Over the past 80 years, the Junior League of Jackson volunteers have committed to improving the Jackson community. Each year, JLJ’s 2,300 Provisional, Active, and Sustaining members provide more than 55,000 hours of volunteer work. By partnering with community organizations and working to develop shared solutions, our projects help to provide better health, education, welfare, and safety for children and youth.

To ensure our volunteers’ service has a maximum and lasting impact, JLJ uses an issue-based community impact model for the selection of its projects each year. This model allows JLJ to identify a small number of critical needs in the community, specifically centered on the needs of children and youth. JLJ’s volunteers are matched with projects in these areas, enabling our members to serve where they can make the greatest impact. JLJ currently focuses its work in three key areas: early literacy, children’s health, and social development, with the ultimate goal of improving the high school graduation rate in the community.

The Junior League of Jackson’s membership works year-round with our community partners on more than 30 issue-based community projects throughout the Jackson metro area. Whether it is working one-on-one with students to sharpen reading skills or providing backpacks of nutritious food to students heading home for the weekend, our volunteers are dedicated to serving the community in meaningful ways.

Although many of the Junior League of Jackson’s projects focus on making a positive difference in the lives of individual children and youth, our work ripples through the entire community. JLJ led the charge to create the children’s cancer clinic at Mississippi’s only children’s hospital, as well as Mississippi’s only children’s museum. JLJ volunteers also continued to work in the community during the uncertainty of the pandemic. We were able to discover innovative ways to maintain our ongoing community projects, awarded more than $58,000 in grants to our community partners and other 501(c)(3) organizations, and donated more than 1,200 meals to local healthcare workers and first responders.

Thank you to our community partners, supporters, and members, for your work in deepening our impact in the community.

Warmest regards,

Kim Putnam
2022-2023 Community Vice President