Capital City Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated – Chapter History

On Friday, December 17, 2010, Mrs. Shonette Charles and Mrs. Dawn Blagrove gathered a group of mothers at Bogart’s Restaurant in Raleigh, NC for a festive dessert reception full of holiday greetings. The attendees expressed a common need to reinforce ethnic pride, development, and leadership in their children through socialization and planned cultural and community service activities. With these objectives in mind, the mothers committed to bringing their families together to begin the process of starting a second Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated chapter in Wake County, North Carolina, and the City of Oaks Interest Group formed. Mothers left that evening with both vision and enthusiasm.

On January 9, 2011, these like-minded women attended a meeting hosted by Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Pamela B. Askew and the Raleigh-Wake Chapter, in order to gain additional insights into the cultural and civic activities of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated and the chapter establishment process. After this meeting, additional mothers were recruited. Later that same month, 37 mothers met, elected officers, and decided to submit an application to Jack and Jill of America, Inc. under the name Capital City Interest Group. In March 2011, Capital City officially became recognized as a Provisional Group.

Capital City ’s established Executive Board was:

Over a period of more than 20 months, Capital City Provisional Group held monthly Mothers’ meetings, established bylaws, agreed upon dues and a budget, designated age groups, planned and hosted appropriate monthly programming, carried out community service projects, and attended Jack and Jill National and Regional events.

Highlights include:

• The provisional group held the first official age group activity— a Welcome Bowling Party-- at the Pleasant Valley Bowling Lanes in Raleigh.
• Sixteen Mothers registered and participated with their kids in their first Jack and Jill conference-- 2011 Children’s Cluster in Gastonia, NC. Capital City also participated in the 2012 Children’s Cluster held in Lynchburg, VA.
• Capital City’s Teens (Trailblazers) elected officers, held monthly meetings, collected food donations for Project Hope, and participated in the 2011 Teen Conference in Winston-Salem, NC and 2012 Teen Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC.
• Vice President Dawn Blagrove chaired the 2011 Jack and Jill NC Legislative Day, an inaugural event held at the NC Legislative Buildings and the Governor’s Mansion. Her additional efforts in chairing the 2012 NC Legislative Day ensured this would be established as an annual Regional event.
• Mothers established Capital City’s Black Family Day Luncheon and Moving Up Ceremony tradition by honoring families and recognizing children and teens moving up to new age groups. Additionally, backpacks were collected by Capital City families and donated to Wake County Foster Care.
• The Mid-Atlantic Regional Team hosted two training sessions for Capital City mothers.
• The Trailblazers kicked off the 2011-2012 programming year by hosting the Back to School Jam pool party, inviting teens and pre-teens from Durham and Raleigh-Wake, and collecting backpacks and school supplies that were donated to the Boys & Girls Club and area schools.
• Capital City hosted its first fundraiser, Black Santa Breakfast, raising money for the Jack and Jill Foundation and local charities.
• Capital City had representation at all National and Regional Jack and Jill conferences and events since becoming a provisional group--including 2011 On the Hill Summit in Washington, DC and 2011 Mothers’ Biennial Conference in Hampton, VA.

15 mothers attended the National Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Convention in Philadelphia, PA in July 2012. At this 75th anniversary occasion, Capital City showcased chapter activities with a provisional group display, featuring the theme “There’s No Place Like Capital City”. An impressive presentation utilizing the same theme was made to the convention delegates. Capital City was subsequently ratified by the delegates on July 27, 2012 as a provisional chapter. The hard work and dedication of the following 21 members has led to the chartering of the Capital City Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated on September 15, 2012: