Junior League of Sacramento

A nonprofit organization

$2,647 raised by 48 donors

44% complete

$6,000 Goal

The Junior League of Sacramento came into existence through the efforts of a group of women working together to better the community in which they lived.  Founded in 1942, the JLS is an outgrowth of the former Charity League whose work was primarily directed towards young girls.  In 1938, the Charity League created the Sacramento Community Welfare Council and later, a volunteer bureau sponsored by the council.  Since its evolution from the Charity League, the community areas of concentration for the JLS have grown to include health, education, welfare, youth services, civic and cultural activities, and appropriate political advocacy necessary to accomplish its goals.  The Junior League of Sacramento has originated and/or assisted nearly 100 local agencies including Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento, Fairytale Town, Crisis Nursery, Sacramento Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Powerhouse Science Museum, and The Sacramento Children's Museum.  The many projects and activities the league has been involved with during its 80-year history indicate the depth of commitment the JLS has demonstrated to the Sacramento community.

Mission

The Junior League of Sacramento, Inc. (JLS) 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. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

The Junior League welcomes all women who value our Mission. We are committed to inclusive environments of diverse individuals, organizations and communities.

Needs

We're raising $10,000 to fully fund and launch our "Feed Sacramento" focus area to address food insecurity in our region with our new community partner, Alchemist Community Development Corporation.

“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu

When exploring all of the ways we could make an impact in our community, I wanted to find a focus area that our membership could make a difference. We aren’t a very large League, but our members indicated over several years of surveys, they wanted to work on these issues.

The pandemic highlighted many of the stark gaps in services offered in our community, especially with basic needs, like food. And according to a study done by Valley Vision in late 2021, food insecurity in Sacramento is higher than the U.S. average. On average, 16% of respondents said they experience low or very low food security, with at least 25% participating in at least one food assistance program. That’s compared to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s report that 10.5% of U.S. households were on food assistance during that same time span.

In Fall 2020, we launched WE Rise, a nine-month module leadership program for women. We are raising $5,000 to provide scholarships to women who not only have education barriers, but financial ones, in working toward leadership goals.

Our Community Impact projects are scheduled throughout the year to fulfill a specific need in the community, such as election day support, feeding people experiencing homelessness, collecting supplies for our local food bank, handing out turkeys at Thanksgiving, posting positive quotes in elementary school girls' bathrooms, writing thank you letters to first responders across the country, and giving supply donations to organizations whose missions support our community's children. We estimate $3,000 for our 2023-2024 Community Impact projects.

At the heart of everything we do is the desire to develop civic and community leaders who can make a great impact on the Sacramento region and beyond. We offer leadership training opportunities for our members to continually seek professional and personal development in this area: $6,000.

Unrestricted funding is the heartbeat of the Junior League of Sacramento, providing critical resources and support to every aspect of what we do. Thank you for making a difference with an unrestricted gift!

Equity Statement

The Junior League welcomes all women who value our Mission. We are committed to inclusive environments of diverse individuals, organizations and communities.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Junior League of Sacramento

other names

JLSac

Year Established

1942

Tax id (EIN)

94-1676500

Mission Category

Philanthropy & Grantmaking Foundations

Operating Budget

$0-$50,000

Organization Need

Funding: Program, Funding: Unrestricted

Demographics Served

Low-income individuals/families, General population, Homeless/Underhoused/Unhoused

Local Counties Served

Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, El Dorado

Address

778 University Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95825

Service areas

Sacramento, CA, US

Yolo, CA, US

Placer, CA, US

Phone

916-921-1096

fax

916-921-1261

Social Media