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“I got on the board of the Jackson Symphony League
(JSL) and took on the leadership role of running the Sub Deb
program.” Now president of the JSL, Karen is still involved
with Sub Deb.
The Jackson Symphony League was founded in 1955 and
has contributed through its exhaustive efforts in education,
information and fundraising to ensure the success and
vitality of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. To continue
that mission to reach out to the community’s youth, the JSL
launched Jackson Sub Debs in 1960.
Jackson Sub Deb is a partnership with the Mississippi
Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and the JSL. It is a program
that provides community service opportunities to girls in the
Jackson Metro area in grades ten, eleven and twelve. “We have
202 girls this year from sixteen schools,” says Karen, “We have
students from as far south as Florence High School to as far
north as Germantown High in Gluckstadt, and as far west as
Clinton High to as far east as East Rankin High School.”
The girls in Sub Deb have certain requirements throughout
the year, from ushering at MSO concerts to attending
education and training programs, as well as selling raffle
tickets to benefit the MSO. There are twelve concerts
scheduled each season, and Sub Debs sign up to usher at two
of the concerts. Sometimes the concerts have a theme, and the
girls will dress in appropriate outfits to add to the atmosphere.
Education and training sessions run from 45 minutes to
one hour and can be educational, fun, and entertaining. Some
of the subjects covered at the E&T trainings include a car care
clinic, self-defense workshop, and even a dorm decorating
class. The girls also assist with give-back shopping days by
sharing on their social media. “When we asked each girl to
share our raffle ticket sale on their social media, we watched
the ticket sales increase at an incredible rate,” says Karen.
“What they do is powerful and so beneficial to the MSO.”
One of the tasks Karen asked of the students was to write
a thank-you note to the musicians in the symphony. “Their
messages were so heart-felt and sincere. We are compiling
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