Pub 1 2021 Issue 1

11 CARE Fair, our other League-owned project. If this project didn’t seem sustainable after the first full two years, we’d adjust. The board was still skeptical, however, so our committee called a meeting. I will never forget meeting with Pres- ident Maureen Bennett, President-elect Carol Firmage, and President-elect Katy Andrews to plead our case. And, I will be eternally grateful that they were the type of lead- ers who were willing to take a risk. They agreed to let us present the proposal to the membership. That presentation took place at a General Membership Meeting held in the Salt Lake County Council Chambers. We were prepared to sell our hearts out, convinced as we were that The League needed to act on this project. Over the years, several members who were there that night have recalled that we used PowerPoint slides to make the case and how unusual that was for a League meeting. To- day that makes me laugh because it’s hard to remember a day when PowerPoints were novel. Fortunately, the membership was also willing to take a leap of faith. They voted to adopt this new League-owned project. I can’t believe that was almost 24 years ago! We began accepting donations in early 1998. Our first indication that the passionate pleas and hard work could bring forth transformational change was one Saturday morning when Lavine Shapiro accompanied her recently widowed father-in-law, Joel, to donate many boxes of his dear wife’s clothing. As the volunteers who were working so hard to make WHW a reality began to unpack these boxes, Mr. Shapiro and Lavine stayed around awhile. One by one, as we unpacked gorgeous vintage dresses and suits, he told us about the different items and his wife. We realized that we were bearing witness to his grief and his love. This donation was ceremonial, an important passage. I was so honored to be present, so grateful that JLSLC was providing this type of community need that we hadn’t even anticipated, and proud to be a member of our chapter who took risks to make this happen. Since then, so many members, committee directors, and board leaders, and donors have continued to take a risk for WHW. The team that led the design and fundraising for our current building took a risk to dedicate more space for WHW, including adding a separate entrance. Two dozen volunteer directors have taken a risk by say- ing “yes” to leading the project each year, from Alison Swillinger to Kelly La Due to Marianne Guelker to Anne Nebeker to Kristin Kraus and so many more. When Kris- tin was directing, the late Peter Kraus faithfully support- ed the closet by tirelessly hunting down deals for new, unused clothing items he knew the closet always need- ed. Lisa Owens followed in her mother’s footsteps as a second-generation WHW director. Under Annie Evan’s leadership, the WHW Closet got a makeover to create an exclusive boutique atmosphere, further demonstrating the JLSLC commitment to respect and dignity for our sisters seeking clothing. I had many great experiences in The League and devel- oped life-long friendships during my time as an active member. My greatest joy is the opportunity to be at the forefront of a continuum of women (and men) who have built WHW into the known and reliable resource it is today. It is one of the things that makes League member- ship truly unique from other experiences and so valuable in my life journey. When I look back to that first proposal, I wonder why we tried so hard and why it was personally so important to me that WHW be given a chance that spring. At the risk of oversharing, there is a backstory that, in the following years, I became more aware of than I was at the time. You see, in September 1996, I gave birth to a stillborn daughter, my first child. I was barely into my third trimester, and many League members probably didn’t even know I was pregnant. The Community Research & Project Development Committee and our work together was great support for me. But that fall and into the next year, I was so adrift. I functioned in my professional job and stayed active in the community, but as a mother, without a child, I carried so much pain that I didn’t know what to do with it. Years later, I realized that the birth of WHW became a place and a cause that all that loss and grief could be directed. At a personal level, WHW is a demonstration of what can come from incomprehensible pain and loss. I am grateful for and proud of that every time I drive by headquarters. In subsequent years, I com- pleted a volunteer shift with another daughter, born later, counting and organizing clothing items, and the healing wasn’t lost on me. We are living in a season of uncertainty, confusion, pain, and loss. I’m not sure how the pandemic has impacted WHW, and I can only imagine how it impacts our sisters that the closet serves. What I do know is that remark- able, long-lasting, and impactful things can emerge from times like ours if only we are willing to take a risk. My greatest joy is the opportunity to be at the forefront of a continuum of women (and men) who have built WHW into the known and reliable resource it is today.