When Rosie asked me to write about my years in the Junior League and what the League had meant to me, the first thing that came to my mind was, “What would my life in Mexico for 52 years have been like without the Junior League?” I am sure I would have been just another “gringa” in Mexico. The Junior League gave purpose to my life. Women woking together can make a difference.
It all began in 1971.
I received a formal invitation from “The Junior League of Mexico City” inviting me to a tea. I knew very little about the League but I was excited and anxious to attend. I had two small children at the time and was living, rather isolated, in the Colonia San Rafael.
The tea was a truly elegant affair. As you say in Spanish “de manteles largos”. I was fortunate that an older American woman in Mexico City, Myrtle Lubbert, had taken me under her wing.
Little did I know that when she had me over for lunch or coffee with some of her friends that they were members of the Admissions Committee of the Junior League of Mexico City.
These ladies were the ones who decided that I would be issued an invitation to membership and, in doing so, they opened the door for me to a whole new chapter in my life!
I have learned so much in the Junior League.
The League has taught me that women, working together, can make a difference in our world. Shared commitment and work create a bond within the group that makes Junior League friends special. Most of my good friends are women I met and worked with within the Junior League.
Some of the causes we embraced were the environment, alcohol awareness, nutrition, leadership programs for the youth, audio testing in the public schools, and the programs that exposed children to the zoo and the Museo de San Carlos. With each project or leadership position in the League, I made new friends!
The Junior League gave me confidence in myself.
When I look back on the workshops and courses I attended in the US and Mexico, I can appreciate how I was being prepared in leadership and organizational skills. For several years I have been involved in other community organizations and I appreciate how important it is to be able to organize with goals and objectives, to formulate a plan of action, to run a meeting with an order, to manage a conflict in a group, and finally, to cultivate those leadership and organizational skills in those you work with.
Women of the Junior League of Mexico stand out in many organizations in Mexico today. The Junior League is not a Social Club, it is a League of Empowered Women!
Once you have worked in the Junior League, getting involved becomes a part of you. Mexico needs citizens who participate and women of the Junior League are sensitive to the needs of their communities.
My passion at this time is my work with Kardias AC. where I am a Board Member. At Kardias we are dedicated to providing life-saving heart surgery to children free of charge. Congenital heart disease is the second cause of death for children under the age of three in Mexico taking lives each year.
A highlight was when in December 2019 my son Sergio, himself a survivor of congenital heart disease, marked the founding of the USA Kardias Board with an event at the beautiful “Astor House”, the headquarters for the Jr. League of New York since 1936.
What would my life in Mexico have been like without the Jr. League?
My contacts and experiences would have been limited. I truly believe that the Junior League of Mexico City contributed to my happiness in this country. My life has been full of challenges and experiences shared with outstanding women who became my friends. Women woking together can make a difference.
Thank you, Jr. League of Mexico City, for the opportunities and the memories.
Annette Lagunes
.
I am very proud to be part of this group of amazing women!