Pray for Orlando

Update on Our Efforts

As we all react and process the tragedy and terror of acts committed early Sunday morning, the JLGO has been in contact with the Orlando community.  As a result of these preliminary conversations, there will be a variety of efforts from short term to long term that the JLGO can be involved with as our community moves forward. We will provide Done In a Day (DIADs) for our members, which are coming soon on our DIAD calendar web site.  Please note all members are welcome to participate in DIADs, Sustainers included.

Nonprofits we’re actively coordinating with:

Association of Junior Leagues International:  We will work with AJLI on coordination of support from Junior Leagues across the Association; we will also work with AJLI to integrate any community discussions on this Orlando event into future trainings at the international level.

Rollins-Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership: The JLGO has been added to the identified group of nonprofits in our community who will be participating in ongoing volunteer efforts. The Rollins-Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership will be heading up coordination efforts. Our League has been a long-time member of the institute.

Zebra Coalition for YouthThe Orlando LGBT community is rallying all of their nonprofits later this week to better understand the unique needs for the people they serve and assess and coordinate effective volunteer opportunities. The Zebra Coalition for Youth, is a nonprofit serving the youth LGBT community in Orlando.  JLGO has been added to the collected list of organizations wanting to support Orlando’s LGBT community so that we can provide volunteer assistance as necessary.

Fundraising Efforts in our Community: 

The Central Florida Foundation has been working with community leaders all day Sunday to create a “one fund” strategy that will provide a place for everyone to contribute to the community’s recovery. The JLGO keeps our endowment fund at the Central Florida Foundation. We will be sure to publish detailed information to members as soon as it becomes available. Coordinated Community fundraising efforts are being discussed by community leaders in Central Florida.  More details to follow soon.

City of Orlando

We’ve offered additional support to the City of Orlando by contacting City Commissioner Robert Stuart and Officer Kevlon Kirkpatrick offering our support as volunteers for upcoming City efforts. We’ve also signed the League up to provide support as opportunities become available via theCity of Orlando Volunteer Online.   You can sign up as an individual by clicking here.

Our Own JLGO Members:

All of us want to do anything we can to help – from providing professional services to home cooked meals. We’ve spoken with many JLGO members to find out how we might volunteer to support the City of Orlando, the local LGBT community, the Orlando Police Department, Orlando Health, Florida Hospital, the Orange County Department of Health and other medical providers, Heart of Florida United Way, Second Harvest Food Bank, OneBlood Blood Bank, and the Orlando Chamber of Commerce.

In addition, our Neighborhood Relations Committee, which includes JLGO members on the Boards of the Ivanhoe Village and the College Park Partnership are reaching out to those organizations to understand their efforts and where the JLGO can assist.

Next Steps:

Based on conversations we’ve had, we can expect that over the next week and a half, there will be a more coordinated approach to volunteer opportunities as the various interest areas as our community assess their needs.

We are all bracing for the worst as the names of the victims continue to be released and we realize the loss of loved ones in our community.  The names of victims are being added to cityoforlando.net/victims.

We will also routinely update our JLGO Facebook page .

If you all have other thoughts in mind concerning our League’s reach-out efforts, please email president@jlgo.org.

 

Living in South Orlando, my family was awakened early this morning by the din of helicopters. As news trickled out from 6 a.m. onward, I watched horrified as the casualty count increased and the details of the situation grew more disturbing and horrific. The number of helicopters over my house seems to grow.

As Central Floridians, this has happened in our own back yard. We are all directly affected by this horrific incident. We wait terrified to see the victim list, not knowing if it includes family members, coworkers, neighbors or friends. My deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims.

As a League, we will be proactively seeking opportunities for us to assist in the recovery efforts for our community. Currently, we are all absorbing the news and beginning the process to reach out and offer our help as volunteers.

In tragedy, we often observe the worst and best of humanity. My hope is that as we reach out to our friends, neighbors and others who may need our help, we are able to rediscover our sense of community and togetherness. No matter your belief system, I think we can all unite behind the spirit of #prayfororlando.

Anna McPherson
President 2016-18
president@jlgo.org