Childhood Health and Welfare
	Last October, when our membership voted to begin a five-year initiative aimed at improving the lives of children in the Roanoke Valley, I began looking for a visual depiction of Childhood Health and Welfare. I came to the conclusion that a child could best describe health and welfare by telling us what makes him or her happy and healthy. After all, isn’t that our ultimate goal? An art contest seemed to be the best way to get the opinion of as many children as possible. Several of our community partners who work with children were contacted at the beginning of the year and offered the opportunity to participate in the contest, where children would submit drawings of what it meant to them to be healthy and happy. We received more than 100 entries and a panel of current and sustaining members voted for a winner from the top 10 entries. The winning entry came from a 4 year-old girl at TAP’s Arnold R. Burton Center. Her teacher received a $75 cash prize and I had the opportunity to meet the artist, her mother and her teacher on the day I presented the check. What started out as a simple contest to choose a representation of our focus area ended as a touching encounter which I truly enjoyed. -Beth Cross, President

	Community News
	Help us with our new Fundraiser! Click on the picture below and a portion of your purchases will directly benefit community programs supported by the Junior League. 2010 Bargain Bazaar: January 30 The Junior League of the Roanoke Valley's Provisional Class will host the 4th Annual Bargain Bazaar on Saturday, January 30 at the Tanglewood Mall. Please come visit us on the first floor, as we will be selling everything from gently used furniture to clothing to other household items. The doors open at 10 a.m. and we are looking forward to a successful event. Snow plan: If the mall is open, we will be open.  If need be, we will continue the sale through Sunday or until we are sold out. In addition to the diverse array of items for sale, the Provisional Class will also host a bake-sale -- so make sure you save room for some sweets. The funds earned from the Bargain Bazaar and bake-sale will be given to the Blood Drive committee, to be used at our Pediatric Blood Drive scheduled on March 13. Please mark your calendars for this great event! Thank you to all JLRV members and families for their donations and to our wonderful sponsors Avis Construction and Varsity Transfer.