The Junior League of North Little Rock was organized in June 1948 as the North Little Rock Junior Auxiliary under the guiding hand of Mrs. Eunice Routh Loftis. The object as stated in the constitution was "to foster an interest among the members in the social, economic, civic and cultural conditions and thus train them for efficient and reliable service to North Little Rock and its environs." In 1950, the Junior Auxiliary was accepted into membership in the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries. An important project in these early years was a dental clinic for needy children (a program that continues today through the North Little Rock Health Department.) Memorial Hospital (now Baptist Health Medical Center-North Little Rock), has been a beneficiary of League funds through the years, including the first Follies in 1959.
The year 1963 marked the beginning of a new era for the North Little Rock Junior Auxiliary. During this year, the membership voted to withdraw from the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries to become the Junior Service League of North Little Rock, as Junior Auxiliaries were to be in towns of 50,000 or less and North Little Rock had exceeded the limits. At this time, the North Little Rock Health Department moved from the Manees home to a new location in the Civic Center complex. The Junior Service League leased the building from the city and restoration began. (Read more about the history of the home and its restoration on the Manees page.) The Manees House now serves as League headquarters and is available to the public for rentals.
A major fund-raising effort from 1962 to 1967 was the Junior Cotillion (classes in etiquette and ballroom dancing offered to sixth and seventh grade students) owned then by League member Hi Daniel and used with her permission. Other fundraisers included the Holiday Ball, first held in 1962, Red Stocking Follies (which has been held throughout the years and continues to be one of our most successful fundraisers today) and assisting with the Arkansas International Tennis Tournament (now the Fairfield Bay Classic).
Two major projects were begun in 1963: the speech therapy and the Windamere Day Care Center to provide quality day care for children of working mothers. These projects continued until 1976 when they were released to other agencies in the city.
In 1972, the Junior Service League voted to pursue membership in The Association of Junior Leagues, Inc. On June 18, 1978, the League was admitted as the 236th member of the Association as the Junior League of North Little Rock, Inc.
Over the years, many fundraisers have been held. In 1980-81, the first Serendipity, a live and silent auction, was held in the spring. In later years, this evolved into the Christmas Serendipity Market. Our first cookbook, Rave Reviews, first went to the printer in the spring of 1982. This first printing, along with subsequent reprints and a revised version in 1993, has been a wonderful source of revenue for the League. Other fundraisers include "An Affair to Remember" (a charity ball and auction), "Destinations" (a Mexican-themed kickoff party, art auction and dinner/dance with silent and live auctions). Golden Reflections (a kickoff party, New Year's Eve Gala, Family Day and Golf Tournament) and a new signature fundraiser, the Great River Cookoff which began in 1999. This year promises to be an exciting one for fundraiser, with not only the cookoff, but a New Year's Eve Denim and Diamonds party and Follies in April, along with the creation of a new cookbook.
The League has participated in so many projects over the years they are too numerous to mention, but besides those above, they include Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, VIPS in the NLR Public Schools, Kids on the Block, Marionettes, CPR, MISC, Docent, Teen Scene, Operation Santa, Kids and Company, Ronald McDonald House, NLR Beautification, renovation of the Pediatric Wing of Baptist Memorial, Done-in-a-Day, and many more. In addition, numerous grants have been given to area organizations such as Advocates for Battered Women, DARE/NLR Schools, Our House, the Main Street Argenta project, the Old Mill in NLR, and most recently to Clinton Elementary, Arkansas Hospice and Sherman Park.
Our League voted to open its membership to women twenty-three years of age and up with no upper age limit and with no sponsorship required, beginning with the 2000-2001 League year. In doing so, our League is supporting the Reaching Out Statement and helping our membership better reflect the makeup of our community.
We look forward to further serving the North Little Rock community in the new millennium.