active new members. All of our regular meetings were well attended, and we enjoyed very informative programs at 4 of those meetings.

Barbara Lapsley served as Junior's representative at all the Senior's meetings and social functions during the year, continuing a long tradition of friendship and cooperation between the 2 clubs. Barbara also served as Treasurer for the Senior's organization for part of the year.

Entertainment chairman, Gina Del Valle, worked very hard this year to organize our annual Holiday Dinner and an evening of Dinners For Ten. These social events gave us a chance to get to know our new members and catch up on the latest news with long time members.

In December, Junior's joined in the spirit of the season, giving holiday cheer to those less fortunate. For 9 days at the dental clinic, we had parties, with a real tree, decorated by the children. There was cake, cookies and punch, and each child who came in for treatment left with a new toy. Each day during this period, those of us who participated had the pleasure of witnessing the joy and excitement in the eyes of our little patients, as they received a Christmas present from the Junior's. Special thanks to Gloria Burns, who provided 100 new toys through her contacts with the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. What would we do without this outstanding associate member, who gives so much of her time to the Junior's and our community?

The Gesu Senior Citizens Party was also very rewarding for those Junior's who participated, and their spirit of giving made the season bright for some whose lives could use a little cheer. Bink Sime chaired this event, once again, and did a wonderful job. We had a great turnout, with active, associate and new members all working together.

There was a lot of activity at our clubhouse this year, as this historic structure received a facelift and some needed improvements. All new plumbing was installed, from the bathrooms to the city connections. The entrance was restored to its original decor. A water purifier, and ice machine and a commercial refrigerator were installed in the kitchen. An investment was made in beautiful new table-cloths and skirts in a very attractive blue color scheme, and the kitchen was restocked with all new supplies and gadgets. All of the silver bowls and trays, acquired by the Juniors over a forty year span, were polished and put on display in a very elegant setting. And, finally, new landscaping was added to the exterior of the building. Then, in January, Juniors assisted in hosting the Restoration Reception at the clubhouse, to show the community the outstanding restoration that had been accomplished at this historic site.

The dental clinic provided $95,000.00 worth of dental card for needy, school age children in Miami-Dade County, and thanks to a grant from the Dr. John T. Mac Donald foundation, we were able to hire a professional dental assistant to comply with new patients care requirements. Another grant allowed us to provide patients with $10,000.00 in care by dental surgeons and other specialists.

Our final success of the year was our 60th Annual Cabaret, "That's Dancin'." Our wonderful choreographers, Clay James and Paul Mungo, outdid themselves this year, and Cabaret played to standing ovations. The videotape of the show had its longest run on Cable TV since the Gables city Network began producing the video. Our fund raisers brought in $56,500.00 in donations and grants, our ticket sellers another $30,000.00 in ticket sales, and everybody involved can take pride in a job well done.

I would like to thank my family for understanding and supporting me in my dedication to my office for the past 2 years. They never complained about the time this job requires, and they will never know how much that meant to me. Carrying out the duties of this office without the unselfish support and dedication of my fellow members would have been impossible, and I respect and honor them for the leadership they exhibited in the performance of their various duties and in their service to their community. Special thanks to Vicki McGroarty, my dear friend and winner of the prestigious, Barbara Rosenthal Leadership Award for the second year in a row. No one ever deserved it more.
Sponsor: 1997-1998 Janet Barone

Angie Yanda's theme for the 1998-1999 club year was "Each day strive to build something that endures, something worthy of your potential."

The club year began with a summer Cabaret workshop which was attended by past, present and future chairman in the hopes of improving what the club already does so well, Cabaret. This workshop was well attended and work began early for the show. The men's auxiliary hosted an evening of bowling at Don Carters. The high scorers were Joe Otero and Barbara Lapsley.

The Way and Means Chairmen, Betsy Britton and Michelle Collier planned a wonderful fund raiser, Oktoberfest. The members and significant others manned the booths, serving food and filling the pitchers while others hustling raffle tickets for the club's benefit. This event raised in excess of $5000.00. The chairman and the members did a great job and a good time was had by all.

The Homestead Junior Woman's Club and the Miami Springs Junior Woman's Club attended a general meeting and toured the dental clinic in early fall. This meeting set the tone for the months to come. The juniors attended the Homestead Junior Woman's Club Oktoberfest, which benefited their safety village, and the Rodeo Dance, which is their clubs main fund raiser. In addition, juniors assisted the Miami Spring's Junior Woman's Club with a community information sign and landscaping. They reciprocated by passing out our dental clinic applications, attending the show and placing an ad in the playbill. A foundation was laid with the fellow District 11 clubs in the hopes that these relationships continue to grow.

The program meetings throughout the year were both educational and informative. The ladies that attended the Breast Cancer and Osteoporosis meeting took with them a knowledge and understanding of these horrible yet prevalent diseases. And that's not all... In the usual Vicki flair, there was a chocolate making meeting for the Valentine's program meeting and all who attended can say that they left with a few extra calories. This meeting was especially fun because it was attended not only by the members but also by their families and friends.

The dental clinic has also experienced many changes this year. Maria Fernandez was unable to find dentists that were willing to volunteer on a weekly basis but the clinic persevered in their search and the year came to a strong close with the clinic well staffed and with the patient visits on the rise. In addition, the clinic finally obtained a computer. The clinic goal was to have all patient files entered by the close in mid June.

The underlying goal throughout the year was membership. The club was fortunate to have 12 new members, 9 of whom danced in the show. We hosted the first International dinner and installed members at the Holiday Dinner and the President's reception. The Juniorette club also experienced an increase in membership under the direction of Elaine Sevush with the total reaching 20 members (17 Juniorettes danced in the show). The Juniorette club set their own goals which included paying dues, attending 5 meetings, participating in the Oktoberfest raffle sale and the wrapping of the toiletries and bears for Safe Space and the annual Thanksgiving basket and Holiday gift wrapping meeting which additionally benefit the yearly, Gesu Senior Citizen's party.

As the 1999 year began, the club had the fundraising kickoff and a change in both the Show and General Chairman. The club was grateful to Carmen Suarez and Debbie Gary for their willingness to step forward on these positions. All chairmen did a fabulous job on what may have been the biggest production the club ever experienced. This could not have been achieved without the leadership and creativity of the choreographers, Clay James and Paul Mungo.

One of the final achievements of the Club this year was to move towards the new millennium. The club received notices this year via fax, e mail and it even set up a we site through Bellsouth.net. This web site will allow us to have the membership and the dental clinic application available, to advertise club projects and monthly calendars and to preview the show, all on the Internet. Lastly, Angie set aside money to be used as an endowment fund with the hope of providing ongoing scholarships to children and young adults.
Special thanks to the board of directors for their hard work and dedication. The bonds of friendship were strengthened as a result of working together towards a common goal.
Sponsor: 1998-1999 - Janet Barone

Teri Rios was president in 1999-2000.
Sponsor: 1999-2000 - Janet Barone

MORE HISTORY

• 2000's
• Cabaret