90 Years of Junior League

On June 5, 1919 a meeting was held in the home of Mrs. Seymour H. Knox (800 Delaware Avenue) to discuss bringing the Junior League to Buffalo. Sixty-seven women responded to the first roll call with Mrs. Nelson Taylor presiding
Junior League of Buffalo founded
$50 donated to Children's Hospital for Sewing Supplies

Focus: Children and Families

Operated a food store on Allen Street
Purchased a Thrift Shop for $1.00 from the Red Cross (the first League Thrift Shop in the country)
Proceeds from Thrift Shop and variety shows were donated to Children's Hospital - $37,086
$15,241 donated to a Dental Clinic Endorsement Fund at Children's Hospital

Focus: Children and Families

Food store and Thrift Shop continued
Fundraisers supported a visiting teacher for homebound students and a health care clinic
League members brought theater to 2,500 school children

Focus: Children, the Arts

League headquarters became a gallery for local artists
Sponsored a Community Radio institute lecture series
Began a children's radio series
Assisted in establishing one of the country's first centers for young adults with cerebral palsy
Provided financial support for Red Cross Blood Bank, Children's Hospital and The Buffalo Philharmonic.

Focus: Children

Focus: Children, Children’s Health Issues, Historical Preservation

Support for Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo Museum of Science
$50,000 pledge to the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation - spearheaded drive to restore the Wilcox Mansion
Actively participated in creation of educational television programs
Vision screening for preschoolers
Prepared large print materials for the visually impaired
$20,000 donated to Volunteer Service Bureau and Children's Aid Society
$15,000 - Penguin Aquarium at the Buffalo Zoo, $11,000 and Studio Arena for audience development.

Focus: Criminal Justice, Environment, Children in Crisis, The Arts

Co-sponsored major exhibit at Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Supported Compass and Day Care Council of Erie County
$8,500 grant to develop Environmental Clearinghouse Organization
Received national recognition for model programs for women at Erie County Correctional Facility
Added Haunted House to fundraisers
First annual Ethnic Heritage Festival
$13,000 - TOY (Theatre of Youth), $8,500 - Zoomobile, $4,035 - Hospice, $9,965 - Discovery Room at the Buffalo Museum of Science

Focus: Women and Children, Downtown Revitalization, Training, Advocacy and Collaboration

Developed and supported the Domestic Violence Coalition, Effective Parenting Information for Children, Haven House, The Community Dispute Program, The Victim Witness Program, The Juvenile Mediation Program, Kids On the Block
Supported Western New York Child Care Coalition
Helped to develop Leadership Buffalo
Decorators' Show House Project begun: Larkin House (1981), Ransom House (1983), Bassett House (1985), Kellogg House (1987), Appleton Mansion (1989)
Over $600,000 donated to: Waterfront Summer Concert Series, Cybernetic Light Show in Lafayette Square, Central Referral Services, Inc., Restoration of Buffalo Lighthouse, Tifft Nature Preserve Education
$8,000 donated to develop an Architectural Guidebook & Awareness Program in collaboration with UB (JLB docents)
$4,000 - the Center for Aging Study at UB, $8,000 - Hospice, $5,000 - Compass House for renovations, $15,000 - Ronald McDonald House, $9,977 - Access Guide for Disabled and Elderly, $18,000 - Toy & Equipment lending Library

Focus: Empowering Women, Family, Literacy, Restoration

Designed and developed Co-Care for children of alcoholic parents
Created "Buffalo Beckons" an access guide for the disabled
Introduced LEAF (Learning Empowerment and Families) literacy program
Girls, Inc.: Teen pregnancy prevention program in collaboration with the YWCA
Community Collaborative Forum
Vienna presentation at United Nations NGO Conference
Beijing presentation at United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women
AJLI/BMW Community Impact Merit Award
Great Lake Effects: Buffalo Beyond Winter and Wings Cookbook introduced: awarded the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tabasco Award
Decorators' Show House: McLean House (1991), The Birtches (1993), E.B. Green's Robert Donner Home (1995), The President's House (1997), Larkin House (1999)
Over $890,000 donated to: The Buffalo Zoo, Waterfront Concert Series, Hospice Education Center, Kleinhans Music Hall, EPIC (Every Person Influences Children), Compass House and the Theater of Youth.

Focus: Families at Risk

Girls, Inc. continued
Families United: Program whose purpose is to decrease the incidence of substance abuse and HIV/AIDS infection affecting teen moms and their families.
Child and Family Services: Family Violence intervention program
Kid's Cafe project with the Food Bank of Western New York
Decorators' Show House: The Schoellkopf Vom-Berge Manor (2001), Miller Mansion (2003), The Century House (2005), The Silverthorne Mansion (2007)
First cookbook - award winning Great Lake Effects: Buffalo Beyond Winter and Wings, sales exceed 24,000 books
Junior League of Buffalo teams up with a community project with Literacy Volunteers in 2007