The Junior League Says Happy 75th Birthday to Leagues in Macon, GA; Stark County, OH and Topeka, KS

April 17, 2012 - PRLog -- New York – The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc., one of the largest, most effective women’s volunteer organizations in the world, today announced that three Junior Leagues – in Macon, GA, Stark County, OH and Topeka, KS – will each celebrate their 75th anniversaries this year.

Delly Beekman, AJLI President, said, “What is striking about the formation of these three Leagues was their optimism and civic determination in 1937, at the height of the Great Depression. Like Mary Harriman, our founder, they found light in darkness, value in voluntarism and a commitment to creating lasting community impact at a time when our country, and many millions of her people, were struggling. That spirit lives on today in 292 independent Leagues in four countries.”

The Junior League of Macon’s more than 700 members provide trained volunteers and funding for local community projects. JLM’s focus remains unchanged: to give time, money, and trained volunteers back to the community. Over the last 75 years, there have been many focus areas for the community service that our League provides — arts education, historic preservation, reducing teen pregnancy, women’s and children’s health and currently early childhood literacy. Working with community partners, JLM and its members have committed volunteers and raised money to save the Grand Opera House from demolition, help renovate theHay House, support the startup of our local Ronald McDonald House and Macon Volunteer Clinic, and create the Discovery House for children at the Museum of Arts and Sciences.

The Junior League of Stark County’s members are a group of over 300 women of diverse backgrounds who have contributed countless hours of volunteer service and made an impact on their community and thousands of individuals who live there. Past projects have included pre-school enrichment programs, drug abuse prevention, voter registration, domestic violence, and work with pregnant teens. Most recently, JLSC is partnering with the YWCA Early Childhood Learning Center on a KIDS CONNECT program, which increases parental involvement with the children who attend the Y’s childcare program, many of whom have open cases through Children’s Protective Services and may be at risk of abuse or neglect, as well as children who reside in the homeless shelter there. JLSC has also worked recently with the Stark County Hunger Task force to improve and expand their senior food pantry and backpacks for kids programs.

The Junior League of Topeka’s more than 400 members are focused on promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Over the past 75 years, JLT has committed more than $1.3 million and countless volunteer hours to help build a better Topeka.

From supporting the war effort in its early years to its current Happy, Healthy Me! initiative to reduce childhood obesity, JLT has been working to identify and meet the needs of the Topeka community.

Past projects have included bringing the Meals on Wheels program to Topeka, establishing the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program in Shawnee County, funding a county-wide drug and alcohol education program for youth, bringing the “Everybody Wins!” literacy program to Topeka schools, and partnering with other community organizations to establish Race Against Breast Cancer, which provides a full range of screening/diagnostic mammography services to women who live and work in Shawnee County and who are in need of financial assistance.

About The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc.
Founded in 1901 by New Yorker and social activism pioneer, Mary Harriman, the Junior Leagues are charitable nonprofit organizations of women, developed as civic leaders, creating demonstrable community impact.

Today, The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) is comprised of more than 155,000 women in 292 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States.  Together, they constitute one of the largest, most effective volunteer organizations in the world.  For more information, please visit http://www.ajli.org/.

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The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.