A Junior League is an individual entity of the Association of Junior Leagues based out of New York City. There are 292 separate Leagues throughout the Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States and who all serve as their own working organization.
What is AJLI?
AJLI is based in New York City and provides comprehensive consultation, training and other support services that assist the leadership of the 292 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. AJLI is governed by a 20-member Board of Directors, each of whom is a member of the Junior League in her community. The Board is accountable to the Leagues for the development of goals, which enhance Leagues' ability to fulfill The Junior League Mission. The Board also ensures that AJLI provides services to Leagues that support established goals. For more information, visit www.ajli.org.
AJLI Purpose
The purpose of the AJLI is to add value to its member Leagues in their fulfillment of the Junior League Mission.
AJLI Funding
AJLI is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. All of AJLI’s programs and activities are supported by membership dues, foundation and corporate grants and revenue-producing efforts.
Current AJLI Membership
Today there are over 160,000 Junior League members in 292 Junior Leagues in four countries - Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Following are some statistics related to League membership:
Junior League Members are INFLUENTIAL CITIZENS
Forty-one percent of JL members are "Roper Influentials" - political and social trendsetters. This is about four times the average for women.
Junior League Members are RENAISSANCE WOMEN
Thirty-seven percent of JL members are Renaissance Women, 25 points higher than women on average. They are able to balance work, family and a myriad of cultural and educational activities.Junior League Members GIVE BACK
Avg. hours per week in JL activities - 5.3
JL members who are involved in other voluntary organizations - 80%
JL members who have donated money to a charity in the past year - 98%
Highlights of Junior Leagues’ History of Nutrition-based Initiatives
1910s
Dorothy Whitney Straight, the first president of the Association, chaired the Women’s Emergency Committee of the European Relief Council, which helped feed over three million children in Europe.
1930s
Junior Leagues responded to the Depression by opening nutrition centers and milk stations to deliver untainted milk to families. Many Leagues operated soup kitchens, milk stations, nutrition centers and nurseries for children of working mothers across the United States.
1984
The Junior League of Oklahoma City participated in a community-wide project, the Harvest II food drive, which collected 275,000 pounds of food. This was the nation’s most successful food drive at that time.
2005
Five Canadian Leagues staged simultaneous nutrition-related events in three different provinces.
2006
Over 200 Leagues across Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States launched the Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen initiative designed to address issues surrounding childhood obesity and poor nutrition.
2008
AJLI receives the Summit Award, which is sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) & The Center for Leadership, for the Junior Leagues' Kids in the Kitchen. The award is ASAE's highest honor for associations that implement innovative community-based programs and is part of the national 2008 Associations Advance America (AAA) Awards program.
