Our Committees
There are several opportunities to get involved as a member of the Downers Grove Junior Woman's Club. Volunteering to join any of the Standing or Special Committees below is a great way to give back to the community.
Standing Committees
Conservation & Community Affairs (CCA)
Chairs: Stephanie ferguson & meredith van sykle
The CCA committee is responsible for keeping membership informed about civic affairs while working for the betterment of our community. They work with our various philanthropic partners to create volunteer opportunities for our club members.
Projects include: PADS fruit delivery, Hope's Front Door School Supply Drive, Adopt A Highway, various porch drop off projects and so much more!
Seeking members who possess skills including:
Awareness of different needs within the community that DGJWC can help through volunteer opportunities for members and their families.
Ability to commit volunteer time for different initiatives- e.g. collecting items on your porch, volunteering to deliver meals/gifts to local families in need.
Education
Chairs: Krista nadeau & annie sprau
The Education Committee promotes education and awards scholarships. The goal of this committee is to keep club members current on community education issues and provide educational services to schools, the library and the children of Downers Grove, as well as educational programs for club members.
Projects include: Scholarships for Downers Grove High School Seniors, D58 & D99 Teacher Grants, and The Junior High Art Contest.
Seeking members who possess skills including:
Interest in education; reviewing teacher grant applications and senior scholarships.
Ability to promote all applications/scholarships to reach as many students and teachers possible in the DG community.
Interest in art; reviewing middle school art submissions
Connections to Downers Grove elementary, middle and high schools.
Membership (Prospective Members)
Chairs: kelli novak & Jenny schoonover
The Membership Committee helps guide prospective members through the recruitment process; helping them understand more about DGJWC and what is involved in becoming a member. This committee is critical in helping make a positive impression for those interested in joining club!
Seeking members who possess skills including:
Willing to be a “buddy” for prospective members to help them understand upcoming meetings/events and answer questions for them
Awareness of club to be able to answer questions for prospective members
Communications
Chair: Sam Figueroa
This committee is responsible for building awareness of DGJWC throughout the broader community and of upcoming events and accomplishments of the Club through local news outlets, social media and the Club’s website.
Seeking members who possess skills including:
Savvy with social media
Strong writing skills/experience writing press releases
Creative ideas beyond social media
Philanthropy
Chair: kristen avery
The Philanthropy Committee researches and reviews all donation requests submitted by members, committees, and organizations. When a request is received, the recipient organization or individual is reviewed and, if the committee approves it, the request goes before the general membership for discussion and approval. After final approval, the committee distributes the money to the designated recipients.
Seeking Members whose possess skills including:
Awareness of philanthropic organizations in our community
Interest in reviewing organizations needs and providing a balanced vote for if it is the right fit for our club funds
Learn more about organizations we have supported
Social
Chair: heather powell
The Social Committee plans exclusive events for members as well as for their families, including events like game nights, fitness events, happy hours and more.
Seeking members who possess skills including:
Event planning- interest in planning several fun social outings for our club members throughout the year
Meeting and getting to know members at social outings
Ways and Means (WAM)
Chairs: maria o’connor & sarah wilhite
WAM raises money to support the club’s philanthropic endeavors. Drawing on the support of the entire club, the committee plans and organizes fundraisers as voted on by the active members of club.
Seeking Members who possess skills including:
Event planning- interest in planning one or more of our major fundraisers this club year - Witches Walk (bar crawl), Santa Photo Eperience and a fun Mardi Gras themed party
Interest in soliciting local business for sponsorship and in-kind donations
Special Committees
Programming
Chair: open!
This new special committee is responsible for planning the content for our monthly meetings in addition to our end of year May Banquet.
Seeking members who possess skills including:
Event Planning- working to secure locations for meetings and ensure that proper set-up is in place for successful meetings
Need to be able to attend most Tuesday general meetings
Understanding of members interest to plan engaging topics for our general meetings
Handmade Market
Chairs: shannon lucas & mary purcell
For over 25 years, the Downers Grove Junior Woman's Club has sponsored the Handmade Market featuring Chicago-area crafters and artisans. Proceeds from the Downers Grove Handmade Market go into club’s General Fund to support our operating expenses. We have held the event both in-person and virtually and hope to host an event in Fall 2021 that is a combination of both. This year will be a revamped fun girls wine shopping night!
seeking members who possess skills including:
Interest in setting criteria and reviewing vendor applicants
Strong communications skills to help with corresponding with vendors and writing crafter profiles for social media promotions
Event planning skills to help with logistics, coordinating with venue/food & beverage provider
Volunteering at the in-person event
Marketing skills to help promote the live and virtual event to community
Visit the Handmade Market Page
Safety Town
Chairs: Christine Paulik, Kelly Parish & Suzanne mraz
Safety Town is a two-week program held in August and organized with the Park District and Police Department to instruct 5- and 6-year-old children in home, fire, traffic, and bicycle safety issues.
This summer, the Safety Town committee will plan our community involvement project: A bike safety event held over the summer in place of the traditional Safety Town program.
Seeking members who possess skills including:
Interest in working with young children and teenagers (volunteers)
Coordinating with the Park District and Police Department