The LEAGUE Roster
The 2007-2008 LEAGUE Season has officially ended. There were 1,833 active LEAGUE teams (classes) in 189 schools, and 110,635 students in 21 states nationwide who actively participated in The LEAGUE programming.
To date, The LEAGUE teams have contributed $2,711,210 in time, talent and treasure to their communities across the country.
For information on how you can begin the new school year as part of The LEAGUE, visit www.theleague.org. | A Picture Perfect Day for The LEAGUE Teams Nationwide 
On June 11, the New York City Skyline shone a bit more brightly as The LEAGUE honored its shining stars at the organization's first annual National Awards & Recognition Luncheon.
Hosted by Queen Latifah and with celebrity presenters: Stephen Baldwin, Melinda Doolittle, Nicole Lapin, Henry C. Lozano and Senator Harris Wofford, The LEAGUE presented 13 national awards recognizing and celebrating the top schools, classes teachers and students for their work in making a positive difference in their communities.
Award winners included:
TOP SCHOOLS
National High School Champion
John F. Kennedy (Newark, NJ) National Middle School Champion
Ann Street School (Newark, NJ)
Wilson Avenue School (Newark, NJ)
National Elementary School Champion
Arlington Elementary (Arlington,IN)
TOP TEAMS (Class)
National High School Team Champion
Miss Joan Soon's Action Against Hunger (Warren, NJ)
National Middle School Team Champion
Maria Bellarosa's Room 222 (Newark, NJ)
National Elementary School Team Champion,
Catalina Villasuso's Habitat's Helpers Club (East Orange, NJ)
PRESIDENT'S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD WINNERS
High School Gold Level
Laporte High - Mrs. Ingrid Voelker's Room 2011 (Laporte, IN)
High School Silver Level
Laporte High - Mrs. Ingrid Voelker's Girl Reserves (Laporte, IN)
Elementary/Middle School Gold Level
Wilson Avenue Middle - Maria Bellarosa Room 222 (Newark, NJ)
Elementary/Middle School Silver Level
Pleasant Crossing Elementary, Mrs. Walsh's Class (Whiteland, IN)
SCHOOL BRIDGE LEAGUE Shaun Anderson and William Johnson
Roch Carriere Elementary, Ontario, Canada
In addition The LEAGUE also honored its two inaugural year MVPs, Dave Barger, CEO & President of JetBlue Airways and Kathryn Agard, Executive Director of the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University in Michigan.
The day was "picture perfect" in every way. |
Dear LEAGUE,
I want to sincerely thank you for the beautiful Award given to Arlington Elementary in New York recently. You treated us like royalty and that was so wonderful! You paid for our flight and trips to and from the airport. That was a huge blessing to someone who does not know how to navigate around the city. Thank you for bringing us there the day before so that we could see the sights. Mrs. Spurlin and I rode the subway and then the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty . Wow! Later that evening, we went to a Broadway play, Mary Poppins, and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Taking us to breakfast the next morning was great and the workshop time was very useful. It got me really excited about what my class might do next year. And then the beautiful star studded banquet, where we sat with Family Circle Magazine executives, was the very best. I took home so many good memories from this trip of a lifetime.
Thank you so much!
Mary Wilkinson | Meeting Mindy Propper
Mindy is definitely on a mission. Since joining The LEAGUE in May, as our new Chief Operating Officer, her feet have barely stopped long enough to touch the ground. 
Responsible for the organization's overall strategy and operations, as well as for all staffing, Mindy Propper is excited about helping The LEAGUE inspire as many students and teachers as possible to make a positive difference in countless communities nationwide.
There's certainly no one better for the job! Mindy brings with her 25 years of experience with Global 2000 companies at BearingPoint, Inc, a leading international consulting firm in New York. Mindy is a seasoned senior manager, well versed in strategy development, customer relationship management and operations improvement. She has also led large-scale Human Resources field implementation.
No stranger to the non-profit world, Mindy has served on several prestigious boards, providing professional and financial development to Theatreworks USA, and the influential Women's Bond Club of New York.
Mindy was the global recipient of Top 200 Financial Services Consultant (2005, 2006) and KPMG's Account Program Platinum Award (1999, 2000). She holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Fordham University and earned her undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College.
Mindy lives in Montclair, NJ, with her husband, Fred; son, Rich; and daughter, Allie. She enjoys sailing, kayaking and skiing. Welcome Mindy!
| New York Celebrates Cyclone Style!
With a spirit as powerful as a cyclone, The LEAGUE NY teams took their communities by storm this school year - making them better, stronger and cleaner with every passing day.
In celebration of their success, more than 300 LEAGUE teacher Captains and student Players held their own pre-game ceremony on June 14, at the Brooklyn Cyclones game at KeySpan Park in Coney Island.
The top five LEAGUE NY schools received trophies and five classrooms (teams) received President's Volunteer Service Awards. The No. 1 top LEAGUE team in NY also received top honor from JetBlue Airways and The LEAGUE with 15 round trip JetBlue vouchers to perform a service project or attend a youth leadership conference anywhere nationwide that JetBlue flys.
TOP LEAGUE NY SCHOOLS
1st Place: PS 132 The Conselyea in Brooklyn
2nd Place: St. Gregory the Great in Williamsville
3rd Place: Children For Children's DYCD Teen Action in Manhattan
4th Place: East New York Family Academy in Brooklyn
5th Place: IS 230 in Jackson Heights
LEAGUE NY President's Volunteer Service Award Honors - Elementary & Middle School Division Gold Level - PS 132 The Conselyea / Community Art Team
- Elementary & Middle School Division Silver Level - PS 132 The Conselyea / Green Team
- Elementary & Middle School Division Bronze Level - PS 132 The Conselyea / Pre-Kindergarten Team
- High School Division Silver Level - Manhattan Center for Science & Math / DYCD Teen Action Team
- High School Division Silver Level - PS 218 Salome Urena School / DYCD Teen Action Team
Trophies were awarded by five of the State's champions of service learning:
- Virginia Berrios, President of New York City Elementary School Principals Association & Principal of PS 16
- Tracy Garcia, Deputy Director of Service Learning of the NYC Department of Youth and Child Development
 - Renee McClure, Community Affairs Manager of National Grid (formerly KeySpan)
- Carlos Rodriguez, Sr. Director of Community Affairs, NYC Department of Education
The LEAGUE's #1 School in New York State is PS 132 The Conselea in Brooklyn. Under the direction of Principal Beth Lubeck-Ceffalia and Head Coach Heather de Koning, they have incorporated The LEAGUE curriculum and service events across every grade (PreK-5th) and also in their enrichment clusters.
 The #1 Classroom Team in New York is Manhattan Center for Science and Math (MCSM) in East Harlem. They are a unique story - It's a Children's Aid Society community school, participating in a DYCD Teen Action grant being administered by Children for Children. It's a great example of how schools and community-based nonprofits can partner to engage youth in learning and service. Classroom Coach, Aisha Lloyd from Children for Children, accepts Manhattan Center for Science and Math's Top NY Honors: 15 JetBlue Airways tickets!
Since The LEAGUE's national launch in November 2007, The LEAGUE NY has registered approximately 500 teams across the state that embrace service learning as a way to engage students in learning and making their communities and New York a better place. | | | Look for The LEAGUE on Luann!
If you're a "funnies" fan, you surely know Luann. The comic strip character, created by Greg Evans, will be sporting a LEAGUE tee-shirt on July 25! That's right. . . Luann is a fan of The LEAGUE. Check out the comic section of your local newspaper and be sure and read about Luann's many teenage adventures with her friends and family. (www.comics.com/comics/luann/) | Blogging at its Best
Get set to blog with the best of them! A brand new blog, by JoAnn Hoppe, the New Jersey State Director for The LEAGUE, is now up and running on Newark, NJ's The Star-Ledger web site. There, you'll get to know JoAnn and learn even more about The LEAGUE. Click here http://www.nj.com/newark/joannhoppe/ to add a posting and join in the conversation. | First-Ever Youth Bridge Championship On "Deck" in Atlanta
Youth Bridge players from throughout North America enjoyed a "deal" of a lifetime as they participated in the first-ever youth Bridge championship created just for them. Sponsored in part by the School Bridge LEAGUE, the Youth North American Bridge Championship took place at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast on July 3-6. The tournament, involved more than 250 top youth Bridge players (ages 6 to 18), showcasing both the brain-building power and pure fun of Bridge - two things drawing youth to the game.  "We are thrilled to be a sponsor of this championship tournament as it's truly an historic moment in the history of this incredible card game," says Mickie Rinehart, Director of Operations, The LEAGUE. "The School Bridge LEAGUE was formed to bring Bridge to students and teachers in schools nationwide. We provide both the teachers and students with all the resources they need to learn to play, host an interactive web site and host six virtual tournaments a year. Students are having a great time and developing valuable critical thinking skills along the way." School Bridge LEAGUE is proud to sponsor 10 students in this competition. These students represent the top pairs from the four School Bridge LEAGUE virtual tournaments held this school year. School Bridge LEAGUE is a division of The LEAGUE and was founded through the generosity of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to help introduce Bridge into schools and attract students to the game. For information on this tournament or School Bridge LEAGUE, visit www.schoolbridgeleague.org. | The LEAGUE Joins Forces with ServiceNation
When you think of all things American, do service and volunteerism come to mind? According to the organizers of the ServiceNation campaign, if they don't, they certainly should. In fact, ServiceNation is all about establishing service as a universal American ethic - one that's front and center in every stage of our lives.  To accomplish this, more than 100 national associations and organizations, including The LEAGUE, are organizing committee members of the ServiceNation campaign and are working together to reach and mobilize every American everywhere. "The ServiceNation campaign was founded on the belief that engaging citizens in service is the key to overcoming our nation's many social problems," says Doreen Stephens, Vice President of Programming & Marketing for The LEAGUE and co-chair of ServiceNation's messaging and communications committee. "We agree and will be doing all we can to empower the youth of America to make a positive difference through service, as well as expand the number and type of service-learning opportunities available in schools." ServiceNation has many events and activities planned for this fall, including a Summit to be held in NYC on September 11-13 and national "Day of Action" events around the country on September 27. To find out more, visit www.servicenation.org. | The LEAGUE Teams Earn Presidential Prestige
This school year, The President's Volunteer Service Award was presented to 155 LEAGUE teams in recognition of thousands of hours spent in service to their communities. Award winners received an official President's Volunteer Service Award pin, a personalized certificate of achievement, a note of congratulations from the President of the United States, and a letter from the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. What's more, they received the personal satisfaction of knowing that their efforts have made a true difference in the lives of others.
This prestigious award was created to recognize Americans who make a difference through sustained volunteer service. "The LEAGUE is proud to be a registered certifying organization for this award and have incorporated it into our National Award System," says Doreen Stephens, Vice-President of Programming & Marketing for The LEAGUE. "All participating LEAGUE students who complete the designated service hours within a 12-month period are eligible for this special honor."
Award requirements vary by age and hours of service. To find out more, visit www.theleague.org. | Sharing News
Please contact doreen.stephens@leagueworldwide.org to share any LEAGUE news or information that you may have. | | The LEAGUE is changing the world by empowering young people everywhere to get in the game of making their community and world a better place. |
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