Women building better communities. That's the Junior League!
75 Years...Three Names...Two Counties...One Goal!
The Junior League of Wyandotte and Johnson Counties celebrates its 75th year in realizing the goal of "serving the needs of our community".
During the final years of the Great Depression, a group of women first came together in 1934 to provide assistance to nine underprivileged families in the Kansas City area. Their first service project of making layettes for the children of these families was completed under the organization name of The Service League of Kansas City, Kansas. The group was not merely a social organization but one driven by the desire to help those in need around them.
From the early years, The Service League of Kansas City, Kansas established a community outreach presence by helping children with special needs, providing hundreds of books to libraries, encouraging leadership among women and providing live theater productions to school children through Children's Theater. Now in its 64th year, Children's Theater continues to give many children the opportunity to live vicariously, if only for a moment, through the characters they see on stage - to laugh, dream and realize that their greatest wishes can come true.
In 1949, recognized for its service to the community, The Service League of Kansas City, Kansas was admitted into The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. and officially became the Junior League of Kansas City, Kansas. To signify the organization's broader outreach in the community, it became the Junior League of Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas (JLWJC) in 1990.
Throughout the past 75 years, the JLWJC has provided more than 1.3 million hours of service to its communities and invested more than $2.6 million to support projects benefiting woman, children and families. The organization is dedicated to continuing its support to the community and helping others prepare for lifelong service and community involvement. This year, we celebrate the organization for making a difference in so many lives. But, more importantly, we celebrate the future with hopeful and willing hearts as we continue "serving the needs of our community".
The JLWJC is thankful to everyone who through these 75 years has helped make it possible for us to support such organizations as:
Associated Youth Services
CASA
Catholic Charities - New Roots for Refugees
Children's Museum of Kansas City
Community Living Opportunities
Duchesne Clinic
Grace Center
Grinter Place Friends
Habitat for Humanity
Johnson County Christmas Bureau
Johnson County Health Partnership
KC Parents As Teachers Consortium "Hear To Learn"
KC Reads
Kaw Valley Arts Council
Kaw Valley Habitat for Humanity
KVC Behavioral HealthCare
KEYS Youth Services
Kids Vote Kansas
Lee Ann Britain Infant Development Center
MOCSA
Midwest Ear Institute -Ears That Hear
Paws for Freedom
Project FACES
Project Turn-Around
Rachel's Tea House
Ronald McDonald House
SafeHome
Shelter Supply Warehouse
SIDS Resources, Inc.
STOP Violence Campaign
Sunflower House
Teen Connection
Teen Watch
Turner House
Wheels of Freedom
Winners Circle
Wyandotte County Coalition for the Prevention of Child Abuse
Wyandotte County Infant Toddler Services
YMCA
YWCA
Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living.
- Albert Einstein
