GFWC Bridgeport Junior Woman's Club Receives High Honors at State Convention
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on April 04, 2015 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
INFORMATION SUBMITTED TO CONNECT-BRIDGEPORT
Members of the GFWC Bridgeport Junior Woman's Club attended the 109th GFWC WV Convention at the Greenbrier, the weekend of March 20 - March 22, 2015. The club won many awards for their volunteer work done in the Bridgeport community and beyond in 2014. Krista Arnold and Sarah Dodson are the club's Co-Presidents. International GFWC President Babs Condon and International Director of Junior Clubs Cathy Jo Canterbury were both honored attendees of the convention and presented awards to the winners.
One of the most prestigious awards bestowed up on a member of the GFWC WV Junior Department is Junior of the Year. This year's honor was awarded to Bridgeport's Sarah Dodson.
Below is the nomination submission for Sarah. 
The GFWC Bridgeport Juniors are proud to submit our nomination for Outstanding Junior for 2014 as Sarah Dodson.
Sarah has been a member of the Bridgeport Juniors for three years at which time she jumped in feet first and never looked back. Sarah has been one of our most involved and inspiring members and truly embodies the volunteer spirit that is GFWC.
Within just a few months of becoming a member, Sarah enthusiastically took on the role of International Chair. During her time as International Chair, our club made several hundred dollars in donations to partnership projects including Operation Smile and Heifer International.
Additionally, Sarah organized and facilitated our collection of canceled stamps that were donated for Bible covers in third world countries and helped us expand our knowledge of International foods by holding an International potluck for Junior members, focusing on African cuisine.
All of these donations and events were impressive in and of themselves; however Sarah went above and beyond the call of duty when she organized the Juniors NURU Bucket Walk. NURU is a non-profit organization, started by a native West Virginian, with a mission to end extreme poverty. Sarah managed a committee of several Junior members to that led an effort to bring awareness and money for NURU and all those without access to clean water. In spring of 2013, the Bridgeport Juniors and community members walked with buckets on their heads down Main Street to bring awareness to the women and children in third world countries who sacrifice work and education to provide drinking water to their families and communities. One thousand dollars was raised, all of which went directly to NURU.
In 2014, Sarah was voted in as co-President for the Juniors and passed the International chair torch onto another member. This; however, didn’t stop her from once again leading the NURU Bucket Walk. Our 2014 walk was even more successful than the first. With over one hundred walkers and $1,200 raised for NURU International. She then further supported the caused and increased awareness by holding her own benefit for NURU, which raised over $2,000, bringing the grand total that Sarah helped raised for NURU to more than $4,000.
As co-President, Sarah has helped lead the charge for a successful year. In 2014, Sarah recruited several new members and helped launch our club’s Sparkle Award to encourage current members to recruit new members. She was instrumental in the success Pepper fundraiser where she participated in cutting and canning of peppers as well as selling them. She also actively supported our Third Annual Trick or Trot 5K, where she sat on the planning committee.
Always, eager to learn more about GFWC and be the best club president she can be, Sarah has attended every state convention since she became a club member as well as summer conference in Charleston in 2014.
Sarah brings so much more than just her leadership and volunteer spirit, she brings a spark (actually it’s more like a lightning bolt) of fun to our club! She helped champion the dance routine for the annual state convention that recognized all the wonderful work done by the Junior clubs of West Virginia. She also opens her home for Junior functions, including movie night to celebrate Junior month, as well as our annual Christmas party in December.
We all know people who are active in organizations and are always the first to step up and volunteer, but what sets Sarah apart from those people is her warm and outgoing personality. She truly makes everyone feel welcome and important. Everything Sarah does is with a kind heart and a fun spirit. It is impossible not to love Sarah and it’s impossible not to enjoy something that she is part of. The Bridgeport Juniors extreme success, in fundraising dollars, volunteer hours, and membership can undoubtedly be attributed in part to Sarah Dodson who embodies everything that is GFWC West Virginia’s Outstanding Junior.
Photos submitted: Top group photo provided by Krista Arnold; lower photo provided by 3MI Photography, 3MIPHOTOGRAPY.COM
