May 2013
Upcoming Events
National Headquarters
 
Sip & Savor benefiting Distinguished Young Women
Thursday, May 30
Legacy Bar & Grill - Mobile, AL
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56th National Finals
June 27, 28 & 29
Mobile, AL
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Whether you are able to contribute financially, provide in-kind services or help us secure a new sponsor, we appreciate your efforts to support Distinguished Young Women. Donate TODAY!

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Countdown to National Finals
28 days left until the 56th Distinguished Young Women National Finals! June 27, 28 and 29, 2013 in Mobile, Alabama.

About Us
The mission of Distinguished Young Women is to positively impact the lives of young women by providing a transformative experience that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent.

Distinguished Young Women
National Headquarters
751 Government Street
Mobile, AL 36602
(251) 438-3621
Christina Maxwell visits Washington DC

Christina Maxwell, Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2012, recently wrapped up a four day trip to our nation's capitol to visit lawmakers and area landmarks. Her schedule was jam packed with meetings on Capitol Hill, tours and visiting with several program alumnae. Here is a recap of Christina's trip in photos:

Christina with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (NC).
Christina with U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan (NC). Christina met with Senator Hagan and Margaret Lawrynowicz (Senator Hagan's Women's Issues Staffer).
Christina with U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (District 10, NC).
Christina had the opportunity to meet up with program alumna and America's Junior Miss 1986 Lori Jo Smith Carbonneau.
Christina and Chrissy Houle, Distinguished Young Woman of Michigan for 2012, had a great time catching up over dinner.
While at dinner her last night in DC, Christiina happened to run into Speaker of the House John Boehner. Of course, our Distinguished Young Woman of America snagged an introduction and photo with the Speaker.
Give TODAY and help your state program win cash for scholarships!

As we continue our annual campaign with a goal to raise $56,000 in honor of our 56th anniversary, we invite you to make your gift TODAY and help your state program win a $250 cash scholarship to be awarded at their next program.

 

The state with the most individual donors (alumnae, volunteers, and supporters) who make gifts to Distinguished Young Women by June 18, 2013 will be rewarded with a $250 cash scholarship to go toward scholarship awards at their next state program. Donations of ALL sizes are needed to help us reach our goal of impacting more young women than ever before.  

 

As of today, we have raised close to 20% of our $56,000 goal for our annual campaign! Thank you to each of you who have donated toward furthering the mission of Distinguished Young Women.

 

All individual donors (as of May 30) will be listed in the 2013 National Finals Program Book and on the Distinguished Young Women website.  Please remember to check with your company about matching gift donations.

 

The winner of our May drawing for a set of National Finals tickets is Anna Dai, the Distinguished Young Woman of Michigan for 2013.  

 

Join us today in celebrating our 56th year and supporting our mission to positively impact the lives of young women!

 

 

Click the link below to donate today!

 

 

Are you a past participant of the program? If so, click the link below to make your donation.

Volunteers Make it Happen!

Name:
Maryalice Gulino

Program:
Distinguished Young Women of Wyoming

Current Volunteer Role: Chairperson

How long have you served in a volunteer role with Distinguished Young Women?
I was Sterling Heights' (Michigan) Junior Miss in 1975. I was so impressed with the AJM program and how the Michigan Jaycees ran it, I wanted to continue being part of the program in whatever way I could in the future. I enjoyed my years as a " Has Been" from '76-'80. I also wanted to see Sterling Heights actually hold a local AJM program, and approached my local Jaycees. They voted yes and a program was held in Sterling Heights in both '79 and '80. I joined Jaycees and helped out on the '79 program  and co-chaired the '80 program. Although the Sterling Heights Jaycees did not continue the Junior Miss program after the 1980 local, my heart was still 100% into this program. My goal to be an active part in AJM was put on hold almost three decades however due to a move to California, raising a family, etc. In 2008, we moved to Laramie, Wyoming and I happened to locate the Wyoming's AJM program. I offered to volunteer doing anything that could help (thinking of course that meant being a "day of" volunteer) the state program.  To my surprise came an invitation to be a local chair. Early in 2009, I  immediately said "yes", and in fall 2009 held the Albany County Junior Miss program for the class of 2010. I held a local program for the class of 2010, 2011 and 2012. Each year, I kept the classes together and we did service projects, parades, etc even after the program was held and the winner selected. During those years , the program was basically run by myself with help from my daughter who had competed in the San Jose's Junior Miss program for the class of 2004 in California.  We were a very small committee of two, but we had help on day-of etc. I am proud to say that young women from all of those years have stepped forward to stay active in the program. The parents of some of those young women are also my host families now that I am the state chair and a couple have also come on board as committee members. Early in 2012, I was asked by nationals to step up as an interim state chair due to the past state chair stepping down. There was only a couple of months left in order to run a state program before the last possible date that a state program could be held.  With wonderful support from nationals, I was able to accomplish holding a state program for the class of 2012 . I am continuing on in the role of state chair and having a blast. Our committee is growing, we are getting together wonderful plans to keep on making this program better and better and better within Wyoming.

  


When/how did you get "hooked" on Distinguished Young Women?
January 1975 when I competed in Michigan.  As a side note to this, my mom actually wrote a paper for a class that she was taking in college called "A Junior Miss Forever" in which she spoke of my passion for this program and my desire to continue to be an active part in the program through being a "director."


What is your "day job?"
I am an RN, who has been working in Public Health for over 30 years of my career. I am very passionate about public health. I am also a proud grandma to my darling two grandchildren, Jameson and Delaney. Both will be turning one year old in July.


What is your favorite aspect of the Distinguished Young Women program?
Being able to be an active part in encouraging young women to truly be their own best selves!!! Watching them grow with the program and continue on growing.
 
 
What has been your most rewarding moment as a volunteer for Distinguished Young Women? 
I have two favorite moments as a volunteer for Distinguished Young Women. One moment was at the state program for the class of 2012 when I saw an extremely shy young woman walk into the auditorium to participate in our two day state program. She was so shy that she could not look at me in the eyes when she talked, nor could she smile. She was very bright scholastically, very passionate about volunteerism, but very socially shy. My whole goal that weekend was to get her to be comfortable looking at me in the eyes and to feel good enough about herself to be able to smile and have fun. Mission accomplished! She actually started glowing with pride by the end of the time we had together. She and I still keep in touch. She has just finished a wonderful freshmen year at college in Iowa where she is in small groups and excelling academically and in her passion for volunteerism. She tells me how much she has come out of her shell and I am so very proud of her! My other favorite memorable moment actually happened 25 years after the 1980 Sterling Heights Junior Miss program. I was visiting Michigan and went with my mom to a mother/daughter event at the church I grew up in. A woman who looked a bit familiar came up to me and asked if I remembered her. She had been a participant in the 1980 program and then proceeded to tell me how much just being in that local program (she was 2nd runner-up ) had continued to have a positive impact on her life and wanted to thank me for being one of the chairs. I was so much in awe that I knew at that moment that sometime I would be going back to helping out in the Distinguished Young Women/AJM program!
 

Across the country, more than 17,000 volunteers make it possible for Distinguished Young Women programs to take place at the local, state and national level. Each month, we will feature one of our outstanding volunteers to give a closer look at the individuals who work tirelessly to ensure our mission is carried out nationwide. Interested in becoming a Distinguished Young Women volunteer in your community, click here to locate a program near you.
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