Eve of the Eve - Junior League of Minneapolis

Members
Megan Gaillard, Maria Markusen, Sarah
McLeod, and Tara Sullivan.
4
85 LEAGUERS: SARAH MCLEOD
BRINGING OUT YOUR BEST
By Jillene Schwab, External Communications Committee
FUN FACTS
Joined the Junior League: 1996 in Nashville, 2001 transferred to the JLM
Family: Husband, Sandy, and three pet dogs (Emma,
Chaucer, Jelly Roll)
Profession: Ameriprise, Director of Business Development
and Management
Education: University of Virginia, B.S. in Commerce
League Connection: Sarah’s mother-in-law is in the Nashville League
Her Inspiration: Her older sister, an avid volunteer
Sarah McLeod has a knack for bringing out the best in things around
her. Over the last few years, she and her husband, Sandy, have worked
to restore their turn-of-the-century home in Uptown. Careful to maintain
the original architecture, they’ve steadily restored the house room by room,
transforming an old neglected structure into a charming home that is both
reflective of its original time period and enhanced with the personality of
its owners at the same time. The house has a natural liveliness about it,
something that is enhanced by her four-legged family members – Emma,
Chaucer and Jelly Roll. Three years ago, Sarah adopted a small black lab
that was abandoned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The dog was
underweight and in need of a loving home. Today, that black lab – Jelly
Roll – is a very healthy, happy resident of Sarah’s home.
Since moving from Nashville to Minneapolis in 2001, Sarah has enjoyed
getting to know the city and its residents; she has a huge sense of gratitude
toward the JLM for making Minneapolis feel like home. Many of her
placements in the League have been membership-focused, but Sarah has found the League to be very flexible, offering variety
from year to year and the opportunity for members to shift gears and go from committee chairs to members at large. This year,
Sarah is serving on the Board of Directors as the Recording Secretary, an experience she describes as both challenging and
exciting.
Managing a demanding career and long hours at work with positions in the League can be quite a challenge. Sarah has learned that
with the right planning, she can accomplish anything. For new active members who are juggling life’s demands with their
volunteer work, Sarah offers the following insight:
Work will always ask for more of you, and it is easy to get completely consumed by its demands. But the League brings a healthy
balance to life, and volunteering offers incredible rewards – the knowledge that you have made a difference at the end of a day.
Volunteering requires that you give a part of yourself – and you learn more about yourself in the process.
Sarah, with her bright personality and commitment to the League, is certainly someone who brings out the best in people around
her. And it seems the League has returned the favor, giving her the opportunity to develop herself by using skills that she didn’t
know she had. The League has also helped Sarah develop a strong sense for why volunteerism is so important. If more people
had the same commitment to service that Sarah McLeod has, the world would be a better place.