Thursday, January 1, 2015

The Junior League of Springfield, Inc.




The Junior League of Springfield, Inc. has the mission of being an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

It was April 1959, when five women joined together to form the Community Service League of Springfield, Missouri. Their vision was to make a positive contribution to Springfield through their voluntarism and fund raising efforts. These ladies had no idea, even in their wildest dreams, the impact their organization would make in the decades to follow.

The Community Service League was accepted into the Association of Junior Leagues International in 1976, becoming its 231st member. The earliest fund raising efforts of selling fruitcakes evolved into multi-faceted, full-fledged businesses. Annual membership grew from 6 to 600. Today, this organization consists of leagues in 292 communities throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Great Britain.

There are over 160,000 Junior League members, of whom reflect a wide range of backgrounds, interests and professional pursuits as well as work together to identify unmet needs, forge effective coalitions and work for change. The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. has been providing support, guidance and leadership development opportunities to member Leagues for more than 89 years. Learn more at The Junior League of Springfield website.

Listen to the full interview.