A new chapter

Life has been crazy busy as usual...but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel where things are going to slow down significantly for myself. Officially on May 31, I will no longer be the VP of Finance for the Junior League of Gainesville, as the new year begins for the JLG and leadership switches and swaps. I will still be very active in the JLG, and will be a member of Nominating and Placement - but my actual time commitment will most likely drop by over 50%!!!

One thing I want to impress upon whomever is reading my blog - is that I really enjoyed being Treasurer and the VP of Finance. The time commitment was huge, the amount of emails I received on a daily basis is staggering...but the impact on me was life-changing! It has to be one of the most rewarding positions I've ever had! I was able to work closely with such a great group of women that are passionate about helping the community. And although my hands were not the ones actually out there doing the "grunt" work...my position was no less important. Someone has to take care of the finances...and in a not for profit organization, the goal is to spend as little as possible doing that. YES we have an accountant that files our taxes each year. And YES we have a bookkeeper that helps us with some of the day to day data entry that can be pretty overwhelming...and also answers the questions that someone like me with no finance or accounting background was constantly asking! But I have this knowledge now and this confidence that if someone or some other organization was to ask me to help them with their finances in a similar position - I actually have a clue as to what I'm doing! How fantastic!!!

Without my affiliation with the JLG and without someone's encouragement to take the Treasurer position back in October of 2009 - I never would have felt the way I do now. One of the goals of the JLG is to help train and educate women within the organization so that they can in turn go out and be civic leaders in the community. I can say without a hesitation that the JLG certainly did this for me!

If you are currently in the JLG or in a JL somewhere else in the country - I would encourage you to take the leap and step into a leadership position! I know the thought can be overwhelming and a little daunting...but trust me - IT IS WORTH IT!!!