Junior League of Brooklyn records

The first Junior League took shape in New York City in 1901 due to the efforts of debutante Mary Harriman, who felt that new rights for women implied new responsibilities toward their communities. As a result, young women were encouraged to actively volunteer and to find useful outlets for their skills and interests. The success of the New York League led to the creation of the Boston Junior League in 1907, and by 1921, thirty Leagues had been established in six U.S. regions. The Leagues are at present incorporated into the Association of Junior Leagues International, with each League selfdirecting but bound by the Association's By-laws. The Association offers leadership training and experience to individual members and assistance to its member Leagues. The mission of the Association, binding on all local Leagues, states that "its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable."1 The local leagues provide a means for women to strengthen and use their talents by participating in community projects, as well as encouraging them to work within individual leagues to administer the organization.

The Junior League of Brooklyn formed in 1910 as a response to social and health problems facing certain communities. Overcrowded tenements filled with struggling immigrants made up much of Brooklyn's neighborhood and communities, and a group of debutantes and young married women in Brooklyn recognized the need for assistance in areas in which local government aid fell short. They organized the Junior League of Brooklyn based on the already formed Leagues in Manhattan and Boston. The Junior League of Brooklyn, as the third oldest existing Junior League, maintained the slogan, "Everybody Doing Something for Somebody."2 The JLB successfully lobbied the Board of Education in 1915 to provide free lunches for school children in Brooklyn. Other activities during the early 20th century included facilitating health services for victims of tuberculosis, launching a bookshop in Brooklyn Heights, and establishing the Junior League House, a residence for one hundred working girls.

Following the stock market crash of 1929, the Junior League of Brooklyn provided aid during the economic downturn by operating nutrition centers and milk stations for families. In 1930, members successfully raised $12,000 for the community by holding a Sanitary Fair and the Calico Ball. The League established the Central Volunteer Bureau in 1940 to assist in the World War II effort, and members participated in Red Cross training and the sale of war bonds. During wartime, the League also produced theatrical productions for children and repaired thousands of toys for donation. Fundraising efforts made possible the purchase of equipment for the Research Laboratory of the State University of New York's College of Medicine at King's County Hospital in the late 1940s.

The 1950s found the Junior League involved in Civilian Defense efforts through the organization of first aid courses and supported the American Red Cross. The Toy Workshop was the major project of the decade, providing both donated and handmade toys to local hospitals and other societies supporting children. In general efforts revolved around children, focusing on day care, dental clinics, playgrounds, nursery schools, parenting, and education. One major project, begun in 1956, was the Kings County Hospital Recreational room. The League also promoted "The Price of Liberty", a radio series focusing on stories of American freedom, which was produced with the help of the Junior League of Albany. The Junior League of Brooklyn celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 1960 by creating the Social Service Fellowship program, reflecting the social changes and movements of the decade. The Fellowship provided financial support to five graduate students, one per year, with the stipulation that they work in social services in Brooklyn for two years upon graduation. Additional projects during this time included a reading comprehension program, collaboration with the Brooklyn Museum and the Long Island Historical Society (renamed the Brooklyn Historical Society in 1987). Volunteer activities in the 1970s consisted of sponsoring a hot breakfast program for students in Fort Greene, the compilation of city guidebooks for the disabled, and producing a successful fundraising event called the "Underground Society Bash" at the newly-formed New York City Transit Museum, located in an unused downtown Brooklyn subway station.

In 1977, the League membership voted to create subject-oriented task forces as a means of focusing limited resources for greater effect. The task forces, made up of subgroups of members, concentrated on child welfare, urban issues, and cultural affairs. The implementation of the task force system proved to be a strong move on the part of the League in effectively providing aid to the community where needed. In 1979, the Junior League of Brooklyn initiated the Children in Placement (CIP) project in collaboration with New York's Council on Adoptable Children and the Council of New York Law Associates, in order to aid permanency planning for children without homes. This effort developed into and contributed to the strength of the current national Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. CASA provides trained advocates for abused, neglected or abandoned children in the foster care and court system.

During the 1970s, the growth in women working full time in the United States affected the Junior League of Brooklyn as members increasingly had less weekday availability. Seventy percent of the membership became employed full or part-time during this period. The League responded to changing needs by removing a three hours per week placement requirement, providing placement opportunities for flexible schedules, and by setting meeting times on weeknights and weekends. The Junior League of Brooklyn also strove for the makeup of the membership to reflect the diversity of the group's borough. In 1980, the Association of Junior Leagues International established a Member Practices Network to facilitate the diversification of membership in member leagues. Delegates from individual leagues attended conferences, seminars, and training sessions in order to return to their local leagues prepared for implementation. A report of the Junior League of Brooklyn in 1981 showed that seventy-four percent of members lived in the neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Park Slope, and adjoining neighborhoods. The League set a goal to "increase geographic representation in the League beyond the 'brownstone belt' slowly but surely."6 After a decade of diversification work the League put out a position statement on multiculturalism in 1991 stating, "The JLB reaches out to all women who share our commitment to voluntarism, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability". The League's first African-American president, Debra Smallwood, was elected to serve the 1992-1993 year.

In the 1990's the Junior League continued working on a variety of issues including child advocacy, homelessness, domestic abuse, rape, and youth violence8. In 1993 the League produced a video entitled "Restoring Dignity: Frontline Response to Rape", in cooperation with Long Island College Hospitals. The video was conceived as a tool for police officers, hospital officials, social workers and other first responders for "learning what it is that a rape survivor needs and requires to get on the road to recovery". In 1996, the League participated in the Silent Witness National Initiative by sponsoring a 'day of witness' outside New York's Supreme Court building to memorialize and focus the attention of the courts on women who died as a result of domestic violence. The League also began a major project with the Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center to help establish a center of immediate and sensitive intervention for sexually abused children.

At the end of the 20th century the Junior League of Brooklyn implemented the council system of organization. The council system shrunk the size of the board and shifted its focus to broader issues and long-range strategic planning, while the committees were given more power to make administrative decisions on a day to day basis. The system also introduced a managerial layer, or Council, to help guide the committees and provide leadership when needed. For information on current membership statistics and what the Junior League of Brooklyn is doing now, please see their website at www.brooklynjuniorleague.org.

The first Junior League took shape in New York City in 1901 due to the efforts of debutante Mary Harriman, who felt that new rights for women implied new responsibilities toward their communities. As a result, young women were encouraged to actively volunteer and to find useful outlets for their skills and interests. The success of the New York League led to the creation of the Boston Junior League in 1907, and by 1921, thirty Leagues had been established in six U.S. regions. The Leagues are at present incorporated into the Association of Junior Leagues International, with each League selfdirecting but bound by the Association's By-laws. The Association offers leadership training and experience to individual members and assistance to its member Leagues. The mission of the Association, binding on all local Leagues, states that "its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable."(1) The local leagues provide a means for women to strengthen and use their talents by participating in community projects, as well as encouraging them to work within individual leagues to administer the organization.

The Junior League of Brooklyn formed in 1910 as a response to social and health problems facing certain communities. Overcrowded tenements filled with struggling immigrants made up much of Brooklyn's neighborhood and communities, and a group of debutantes and young married women in Brooklyn recognized the need for assistance in areas in which local government aid fell short. They organized the Junior League of Brooklyn based on the already formed Leagues in Manhattan and Boston. The Junior League of Brooklyn, as the third oldest existing Junior League, maintained the slogan, "Everybody Doing Something for Somebody."(2) The JLB successfully lobbied the Board of Education in 1915 to provide free lunches for school children in Brooklyn. Other activities during the early 20th century included facilitating health services for victims of tuberculosis, launching a bookshop in Brooklyn Heights, and establishing the Junior League House, a residence for one hundred working girls.

Following the stock market crash of 1929, the Junior League of Brooklyn provided aid during the economic downturn by operating nutrition centers and milk stations for families. In 1930, members successfully raised $12,000 for the community by holding a Sanitary Fair and the Calico Ball. The League established the Central Volunteer Bureau in 1940 to assist in the World War II effort, and members participated in Red Cross training and the sale of war bonds. During wartime, the League also produced theatrical productions for children and repaired thousands of toys for donation. Fundraising efforts made possible the purchase of equipment for the Research Laboratory of the State University of New York's College of Medicine at King's County Hospital in the late 1940s.

The 1950s found the Junior League involved in Civilian Defense efforts through the organization of first aid courses and supported the American Red Cross.(3) The Toy Workshop was the major project of the decade, providing both donated and handmade toys to local hospitals and other societies supporting children. In general efforts revolved around children, focusing on day care, dental clinics, playgrounds, nursery schools, parenting, and education. One major project, begun in 1956, was the Kings County Hospital Recreational room. The League also promoted "The Price of Liberty," a radio series focusing on stories of American freedom, which was produced with the help of the Junior League of Albany.(4)

The Junior League of Brooklyn celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 1960 by creating the Social Service Fellowship program, reflecting the social changes and movements of the decade. The Fellowship provided financial support to five graduate students, one per year, with the stipulation that they work in social services in Brooklyn for two years upon graduation. Additional projects during this time included a reading comprehension program, collaboration with the Brooklyn Museum and the Long Island Historical Society (renamed the Brooklyn Historical Society in 1987). Volunteer activities in the 1970s consisted of sponsoring a hot breakfast program for students in Fort Greene, the compilation of city guidebooks for the disabled, and producing a successful fundraising event called the "Underground Society Bash" at the newly-formed New York City Transit Museum, located in an unused downtown Brooklyn subway station.

In 1977, the League membership voted to create subject-oriented task forces as a means of focusing limited resources for greater effect. The task forces, made up of subgroups of members, concentrated on child welfare, urban issues, and cultural affairs. The implementation of the task force system proved to be a strong move on the part of the League in effectively providing aid to the community where needed. In 1979, the Junior League of Brooklyn initiated the Children in Placement (CIP) project in collaboration with New York's Council on Adoptable Children and the Council of New York Law Associates, in order to aid permanency planning for children without homes. This effort developed into and contributed to the strength of the current national Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. CASA provides trained advocates for abused, neglected or abandoned children in the foster care and court system.

During the 1970s, the growth in women working full time in the United States affected the Junior League of Brooklyn as members increasingly had less weekday availability. Seventy percent of the membership became employed full or part-time during this period.(5) The League responded to changing needs by removing a three hours per week placement requirement, providing placement opportunities for flexible schedules, and by setting meeting times on weeknights and weekends. The Junior League of Brooklyn also strove for the makeup of the membership to reflect the diversity of the group's borough. In 1980, the Association of Junior Leagues International established a Member Practices Network to facilitate the diversification of membership in member leagues. Delegates from individual leagues attended conferences, seminars, and training sessions in order to return to their local leagues prepared for implementation. A report of the Junior League of Brooklyn in 1981 showed that seventy-four percent of members lived in the neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Park Slope, and adjoining neighborhoods. The League set a goal to "increase geographic representation in the League beyond the 'brownstone belt' slowly but surely."(6) After a decade of diversification work, the League put out a position statement on multiculturalism in 1991 stating, "The JLB reaches out to all women who share our commitment to voluntarism, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability."(7) The League's first African-American president, Debra Smallwood, was elected to serve the 1992-1993 year.

In the 1990s, the Junior League continued working on a variety of issues including child advocacy, homelessness, domestic abuse, rape, and youth violence.(8) In 1993, the League produced a video entitled "Restoring Dignity: Frontline Response to Rape," in cooperation with Long Island College Hospital. The video was conceived as a tool for police officers, hospital officials, social workers and other first responders for "learning what it is that a rape survivor needs and requires to get on the road to recovery."(9) In 1996, the League participated in the Silent Witness National Initiative by sponsoring a 'day of witness' outside New York's Supreme Court building to memorialize and focus the attention of the courts on women who died as a result of domestic violence. The League also began a major project with the Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center to help establish a center of immediate and sensitive intervention for sexually abused children.

At the end of the 20th century, the Junior League of Brooklyn implemented the council system of organization. The council system shrunk the size of the board and shifted its focus to broader issues and long-range strategic planning, while the committees were given more power to make administrative decisions on a day to day basis. The system also introduced a managerial layer, or Council, to help guide the committees and provide leadership when needed. For information on current membership statistics and what the Junior League of Brooklyn is doing now, please see their website at www.brooklynjuniorleague.org.