The League Pulse Archives
The Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri: women building better communities.
Sustainer Perspectives | Power of one
By Sandy Johnson, Sustaining Member
We all have moments when our volunteer commitments all seem to come to a head in one month, one week, and even sometimes one day. In those moments, it becomes easy to fall prey to just a little self-pity, self-righteousness, self-aggrandizing, and, well, you get the picture. . . . .
These moments always are quickly followed by the humbling moments, and one of those for me was setting up for the 1992 Holiday Mart. I chaired the Mart that year, and my compatriot in arms, Joanie Weaver, who was the Associate Chairman handling retail, consignment, and special events, and I spent long hours on the phone with each other for a year, obsessing over what we thought was every detail (yes, I will confess these were the days before cell phones and email).
Walking into the Convention Center on that bright October morning, it hit me that I was such a small cog in the wheel of THE TEAM of dedicated, talented women, each bringing their considerable talents and energy to their assigned roles and more. Each of us doing our little bit was adding up to this unbelievable WHOLE, a splendidly interdependent yet wholly unique event which was the product of synergy. The Junior League members who had preceded me knew only too well — the sum is so much more than the individual parts. As I looked around I realized that there were many details being handled perfectly of which I hadn’t even conceived. Humbling indeed.
We so often talk about THE POWER OF ONE, and it is amazing. But equally so is the power that each of our ONES, combined together, has on our projects, our community, and ultimately each other. Many thanks to the Junior League for letting me add my ONE as a member of this fantastic, 100 year old organization.
The League Pulse Archives 