The League Pulse Archives
The Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri: women building better communities.
JL Exec: The Ma’ams
Susan Brown, Jan Flanagan, Jan Rowe, Susan Belger Angulo, Laura Crowe, Debbie Campbell at Debbie’s house for homemade pizza night!
I had so much fun putting together the post about my mom’s Exec group that it’s a delight to share another one with you all! I’d like you to meet the Ma’ams. How did they get they name? It’s pretty great…
Jan Flanagan says that, “Our group became ‘The Ma’ams’ after we were at dinner and our waitress referred to us as ‘Ma’am.’ We started discussing, ‘When did we become Ma’ams?’ and decided we’d EARNED the designation!”
They have a wonderful friendship, born of many long hours as the last Executive Board of the Junior League, before it restructured into the policy driven Board by which we operate today. They still volunteer together and also get together socially. There is an annual Christmas gathering at Susan Brown’s house, often with a foreign flare, and a traditional Soup Night at Jan Flanagan’s home.
Debbie Campbell, Laura Crowe, Jan Flanagan, Jan Rowe, Susan Belger Angulo volunteering at Ronald McDonald house.
The Ma’ams legacy of service lives on. Many of the women in the group have served as Sustainer Advisors and mentors to younger League members. They also continue to serve together. Jan Rowe told me about how they volunteered as a group to serve the families in the new Ronald McDonald House along with the Actives. They’ve also been active in a card signing campaign for Treat Our Troops and continue to make serving KC a priority. Laura Crowe, who served as President with this Executive Board, describes them as truly “so special because they not only have an amazing history with and of the League but also the ability to see the ’big picture’ and what the future needs are of our League.”
Jan added that the Ma’ams are a group of friends that she can count on for anything. A recent story of their friendship and the Junior League comes from spring of 2015. In May, they all went to the General Membership Meeting. They set it up as a surprise for one of the Ma’ams, Debbie Campbell. Her daughter, Megan Van Emon, was being honored as the New Member of the year, and they wanted to surprise and support both of them.
Cheers to another group of fabulous Junior League leaders that inspire us to stay active for years to come!
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