We ARE JACK AND JILL
Charleston Chapter
CHARLESTON CHAPTER HISTORY
In September 1953, Lois Moses helped organize an interest group of mothers in Charleston. She successfully secured sponsorship from the Columbia Chapter and an application was filed with the national organization. In February 1954, the application was approved at the National Conventional held in Durham, NC.
On October 8, 1954, the installation service was held at the Owls “Whist” Roost conducted by the National President, Nellie Roulhac. There were 21 charter members, and throughout the years, we have shown our steadfast commitment to our families and the Charleston Community. We have provided financial and physical support to the United Negro College Fund, Florence Crittenton (a home for unwed teenage mothers), Jenkins Institute for Children, the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital, NAACP, MOJA Arts Festival, Rural Mission, Inc., Reid House, and Interfaith Crisis Ministries to name a few.
Community service is at the heart of what we do. We have provided support on a continuous basis to several signature projects over the years that have included the Boys and Girls Club, the Teachers’ Supply Closet (TSC), and Charleston Development Academy (CDA). Our chapter’s commitment to TSC is strong and our current chapter president holds a seat on the Board of Directors or selects a designee. We also continue to provide a variety of activities for our children and the children of our community, aimed at building future leaders for tomorrow. Activities such as a sleepover at the South Carolina Aquarium, donations to: nursing homes, Thanksgiving baskets, our younger children collecting non-perishables Lowcountry Food Bank and our older children assisting with organization and dissemination, and toy drives, participating in the Martin Luther King, Jr. parade, participating in the Komen Race for the Cure and the Walk Against Childhood Obesity, American history carriage tours, college tours to include Historically Black Colleges and Universities, service based Christmas parties, hockey games, MOJA performances, theatrical plays, Sensational Saturday at the Gibbs art gallery, art exhibits, poverty simulations, lectures from financial advisers, sex education and etiquette training are just a few we have participated in over the years.
We received the 1995 Foundation Grant "Another Means to an End" and the Jack and Jill of America, Inc. leadership grant in 2007. The Charleston Chapter partnered with Charleston County Human Services Commission to develop a three-week camp, which encompassed cultural, artistic, educational, and life skills activities, where over 35 campers participated. Several Jack and Jill teens and Moms assisted as volunteers and presenters. Educational field trips to the museum, aquarium and other local highlights rewarded the children who regularly participated in the events. Every day the participants discussed new leadership skills and used the other activities to solidify the new skills. Some of the campers represented Charleston County Human Services at the Annual leadership retreat in Columbia, SC in July. The event culminated in an awards presentation to parents, presenters, and others to demonstrate the campers’ new leadership skills at the conclusion of the camp.
To date, the Chapter has received three (3) Jack and Jill foundation grants to fund its community service activities in 1995, 2013 and 2014. The chapter focused its efforts into a signature project to maximize its impact. Since the chapter helped to establish The Teacher’s Supply Closet in 2008, it has lived up to its promise to support low-income children with school supplies to give them a better opportunity to succeed. The chapter’s current partnership is with The Black Pages, USA to host the Taste of Black Charleston, a premier event featuring local culinary talent and national recording artist to raise additional funds for its community service projects.
The mothers of the Charleston Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., are committed to giving 1/3 of all foundation contributions to our Foundation. We have continued to support Teacher’s Supply Closet with current contributions in excess of $10,000.00 and our most recent gifts of $1,200.00 to the African American Leadership Council (an affinity group of United Way) and $1,700.00 to The Colour of Music festival to support minorities in the classical arts and expose this genre of music to the African American community.
The Associates membership began in 2011 where six (6) graduated mothers were inducted at Gullah Cuisine restaurant. The associates supports the chapter in community services, fund raising, legislative and social activities. Most of all, they serve as guides to the chapter so that the lessons will be passed on. The father’s auxiliary is another growing component where we welcome the support of chapter fathers in nurturing tomorrow’s leaders. Fathers serve as presenters at activities and organize the “Pops on Patrol” for teen social functions and conferences. They have serve as volunteers on teachers’ shopping day at the Teacher’s Supply Closet
Numerous chapter mothers and teens have served on the regional level as officers, committee members and committee chairs. The chapter teens are fierce competitors at the regional teen conference and are often recognized for their talent and community service. The chapter has hosted regional conferences, mothers’ cluster, work day clusters, children’s clusters and teen conferences. During this past teen conference, the teens placed in nearly each of the categories. The Charleston Chapter is especially proud of our Regional Associate, Pearl Givens. She served as the 2016 National Associate Chair for the 42nd Biennial Jack and Jill National Convention.
At our 42nd Biennial Convention, the Charleston Chapter soared to a new height and essentially “brought home gold” when we received The National Best of the Best in Programming in the Civic Category for our 2015 Teen Summit. The Summit provided a forum for our teens to host and interact with local and state leaders to discuss gun control, police violence and other issues relative to their generation. They also presented letters in support of gun control to forward to South Carolina’s legislative delegation. The culmination of the event was a college fair which was heavily focused on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and provided information to all the students about college access. This was our chapter’s first time receiving a national Jack and Jill award.
The numbers of former children who are now prominent members of society are too numerous to mention. For over 60 years, this chapter has served as a nurturing environment for children to acquire leadership and team building skills to assist them into growing into the leaders they have been groomed to be.
Our Chapter has endured the years with strength and a determination to continue the legacy that our founders and charter members envisioned for the families that thrive under our programmatic thrusts. We will continue to nurture our membership so that they, along with our children, blossom and flourish.
In September 1953, Lois Moses helped organize an interest group of mothers in Charleston. She successfully secured sponsorship from the Columbia Chapter and an application was filed with the national organization. In February 1954, the application was approved at the National Conventional held in Durham, NC.
On October 8, 1954, the installation service was held at the Owls “Whist” Roost conducted by the National President, Nellie Roulhac. There were 21 charter members, and throughout the years, we have shown our steadfast commitment to our families and the Charleston Community. We have provided financial and physical support to the United Negro College Fund, Florence Crittenton (a home for unwed teenage mothers), Jenkins Institute for Children, the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital, NAACP, MOJA Arts Festival, Rural Mission, Inc., Reid House, and Interfaith Crisis Ministries to name a few.
Community service is at the heart of what we do. We have provided support on a continuous basis to several signature projects over the years that have included the Boys and Girls Club, the Teachers’ Supply Closet (TSC), and Charleston Development Academy (CDA). Our chapter’s commitment to TSC is strong and our current chapter president holds a seat on the Board of Directors or selects a designee. We also continue to provide a variety of activities for our children and the children of our community, aimed at building future leaders for tomorrow. Activities such as a sleepover at the South Carolina Aquarium, donations to: nursing homes, Thanksgiving baskets, our younger children collecting non-perishables Lowcountry Food Bank and our older children assisting with organization and dissemination, and toy drives, participating in the Martin Luther King, Jr. parade, participating in the Komen Race for the Cure and the Walk Against Childhood Obesity, American history carriage tours, college tours to include Historically Black Colleges and Universities, service based Christmas parties, hockey games, MOJA performances, theatrical plays, Sensational Saturday at the Gibbs art gallery, art exhibits, poverty simulations, lectures from financial advisers, sex education and etiquette training are just a few we have participated in over the years.
We received the 1995 Foundation Grant "Another Means to an End" and the Jack and Jill of America, Inc. leadership grant in 2007. The Charleston Chapter partnered with Charleston County Human Services Commission to develop a three-week camp, which encompassed cultural, artistic, educational, and life skills activities, where over 35 campers participated. Several Jack and Jill teens and Moms assisted as volunteers and presenters. Educational field trips to the museum, aquarium and other local highlights rewarded the children who regularly participated in the events. Every day the participants discussed new leadership skills and used the other activities to solidify the new skills. Some of the campers represented Charleston County Human Services at the Annual leadership retreat in Columbia, SC in July. The event culminated in an awards presentation to parents, presenters, and others to demonstrate the campers’ new leadership skills at the conclusion of the camp.
To date, the Chapter has received three (3) Jack and Jill foundation grants to fund its community service activities in 1995, 2013 and 2014. The chapter focused its efforts into a signature project to maximize its impact. Since the chapter helped to establish The Teacher’s Supply Closet in 2008, it has lived up to its promise to support low-income children with school supplies to give them a better opportunity to succeed. The chapter’s current partnership is with The Black Pages, USA to host the Taste of Black Charleston, a premier event featuring local culinary talent and national recording artist to raise additional funds for its community service projects.
The mothers of the Charleston Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., are committed to giving 1/3 of all foundation contributions to our Foundation. We have continued to support Teacher’s Supply Closet with current contributions in excess of $10,000.00 and our most recent gifts of $1,200.00 to the African American Leadership Council (an affinity group of United Way) and $1,700.00 to The Colour of Music festival to support minorities in the classical arts and expose this genre of music to the African American community.
The Associates membership began in 2011 where six (6) graduated mothers were inducted at Gullah Cuisine restaurant. The associates supports the chapter in community services, fund raising, legislative and social activities. Most of all, they serve as guides to the chapter so that the lessons will be passed on. The father’s auxiliary is another growing component where we welcome the support of chapter fathers in nurturing tomorrow’s leaders. Fathers serve as presenters at activities and organize the “Pops on Patrol” for teen social functions and conferences. They have serve as volunteers on teachers’ shopping day at the Teacher’s Supply Closet
Numerous chapter mothers and teens have served on the regional level as officers, committee members and committee chairs. The chapter teens are fierce competitors at the regional teen conference and are often recognized for their talent and community service. The chapter has hosted regional conferences, mothers’ cluster, work day clusters, children’s clusters and teen conferences. During this past teen conference, the teens placed in nearly each of the categories. The Charleston Chapter is especially proud of our Regional Associate, Pearl Givens. She served as the 2016 National Associate Chair for the 42nd Biennial Jack and Jill National Convention.
At our 42nd Biennial Convention, the Charleston Chapter soared to a new height and essentially “brought home gold” when we received The National Best of the Best in Programming in the Civic Category for our 2015 Teen Summit. The Summit provided a forum for our teens to host and interact with local and state leaders to discuss gun control, police violence and other issues relative to their generation. They also presented letters in support of gun control to forward to South Carolina’s legislative delegation. The culmination of the event was a college fair which was heavily focused on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and provided information to all the students about college access. This was our chapter’s first time receiving a national Jack and Jill award.
The numbers of former children who are now prominent members of society are too numerous to mention. For over 60 years, this chapter has served as a nurturing environment for children to acquire leadership and team building skills to assist them into growing into the leaders they have been groomed to be.
Our Chapter has endured the years with strength and a determination to continue the legacy that our founders and charter members envisioned for the families that thrive under our programmatic thrusts. We will continue to nurture our membership so that they, along with our children, blossom and flourish.