By Nicolette W., Grand Immortality & Representative to IL

Hi there, Nicolette here, and I have the opportunity to serve as Grand Immortality and Grand Representative to Illinois this year! But what the heck does that mean? Well, being a Grand Officer is a lot of responsibility, adventures and mostly fun. My biggest responsibility is representing California Rainbow for the year. Going up and down the state to support my Grand Officer sisters and making memories along the way! I also get to be a part of a new member’s Initiation, which is my favorite part of my office. My lecture is unique and carries a lot of meaning and it’s a blessing to be the one to present the teachings of my office to them, as they begin their Rainbow journey. New beginnings can sometimes be a little scary, but having the chance to be a mentor to young girls is what Rainbow is all about. 

Being a Grand Representative is also an incredible opportunity to meet new people and travel. As Grand Representative to Illinois Rainbow, I had the remarkable experience to travel to Springfield and meet the wonderful girls from that jurisdiction. I got to spend a long weekend learning their traditions, making connections, and becoming a part of their unique Rainbow community. I even learned that Illinois is the home to one of the only rivers that flow backward! The Chicago river! I was able to write and present a speech teaching them about California Rainbow and I came back with loads of new knowledge and friends from a state I never thought I’d travel to. The friendships I made at their Grand Assembly are going to last a lifetime!

I am also part of a few state-wide teams that take up some of my free time. In no particular order, I am on the state Membership Team, Service Team, and Supreme Ritual Team. I love being a part of all of these teams and they make me feel like I’m really making a difference within California Rainbow. My time as a Grand Officer has already been one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Thank you for the incredible opportunity to serve California Rainbow this year, this organization will always have a special place in my heart.

By Kylie B., Grand Patriotism & Representative to IA/MO

Hey California Rainbow! I’m Kylie B.G your Grand Patriotism and Representative to Iowa and Missouri for Grand Assembly 2023. Have you ever wondered what a Grand Bow Officer does? Let me tell you! Outside of Grand Assembly, many Grand Officers travel. Whether that be locally or out of state. As a Grand Officer, you also learn new skills and improve the ones you already have. Such as leadership, teamwork, communication, and how to be a good role model. It’s also a good idea to learn about your representative states! A cool fact I’ve learned about Iowa is it’s the only state bordered by two navigable rivers; the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. A fun fact about Missouri is The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is the tallest man-made national monument in the United States. As a bow office at Grand Assembly, such as Patriotism, our most important job is to memorize and perfect our Initiation lecture. Another responsibility we have is to talk about Rainbow in our representative states. After a year of getting to know Rainbow in these states, I’d say there are some pretty cool differences from what we know in California Rainbow. 

By Cassie Ray W., Grand Outer Observer & Representative to OK and TX

As Grand Outer Observer I work with the Confidential Observer to give instructions to the Observer Helpers at Grand Assembly and receive reports from them at Grand Assembly. I also am responsible for guarding the “outer door” for Grand Assembly Sessions. As Representative to Oklahoma and Texas I am responsible to communicate with my counterpart Representatives from those states. In Oklahoma, girls must work their way up to being a Grand Officer by first putting in a specific amount of travel, then being a Page and Representative before they can apply to be a Grand Officer. Oklahoma is known as the Sooner State because of all the people that cheated in the Land Rush to get to their plot of land “sooner” than they would have following the rules. In Texas, girls wear white straight dresses and at Grand Assembly, they do the same entrance and exit drills every year that includes carrying a Bible with 7 color ribbons that are flipped around as they turn corners and change hand positions during the march. The Texas Grand Assembly is held in Waco which happens to be the birthplace of Dr. Pepper®.

By Hannah R., Grand Faith & Representative to Australia and the Orient Pacific

Hey California Rainbow! My name is Hannah R., Grand Faith and Representative to Australia and the Orient Pacific! Being a part of the Grand Family this year has been one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had in my life so far, and I’ve been given opportunities to serve California Rainbow in more ways than one. I served on the State Membership Team, was a part of the God Squad, was a part of the Grand Line, was a Representative for our state internationally, and got to demonstrate our beautiful Ritual through floorwork and memory work.

First, let’s discuss the Membership Team. This year, we had the opportunity to have our first retreat in Fresno, where we created new incentives and programs to help boost our numbers and retain our new and current members. We meet monthly to discuss ways we can make membership fun and exciting. Together, with the help of lots of Barbie™ music, I have had such a wonderful time getting to know the girls and adults on the team, and I’m so proud of all the things we’ve accomplished this year. California Rainbow has most definitely become louder and prouder, one new member at a time.

Another thing I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of is the God Squad. The God Squad participates in Devotionals and the Grand Cross of Color ceremonies, and it is made up of Faith, Religion, Chaplain, Christian Flag Bearer, and Dean of the Grand Cross of Color. Having the privilege of creating a Devotional of my choice has brought me closer to not only the members of the God Squad but the Grand Family and California Rainbow as well. They do not take place only to worship God, but to rekindle our love for our families and our friends through fellowship.

Next is being a part of the Grand Line, which consists of Grand Faith, Grand  Hope, Grand Charity, Grand Worthy Associate Advisor, and Grand Worthy Advisor. I get to take part in planning the Line Officer Luncheon at Grand Assembly, where we talk about the responsibilities of the Line Officers, do team building activities, and get insight from other girls who hold the same office as you from other assemblies. I also consult the Beyond the Line Faith chat to check up on how the Faiths in California are doing and what they’ve been doing to promote membership and lead their assemblies. In addition, I have the honor of leading new sisters through their Initiation journey at Grand Assembly. Being the first impression in their Rainbow journey is an unforgettable experience for not only me but them as well. 

In addition to being Grand Faith, I am also a Grand Representative as well! I am the Representative to Australia and the Orient Pacific. Throughout the year, I have communicated with correspondents in both countries, which consist of jurisdictions in New South Wales, Queensland, and the Philippines. Once I learned more about their Orders, I put together my Rep. Report for Grand Assembly, where I get to share the similarities and differences between our Orders with California. 

Finally, there is Ritual and floor work. I have always loved Ritual, and Faith is responsible for leading the candidates through Initiation with the help of the Drill Leader to perform one of the most memorable ceremonies of our Order. As we all know, Faith does a lot of walking during this ceremony, and being a part of this ceremony and inspiring the girls and adults of California has brought me so much joy this year.

By Emily M., Grand Recorder & Representative to MD and WV

To begin the year, Mrs. Gewin handed me a huge stack of blank envelopes to be decorated for the First OV. This year I decorated them to encompass the famous picture frame on the apartment door from our GWA’s favorite show FRIENDS™. In the center of each frame was a printed photo from Grand Assembly 2022. These envelopes hold all of the quilt square designs and Grand Officer biographies for the Grand Family and I was excited to take on such a fun project. 

Have you been to a state event? Well, chances are you found the information about that event in the Communication Connection. On the last day of every month all flyers, forms and invitations are due to the email [email protected], I then spend hours building a monthly campaign to send out using MailChimp and a whole lot of help from Mrs. Marshall and Mrs. Gewin. I take so much pride in hitting that final send button to push that fantastic document into your inbox at the beginning of the month. 

As Grand Representative to Maryland and West Virginia, I keep in good contact with my correspondence from my states. I have had some great calls with these ladies and learned much about their jurisdictions for my Rep. Report at Grand Assembly 2023. Something I thought was crazy about West Virginia Rainbow is that they only wear white dresses. I couldn’t imagine a life without so many colorful formals. Maryland is interesting because the Grand Line advances consecutively from Charity to GWA. 

At Grand Assembly, I am responsible for delivering an entertaining show of Grand Communications with my partner in crime Mrs. Gewin at the close of each session. And to keep our careful records organized, a great big book of minutes from Grand Assembly will be creatively recorded for our history. I will make sure that this Grand Assembly 2023 is one for the books, literally.