The Junior League of Minneapolis Recognizes Members and Community Partners
The Junior League of Minneapolis recently held its May General Membership Meeting. Hosted on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at the Wayzata Country Club, the event also doubled as an end-of-year celebration, where we acknowledged the remarkable contributions of our members and community partners during the League year.
As part of the evening, we celebrated the recipients of our first-ever Member Impact Awards!
- Leadership Awards recognize one Active and one Sustainer for making an impact on JLM through strong leadership and developing leadership potential in others.
- Community Impact Awards recognize one Active and one Sustainer for making an impact on the communities we serve through collaboration, volunteer action and fostering learning.
- The Ardele Wheeler Award for Values in Action recognizes one Active, one Sustainer and one New Member who demonstrates a passion for community, helping others achieve their potential and operating respectfully.
Advancing Leadership Award: Michelle Steinhafel. As Events Chair, Michelle led the team to a successful Bottles, Bags and Bingo event that exceeded its financial goal by 280% and delivered the most profitable FITraiser in the last decade.
Sustaining Leadership Award: Jennifer Shinners. Jennifer has repeatedly given of herself to the women on her committees, and they look to her as a mentor.
Community Impact Award – Active: Allison Lucca. With Allison effectively navigating the changing requirements and policies of the correctional facility, the Between the Lines committee has enabled hundreds of children across Minnesota to receive a book narrated by their mother or grandmother.
Community Impact Award – Sustainer: Kathy KIingen. Kathy was the heart and soul of The Clothes Line Pop-Up Sale, our 100th anniversary-inspired fundraiser that resulted in $16,000 in grants to both The Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery and Free Arts, a program of Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities.
Ardele Wheeler Award for Values in Action – Active: Laura Brost. Laura is always open to taking on new opportunities, even in uncharted territory, and consistently supports others around her.
Ardele Wheeler Award for Values in Action – Sustainer: Kathleen Dodson-Smith. Kathleen has done tremendous work to further JLM, including organizing many events and serving as the liaison with the Emeritus community.
Ardele Wheeler Award for Values in Action – New Member: Alissa Nordin. Ali has been an essential part of the fun and entertainment committee for the Party of the Century and an enthusiastic supporter of the event overall.
We also had the opportunity to celebrate more than a dozen members who received peer recognition as part of this year’s awards.
Finally, we recognized our 2023-24 Community Partner of the Year, Tom Muller of Identity Printing. Tom has been a dedicated partner for many years and consistently demonstrates an outstanding commitment to JLM volunteer efforts.
We are immensely proud to highlight the achievements of these individuals who tirelessly work towards creating positive change. Their dedication and passion exemplify our organization’s core values and inspire us all to continue our mission of service.
About The Junior League of Minneapolis
The Junior League of Minneapolis is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training. Visit our website at jlminneapolis.org and follow The Junior League of Minneapolis on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to learn more.