A Door County Century

Contributed by Jill G. Thompson, Sustainer and Pedal Pusher

A year ago I wrote a story of how four of the Pedal Pushers (‘PPs”) traveled to New York City to do a century (100 miles in one day) bike ride. We had such a good time that we wanted to do it again! Sue Sorenson spotted the Door County Century – celebrating 30 years in 2009.

A bunch of the PPs started talking early this spring about taking a girls only trip to Door County, Wisconsin. Wow, did we have fun! Mary Ann Betts, Carol Broback, Mary Lynn Gillin, Louise Jones, Dixie Nelson, Paula Soholt, Sue Sorenson and Jill (Greene) Thompson drove to Door County on Friday, September 11th. We had a caravan of three vehicles, and it was fun to stop at Emma Krumbee’s for lunch. You would love our accommodations – a three level townhouse at Little Sweden resort (Mary Lynn found it!), complete with kitchen, deck, three big bathrooms and a rec center with swimming pool and hot tub next door – just south of Fish Creek. As soon as we got there, we pooled all the appetizers that we brought, and headed right out to the deck. There we toasted Happy Birthday to Dixie. She was styling with a Lolita’s wine glass and a special birthday cocktail. Thanks to Louise for securing a reservation; we headed out to the White Gull Inn in Fish Creek for a traditional (and delicious!) fish boil.

Saturday was a day of eating, shopping and registering for the bike ride. We started at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant and Butik, where we had delectable Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, like none you’ve ever tasted before. Al Johnson’s claim to fame is the amazing pancakes and the sod roof, where goats roam freely and love to have their pictures taken! No trip to Door County is complete without a trip to one or more stores that sell fresh Montmorency cherries. We all had a good time at Seaquist’s. Paula is our expert when it comes to wine tasting. She recommended Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery and Market, where we could taste six wines for a dollar. Mary Ann recommended a great spot for our Saturday night dinner – Mission Grille. This restaurant is in a beautiful turn of the century church, and the food is fabulous!

Sunday morning, September 13th dawned sunny and cool – perfect for our rides! Carol, Mary Lynn, Louise, Sue and I opted to ride 100 miles, and Mary Ann, Dixie and Paula opted for 30. We were awe-inspired by the beauty of Door County, and blessed to be there for the best weather in the 30 year history of the ride. The scenery was breath-taking, as we headed up the peninsula along Green Bay, peaked above Sister Bay, and then headed south toward Johannesport, and the little town of Institute, where the ride began. The spaghetti dinner and cherry pie at Sevastopol School were scrumptious for hungry riders. From there, we headed back to Little Sweden where we donned our swimming suits, gin & tonic and snacks for a relaxing couple of hours at the hot tub and pool. What more could we need?

It was tough for us to leave Door County on Monday, so we shopped and ate a bit more. The Door County Century Ride is well-organized, provides options for riders of varying abilities, and takes place in a great spot for a long weekend getaway. We recommend it to the JLSP and your family and friends!

Mark Your Calendars for 11/17/09 to Give to the Max - JLSP will Receive Matching Gift for all Donations

Celebrate the first ever Give to the Max Day with JLSP! The Saint Paul Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation, and Bush Foundation have committed $500,000 in matching contributions. Every donation you make to JLSP on the GiveMN.org website between 8 a.m. on November 17th and 8 a.m. on November 18th will receive a portion of the $500,000 match. The goal is to raise as much money as possible for Minnesota non-profits (including JLSP) within 24 hours. If you have yet to contribute to the annual campaign this year or you wish to further the impact of your donation, please help support JLSP by making a donation on Tuesday November 17th.

How does it work?

You make a gift to the Junior League of Saint Paul through the GiveMN.org website, and your gift will be matched in part by the $500,000 available in matching funds. Additionally, the transaction costs are covered in full so 100% of your gift goes to JLSP. We will be competing against other Minnesota non-profits, so the more support we receive the greater the portion of the match with be donated to JLSP.

We Need Your Support

1. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 17th.

2. Donate by clicking on the link below to make a gift to JLSP through GiveMN.org after 8:00 a.m. on November 17th.

3. Share the news with your friends and family – a half million dollars is on the table.

There’s more! In addition to gifts and matching dollars, the three non-profits with the most donors are eligible for thousands of dollars in cash prizes from GiveMN.org!


Contact Katie Misukanis at development@jlsp.org with questions.

Remember to Exercise Your Right to Vote on November 3rd!

Contributed by Tara Broker, Advocacy Chairperson.

Here is an exercise routine for Tuesday, November 3: As citizens of this country we have certain rights and privileges. We also have certain responsibilities to be active in our communities for positive change. Local officials make decisions on a wide range of issues, from education to health insurance regulations. The lawmakers who make these decisions are put in office by people like us, who exercise our right to vote. This makes voting not only a privilege, but a responsibility, it is our civic duty. It is also our chance to weigh in on who will make the decisions that affect our life and the lives of our family members. So get registered, get educated, and exercise your right to vote at the polls on November 3!

For more information, visit the Secretary of State website.

Find your local candidates, here.

Find your local polling place, here.

Promote Literacy on National Literacy Day!

Contributed by Tara Broker, Advocacy Chairperson

Did you know if students are not proficient at reading by the beginning of third grade they have only a 25 percent chance of catching up over their entire public school experience? Most people do not. We can change that and make a difference in the lives of these children and our communities.

How we can make this difference? Celebrate National Family Literacy Day!

National Family Literacy Day, celebrated across the U.S., focuses on special activities and events that showcase the importance of family literacy programs. First held in 1994, the annual event is officially celebrated on November 1, however we can celebrate throughout the month of November.

Ideas on how to celebrate:

• Have a young child tell you a favorite story (or make one up).

• Write a story together with a child about an important event in their life.

• Send a postcard to a child telling them things you love about them.

• Cut a comic strip into individual panels and see if you a child can arrange them in correct order.

• Visit your neighborhood library.

• Tell a friend about the Junior League of Saint Paul’s advocacy focus this year and ask them to become an advocate for child literacy.

Several JLSP Members will be participating in Building Bonds Events at the Hancock Rec. Center (11/11/09) and the West Minnehaha Rec. Center (11/19/09). Join your fellow League Members by signing up NOW to volunteer for Building Bonds Rec. Center events and try out the skills that you learned from Tim and Julie at the General Membership Meeting! Go to Companio and select events that fit into your schedule. Please contact office@jlsp.org if you need assistance signing up in Companio.

We’d like to know how you will help promote literacy during the month of November. Share with us your plans on our blog or Facebook page.

Learning to Play! October General Membership Meeting Recap

by Alyson Turnquist, Saint Paul Plays! Committee

League Members enjoyed a fun and informational training at the General Membership Meeting on October 13th at the Summit Brewery. We were joined by Dr. Tim Elchert, Child Psychologist at Saint Paul Academy and Summit School and Dr. Julie McGlincey, Associate Admissions Director for St. Paul Academy and Summit School. Tim and Julie shared with us reasons why playing and reading with kids is so important as well as showing us how to interact with the children at our events. Better yet, games were set-up at individual tables so League Members could reconnect with the kid inside!

This month’s training was focused on making Members feel more comfortable at our Building Bonds Through Reading and Play events throughout the year. If you’re not used to playing or interacting with kids on a regular basis, it can be a little intimidating to walk into an event and have to jump right into activities with children.

• What do you do if a child is trying to cheat during game play?
• What happens if a new child approaches during a game that’s already in progress?
• How do you keep a child’s attention while reading a book or playing a game with them?
• How important is it to play by the ‘rules’ of the game?
• Is it important to engage parents as well as the children?

Tim and Julie role played and offered suggestions on several of these situations for us to show us how we can best handle them if we encounter these at our volunteer events. The opportunity to discuss these scenarios under the helpful guidance of Tim and Julie will help us tremendously in upcoming events.

From this training, we realized that play helps children build their interpersonal skills along with becoming self-aware and developing a high “EQ” (Emotional Quotient). EQ describes the ability to identify, access and manage emotions of one’s self, others, and groups.

Thanks to Tim and Julie, we are all better prepared for what may come our way during these events now! Members, please sign up in Companio to volunteer today! All events take place from 5pm – 7pm.

•October 22 Dayton’s Bluff Rec Center
•November 11 Hancock Rec Center
•November 19 West Minnehaha Rec Center
•December 3 McDonough Rec Center
•February 4 Arlington Rec Center
•February 11 McDonough Rec Center
•March 10 Hancock Rec Center
•April 8 West Minnehaha Rec Center
•April 22 Dayton’s Bluff Rec Center
•May 12 Jimmy Lee Rec Center
•May 20 Arlington Rec Center

If you are interested in learning more about the Junior League of Saint Paul's project Building Bonds through Reading and Play contact community@jlsp.org or for more details on becoming a Member contact newmembers@jlsp.org .

Junior League of Saint Paul goes Extreme, Again! 2009

After all is said and done the Junior League of Saint Paul volunteered over 300 hours when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came to Saint Paul in October 2009. JLSP members donated books, toys and games to the Morris family's new daycare space, and spent many hours putting the room together for the big reveal. Enjoy this behind the scenes look at the EMHE project.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition "Move That Bus!"

After a long night of assembling toys, unpacking books and decorating a new fantastic day care space, Junior League members enjoyed the moment everyone had been working so hard for. Sandy Morris and her 2 children were blown away when the bus moved and they caught the first glimpse of their new home.

The Junior League of Saint Paul coordinated putting the day care together, happily informing the designer just 30 minutes before the reveal that it was “done” and ready for her final approval. Congratulations to all the women that helped this week to make this family’s dream a reality.

Shortly before the reveal, celebrity designer Paul DiMeo commended JLSP workers who were in the home on all their work and thanked JLSP for their generosity while putting some final touches on the space.

The show will likely air in January. Be sure to watch for the day care, as almost every book, toy and piece of furniture was placed by JLSP members, and much of it was donated by JLSP as well. Each child at Sandy’s daycare will receive a backpack from JLSP, containing books and toys, a natural extension of our project, “Building Bonds through Reading and Play.”

Thank you for all your efforts this week! Now get some rest!