HISTORY:

The Junior League of Brooklyn was established in 1910 by women interested in fighting the health and social problems associated with over-crowded tenement neighborhoods. It is the third oldest of the 292 Junior Leagues comprised of more than 155,000 women in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States, united through the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI).

Our League and our extensive history below would not have been possible without our Past Presidents or our annual Volunteer and Sustainer of the Year Award winners.

Take a step back through our last 107 years...

CREATION OF THE JUNIOR LEAGUE

The first Junior League was organized in New York City in 1901 by Mary Harriman and Nathalie Henderson. Young women were encouraged to take part in some form of active service to their own neighborhoods. Through voluntary service, members were given an opportunity to learn more about the city's administration, hospitals, schools and other social agencies.

Boston established its League in 1907. In 1910, the third oldest League, The Junior League of Brooklyn, was organized by Miss Elizabeth Dutcher, Mrs. Otis S. Carroll and Mrs. John G. Underhill. By 1912, seven more Junior Leagues had been formed, including Portland, Philadelphia, Chicago and Baltimore.

The Leagues continued as isolated units, occasionally meeting to exchange ideas and discuss mutual problems.  The need for a central advisory and liaison organization led to the founding of The Association of Junior Leagues Inc. in 1921 by the 42 Leagues then active.  The Association now consists of 293 Leagues in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States.  Its purpose was and is to promote voluntarism and to improve the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

EARLY YEARS:

Shortly after its founding in 1910, the Junior League of Brooklyn successfully petitioned the Board of Education to provide free lunches for the children in Brooklyn schools. In 1920 it constructed and furnished a residence for one hundred working girls, the Junior League House.  This building was given to the YWCA the following year for incorporation into the Harriet Judson Branch.  The League then organized and staffed the first social service committee for the Kings County and Coney Island Hospitals, in addition to financing the first public recreation area in the Greenpoint section.

In 1930, the Sanitary Fair and Calico Ball belied hard times and raised an unsurpassed $12,000 for the community.  During the depression years, the League continued to emphasize fundraising for relief programs.  Programs during the war years included Red Cross training, the sale of war bonds and other war‑related projects.  In the late 1940's, the League purchased equipment for the Research Laboratory of the State University of New York's College of Medicine, located at Kings County Hospital.

In 1958, the League established a Children's Recreation Program, also at Kings County Hospital, and proceeds from the Ball were used to equip a permanent playroom for the ambulatory pediatric patients.

THE 1960's:

Recognizing the need for trained social workers, the League ushered in the 1960's with the establishment of the Brooklyn Junior League Social Service Fellowships.  During the next several years, these fellowships provided full financial support for five graduate students in social work, with the stipulation that the recipients return to work in Brooklyn for two years following the completion of their course work. This was followed in 1963 by the Corrective Reading Program a three-year project to help children at the South Brooklyn Neighborhood Houses.

In 1966‑1967 the League undertook a demonstration project with the Brooklyn Cumberland Medical Center which created and staffed a premature nursery and installed a highly specialized laboratory for the nursery.  In addition, the League sponsored programs with the Visiting Nurse Association, the Long Island Historical Society and the Brooklyn Museum, among others.

THE 1970's:

In the 1970's, the League co‑sponsored a school hot breakfast program in Fort Greene; compiled three guidebooks (one on access to services for the handicapped, one on children's activities in Brooklyn, and one on shopping in Brooklyn); developed a children's garden at the Civic Center; refurbished a TV lounge for the elderly at the St. George Hotel; and successfully completed a Landlord‑Tenant court watching study which contributed to the re‑organization of the court system.  In 1976, the League funded the establishment of a Family Day Care Program for infants at the Amboy Neighborhood Center in Brownsville, a relocation facility for fire victims, and developed and staffed a Senior Citizens Advice Desk at the St. George Hotel, an information, referral, and advocacy program for elderly persons.

In 1977, the League's "Underground Society Bash" brought more than 750 people, including politicians and celebrities, to the New York Transit Exhibit in Brooklyn's old Court Street Station and raised funds for the League's community programs.  In 1977, the League membership voted to create subject‑oriented task forces and to alter the composition of its Board in order to make more effective use of its resources, to increase the impact of its projects and programs on the community, and to make possible more extensive participation in public policy development and public affairs.  Through the Task Force on Children, the League then joined a city‑wide advocacy effort, concerned primarily with fiscal policies of the New York City Board of Education.

Projects undertaken during this period included co‑sponsorship with the United Hospital Fund of New York, Inc. and Downstate Medical Center of the Parenting Education Program of Brooklyn; co‑sponsorship with the Council on Adoptable Children and the Council of New York Law Associates of Concern for Children in Placement, a foster care system monitoring project; and a Cultural Outreach program to promote Brooklyn's cultural institutions within its communities.

THE 1980's:

In 1980, the League celebrated its 70th Anniversary; established a Task Force on Parks and Recreation; initiated a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) project to train lay advocates for children in the foster care system; participated with the Brooklyn Educational and Cultural Alliance in a Brooklyn media monitoring project and expanded the Parenting Education Program of Brooklyn, which sponsored a city‑wide conference on parenting education programs.  In 1981, the League strengthened and expanded its task forces.  The Parenting Education Program expanded to Kings County Hospital and became integrated into the Downstate Medical Center's obstetrical unit.  The CASA project expanded and formed a Community Advisory Council.  The Parks Task Force developed a Map of Prospect Park and submitted a proposal for state funding for an exhibit on Olmsted.  The Cultural Task Force produced a highly acclaimed slide show, "Greetings From Brooklyn."

Year 1981‑1982 presented new challenges and the need for new directions.  The existing projects were strengthened.  The JLB joined the AJLI Membership Practices Network to expand our membership so that we would become truly reflective of the community we serve.  With over 90 percent of our membership employed, we developed an even greater flexibility and creativity in placement opportunities and community projects.

On May 31, 1983, the League was honored to receive the Presidential Recognition Award from the Federal Regional Council for its community work with the Parenting Education Program (PEP), the Court Appointed Special Advocates Project (CASA) and the Prospect Park Map.

PEP continued strong in three hospitals with additional work with teenage mothers.  CASA worked to establish its own Board of Directors, and to receive its own tax‑exempt status.  A Radio Project for the Elderly was adopted by the membership. The Provisionals held a Blood Drive, a Rummage/Bake Sale, compiled a list of women's organizations, and surveyed our membership.  Work continued with the Arts at St. Ann's and the Provisionals presented a mechanical for a "Stained Glass Coloring Book."

The League consolidated its community efforts, assessed its volunteer placements, established a Task Force Mini‑Board, and redesigned its Provisional Course and Training Program.

In December 1983, the Junior League of Brooklyn was invited to attend a White House briefing in Washington, D.C.  The invitation came in recognition of the enormous impact which the Junior League has on its various communities through the extraordinary contributions of its volunteers.

The 1983‑84 year was one of strengthening and stretching the organization.  While work continued with the Court Appointed Special Advocates Project and the Parenting Education Program, research intensified on the Radio Project for the Elderly. Members also contributed to the Brooklyn Bridge tours and the Welcome Back to Brooklyn celebration.  New areas of volunteer work were initiated:  Brooklyn Women's Anti‑Rape Exchange (BEWARE), The Chemical People, and New York City Self-Help Clearinghouse.

Provisional projects included a Community Health Fair, a Bicycle Safety Day, a Spring Jubilee for the elderly at Pierrepont House, a rummage sale, and a feasibility study for a proposed newspaper linking non‑profit organizations' needs and corporate donations of goods and services.

1984‑1985, the year of our 75th anniversary, found us reflecting on our past while working on the present.  The day of our major fundraiser was proclaimed "Brooklyn Junior League Day" by Brooklyn's Borough President.  Over 300 attendees were present to toast the honored guests ‑ the past presidents of the JLB ‑ 13 of whom were in attendance.

Radio Prime Time, a pilot radio program, was broadcast in March 1985.  Geared to the over 55 listening audience, it was prepared to test the acceptance of an entertainment show by an audience frequently overlooked by broadcasters.  The second Health Fair proved as popular as the prior year's, with over 160 people examined for possible health concerns. The Rape Crisis Intervention Program at Long Island College Hospital became functional, with volunteers going "on call" for several shifts a month.

One Provisional project, a Scholarship Brunch, raised $2300 to be used for the benefit of women enrolled at the Marymount Manhattan College program at Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Women's Center.  One thousand dollars was paid in grants directly; $1300 was presented to the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Women's Center to establish the JLB 75th Anniversary Scholarship Fund for future scholarship awards.

The Placement Pool, a new concept, was formed to accommodate League members who could not sign up for a specific placement and to supply volunteers on a short-term basis to organizations that request immediate League assistance.

In 1985‑1986 more than 15 projects were researched and three were presented to and passed by the membership.  They were the Trousseau Project ‑‑ a furnishings drive for graduates of the PAES program; CASA II: A Needs Assessment ‑‑ to determine the extent of problems for foster children within the Brooklyn Family Court system; and Home Safety for Senior Citizens ‑‑ the publishing and distribution of information to prevent home accidents.

Three more projects were added in 1986‑87.  At Lefferts Homestead members developed a docent program for tours of the historic Dutch house in Prospect Park.  At Long Island College Hospital members established an evening Story Hour and activity program to relieve children's stress of being hospitalized.  A project called Women to Women was established to educate women on the use of alcohol and its effects.

The job of project research and new project development was split from the job of future planning. We produced a JLB brochure which describes our activities in advocacy, training, outreach, and funding, to be used to attract new members to future Provisional classes.

In 1987‑88 the JLB had the largest Provisional class in over six years.  We established the Volunteer Log to encourage and remind members of opportunities to participate and to provide a record of accomplishments.  We held the Decorators Showhouse ‑‑ the first ever in Brooklyn.  More than 1,000 people attended and our members contributed over 1,200 volunteer hours.  This event raised more than $20,000 and we received press coverage in 15 newspapers and magazines.  Project Recognition Night was initiated to applaud members' accomplishments in past projects and the Showhouse.

In 1988-1989 the "year of training" was kicked off at the opening membership meeting in September with the Volunteer Skills Portfolio.  The Active training schedule included a weekend-long Facilitator Training workshop in October.

Our fundraiser was a highly successful Champagne Gala at the Brooklyn Club in December.  The League raised over $20,000 for community projects.

The Membership Diversity Team was established and began planning special training sessions and activities for the coming year.

THE 1990's:

New projects were launched during 1989-1990, our 80th anniversary year, at the Women's Survival Space shelter and at Interfaith Medical Center.  We co-sponsored a community forum designed to encourage Brooklyn residents to volunteer with local organizations.

We celebrated our anniversary with a tea in October and with champagne in March to kick off JLB's exhibit in the Brooklyn Union Gas lobby.  Our fundraising gala in December was held at Borough Hall and raised almost $22,000.  The JLB received a Community Service Award from the Brooklyn Council of Churches and Third Place Public Relations award from AJLI for membership newsletters.  We had another very active year for training programs.  Thirty-two women completed the Provisional class and did five projects.  In 1990‑1991 we researched and established three-year Goals and Objectives under the leadership of the Future Planning Committee and through the collaborative efforts of the Training Committee. This document is updated annually and provides a rudder which will guide our League into the future. We extended our eligible age of admission and Active status.  We participated in the AJLI Immunization Awareness Campaign by producing 16,000 brochures in English and Spanish publicizing locations which administer free inoculations.

Under the leadership of the Training Committee, we produced a large number of quilts to be distributed by the ABC Quilt Project to children who have AIDS. Our volunteers began their commitment as Teen AIDS Awareness educators at a Red Cross placement.  Our fundraising Gala was held at Borough Hall in December and was well supported by Junior League and community members.  The JLB CASA placement was featured in the AJLI "Points of Impact" video, one of only three League projects highlighted in the International Association.  Our membership newsletter won second place in the Annual AJLI Public Relations competition.

The 1991-92 JLB year brought the addition of a new placement with Graham-Windham, working with the residents of their Malcolm X Group Home in Brooklyn.  The Survivor's First Video was filmed and scripted.  The JLB also hosted its first Politicians Forum to acquaint our elected officials with our community work and our advocacy efforts.

A new Fund Development Committee was created to look for sources of income for the League outside of membership dues.  Their revision of the JLB Cookbook was a wonderful way to supplement our income while enjoying some Brooklyn and JLB lore as well as good food.

For the first time, Membership Development ran two Provisional courses, one in the Fall and a second in the Spring.  This allowed the committee to be more flexible in response to our newest members' needs. Training continues to be a true benefit of membership with a large number of members and community friends taking advantage of the offerings.  We were very lucky to have AJLI's Annual Conference in New York City, allowing ten members to attend.

In the 1992-93 year we moved ahead to address the homeless problem by adding a new placement, the HOPE Program.  The JLB had thirteen members join the mentor segment of the placement.

The JLB co-sponsored two Community Lectures.  The first was a day of educational workshops for teenagers on such topics as AIDS education and the prevention of violence among teens.  The second event was a lecture co-sponsored by the Brooklyn Historical Society.  Ellen Chesler, author of a biography on Margaret Sanger, lectured on Sanger’s life as a feminist, birth control advocate and political activist.

The League had representatives at both NYSPAC conferences.  The SPAC's focused on tracking appropriate legislation for the New York area.

The Training Committee provided Sensitivity Training for the Board and Membership so that they could express their own experiences concerning diversity issues.

The newsletter was published seven times along with a news sheet keeping the membership well informed.  In addition, several major local papers carried our activities.  The publications also included profiles on some of our Sustainer members.

Our Fundraising events included Progressive Dinners, Holiday Bash at Stubs, an Annual Gala "Brooklyn Blooms", and another Stubs Gathering and netted approximately $29,000.

Future planning provided analytical and well planned goals and objectives, which helped to preserve the values and tradition of the JLB.  Numerous kudos and awards were received by the membership and Board of Directors from the community we serve.

The League voted to work on a major project in 1994-95 in collaboration with the Crown Heights Youth Collective, an organization founded in 1978 to serve young people in Crown Heights through educational, cultural, and recreational programs.  League members cleaned, sorted, catalogued, and provided new books for the library at the Collective in addition to setting up a reading corner for young children. 

Teens at the Collective benefited from several training sessions led by League members in such areas as SAT preparation, resume writing, and developing interview skills.  They also were provided access to materials to research college and job opportunities thanks to the efforts of League members to procure and arrange college catalogues and job information in the Collective library.  We organized and ran a College Fair for the teens and the Fall Provisional Class researched and assembled a comprehensive Job Directory for them.  The Spring Provisional Class organized a terrific Job Resource Fair, which drew a large audience of youth from the Crown Heights area.

Our work with the Crown Heights Youth Collective provided a focus for other League events.  We hosted a book fair to benefit the Collective library at the Brooklyn Historical Society, which at the time had an exhibit on the Crown Heights neighborhood.  In the Spring, we joined the Links to sponsor a community lecture; “Crown Heights: A Better Understanding,” which featured a panel of six women representing the Hasidic, West Indian, African American, and white communities of the Crown Heights area and used excerpts from Anna Deavere Smith’s play “Fires in the Mirror” to start discussions. About 100 people attended.  For the third year, we co-sponsored the Brooklyn Association of Teen Educators (BATES) Conference with SUNY.

The League celebrated its 85th anniversary by holding a gala Anniversary Ball at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in March, for which we honored our 58 past presidents.  The event drew 260 guests, 19 past presidents, and raised nearly $40,000.  Social and training events during the year included a family picnic in the park, a Sustainer/Provisional cocktail party, a fundraising holiday cocktail party, ODI training in the Fall and Spring, a training day at our Midyear Meeting, the NYSPAC State Conference, and a Past Presidents' Dinner.  Awards and honors bestowed upon League members included Debra Smallwood being named a “Woman of Influence” by the Brooklyn YWCA, Ann Ellis honored by the Park Slope Neighborhood Family Center, which she helped establish, Karen Schlesinger honored by the Brooklyn Historical Society, and Libby Ryan honored by Project Reach Youth.  Ann Ellis and Bonnie Nuzum were selected as Volunteers of Distinction to be listed in the Junior League Centennial Cookbook, an Association-wide cookbook. The League held three business meetings, a task force meeting, a set of group meetings, and hosted a CAC breakfast with the JLB Board.    

After celebrating the 85th year of service in the Brooklyn community, the League began a busy year of planning and recruitment.

Thanks to the hard work of the membership committee, during the 1995-1996 year, 47 new members joined the League. Provisional projects included a Day of Silent Witness, an educational panel of experts on domestic violence and a follow-up by the Spring class with additional Silent Witness figures and a brochure, and a gift shop and strategic plan for the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

The ad hoc special project committee sent out RFPs (Requests For Proposals), read and researched all of the proposals, and visited and met with the finalists. The League should be proud of the how we conducted the process -- with professionalism, expertise and effectiveness.

Fundraising efforts, which met the goal of raising $8,000, included a party at Foffees, with Junior League of Brooklyn T-shirts on sale as well as cookbooks, and our Spring Fling, a cocktail party held at The Brooklyn Historical Society. The success of the April event was due in part to the generous donations from New City Cafe, Frederick Wildman & Sons and San Pellegrino.

Continuing our focus on the issue of domestic violence, the public affairs committee and a special ad hoc committee on the Silent Witness Project worked tirelessly over the year to keep League members aware with letter writing initiatives to city, state and federal public offices, and the display of four life-sized figures of women who were killed by their partners.

The well-attended community lecture, co-sponsored by the Links, Inc., Brooklyn chapter, brought six women who went to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing together for a panel discussion on advocacy issues. Thanks to panelists Holly Sloan and Mary O’Rafferty from AJLl, Margo Belisle and Elaine Chan from Church Women United, Links member Iris Dubose, and Dr. Ruth Coan.

In 1995-1996, the League inaugurated its team effort with the not-for-profit Christmas in April organization by sponsoring a house for renovation and beautification and donating over 100 hours of volunteer time.

The year also saw the Junior League of Brooklyn leap into the 20th century with various office improvements, including a new computer, software and fax.

While the League was doing all of this, we still managed to volunteer at our placements, expanding to two nights a week at the Women’s Survival Space and working at Graham Windham, PRY and HOPE.

During 1996-1997 the League embarked on a three-year special project with the Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center (BCAC), committing to design and paint a mural for the center's playroom; provide playroom volunteers; create and implement a courtroom orientation program for the young clients; hold special events to build community awareness and support for the Center and its mission; and provide $20,000 to help furnish interview rooms and equip them with video and closed circuit technology.

Strategic planning (an ad hoc committee) began to gather input and educate League members about the concept of strategic planning and its importance as a tool for shaping our League in the future.

1997-1998 was the second year of our three-year commitment to the Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center (BCAC); our members continued their important role as volunteers, donated $9,000 for a fundraising/strategic planning consultant and held the first Courtroom Orientation Class for children who testify in sex abuse cases.

We continued to volunteer at the Women’s Survival Space, HOPE, PRY, the Rotunda Gallery and Graham-Windham.  Our Esteem Team program with Graham-Windham, which is a group-mentoring program for 10 to 13 year old girls, won the Mayor’s Volunteer Award and was honored by Graham-Windham.

On October 18 League members went to Washington, DC to participate in the Silent Witness March on Washington. As representatives of New York State, we joined groups from all 50 states and over seven countries bringing thousands of figures representing women who died from domestic violence to the steps of the Capitol.

The year ended with us voting on an accepting the Strategic Plan.

1998-1999 - AJLI bestowed upon us the ODI Award for Excellence in Communications for our website.

The Annual Placement Review Process resulted in a vote to turn two placements (Project Reach Youth (PRY) and The Hope Program) back to the community.

1999-2000 - A new governance structure, called the Council System, was voted in during the March Membership Meeting.  Governance by the Council System was set to be in place by 2000-2001.

THE 2000’s:

2000-2001 - This was the first year of implementation of the Council System and it was a challenge. However, it permitted the Board of Directors to focus on policy related issues. 

The League co-hosted the Centennial Conference with the Junior League of New York City ended a yearlong Centennial celebration of the founding of our organization.  We surveyed our members and voted in a dues increase.

Our Court School Orientation Program received notice from several major news organizations including the New York Times, the New York Law Journal and Court T.V.

2002-2003 - As a result of September 11th, the Junior League of Brooklyn, in conjunction with the Junior League of the City of New York, raised and distributed over $250,000, which benefited various programs in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The programs assisted primary and secondary victims of September 11th. Other 9/11 efforts included providing volunteers for the Red Cross and at Nino’s, which provided meals to relief workers.

2003-2004 - We implemented a Signature Project, a Career Awareness Program, with the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service, for at-risk teens. We reaffirmed our commitment to our existing four community placements: the Esteem Team, Court School, Women’s Survival Space Craft Night, and Women’s Survival Space Outings. We began a two year commitment with the Old Stone House where the JLB, in collaboration with the New York City Parks Department, transformed dirt and rubbish filled portion of the grounds into a lovely garden.

In response to the passing of devoted JLB member Elaine Potter Bradbury, the Volunteer of the Year Award was renamed the Elaine Potter Bradbury Volunteer of the Year Award in Elaine’s honor.

2004-2005 - Highlighting a continued commitment to service our members have given over 4000 volunteer hours to more than six agencies. In November we participated in the first Junior League Cookie Exchange sponsored by Gold Medal Flour & GLAD Press ‘n’ Seal Wrap with the girls from Graham-Windham. In June we hosted four Business Etiquette Workshops for teens participating in Summer H.E.A.T.

2005-2006 - We celebrated 95th Anniversary Party at the Historical Society and opened a beautiful display. JLB raised $12,000 towards our Preserving the Archives Campaign. Our Membership Committee brought in two great classes increasing membership by 30 new actives. The Fall Provisional Class has renovated the lobby at WSS and also provided exit kits for the Women.     

2006-2007 - The overall purpose was to solidify the foundation of the League so we can build upon it in the coming years leading up to the Centennial. We updated Strategic Plan setting concrete goals and benchmarks to measure progress.

Highlights include:

• Partnership with the Out of the Box (OOTB) Youth Financial Literary Program which serviced 75 youths

• For the Fifth Year we partnered with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz Summer Heat training servicing 230 youths

• Our Fall & Spring provisional classes hosted a Forum on the Foster Care System and Information Session on the Court School Program, respectively

• Increased the number of trainings & the # of members sent to ODI & Annual conferences

• Continued placements with Esteem Team, court School, WSS Craft Night and WSS Outings

• We ended the year on a high note with a new Spring Fundraiser, Just Desserts: Mad Hatters Tea which raised $18,000 for the League.

The year 2007-2008 was a spectacular year in the life of the Junior League of Brooklyn.  Our organization met its ultimate goal to live its Mission, strengthening its core and to supply trained and efficient volunteer leaders for its community. 

Highlights include:

• Partnership with the Out of the Box (OOTB) Youth Financial Literary Program which serviced 75 youths

The JLB’s Annual Focus 2007-2008 – Red Hook

Increasing League visibility, building collaborative partnerships with other service organizations, giving legs to our programs and educating our membership about this great Borough of Brooklyn–one zip code–at a time was the goal of this initiative.

The JLB Board Training & Development Series (BT&D)

The League launched The Board Training & Development Program this year. This new program touched on each area of our strategic plan – Community Impact, Membership Satisfaction and Infrastructure.  The strength of the League is essentially its volunteers and we’ve set the standard for excellence in service, particularly as it relates to Board representation.  Training leaders is what Leagues are known for, therefore, we must ensure that each woman who calls herself a Junior Leaguer represents the promise of our Mission.

• We voted in 21 new members and we are well into our strategic goal of 200-plus members for our centennial year.

Preserving the Archives

Protecting our history, this year we gifted an additional $1,500.00 to the Brooklyn Historical Society to catalogue the remaining JLB records in their custody.  We want to ensure that all our records are in order for use in promoting the League during the upcoming centennial celebration.

The year 2008-2009 proved to be a year where we continued to strengthen our infrastructure as we developed the potential of our members while promoting volunteerism and improving communities.  This year also consisted of a series of “Firsts" for The Junior League of Brooklyn.

Highlights include:

• Business Etiquette Workshop – Another successful partnership with Borough Hall Summer Heat Program resulted in over 200 youth being trained to enter the Brooklyn Workforce.

• The Fall and Spring Provisional Classes coordinated a Food Drive and Online Donation Center with Food proceeds donated to CHIPS of Park Slope

Some of our “Firsts” include:

• Belle of The Ball Prom Dress Drive/Giveaway – We held our 1st Prom Dress Drive/Giveaway in the East New York Section of Brooklyn. Due to the generous outpouring of our members we were able to provide dresses and accessories to 40 young women

• Winter Wonderland Masquerade Ball – was the first of its kind for the JLB and for the Dyker Beach Golf Course in Brooklyn which catered the event.

• Just Desserts: Mad Hatter’s Tea Party – We presented JLB Sustainer Robyn Bellamy with the 2009 Community Outreach Award.

• The Junior Community Service Award went to Julani Brown, our first male recipient.

• We also recognized our Volunteers of the Year: Letitia L. Graham, Christina Manzano, Rosemarie Perry and Taru Rana (Another first – 4 in one year). Our Sustainer of the Year Award was JLB Past President Dona Metcalf Laughlin.

Public Health Association of NYC – Presented the Junior League of Brooklyn with the 2009 Public Health Community Award in recognition of our leadership and activities that promote Public health in Brooklyn.  The JLB is the first volunteer organization to receive the award.

PRESENT DAY:

During the 2017-18 year, the Junior League of Brooklyn will focus its activities to support the 10th Anniversary of our Belle of the Ball project. Please check back soon for updates!