1934-1940

1934 The Junior Club of Albuquerque was founded

Projects included:
Clothing Center for Bureau of Charities and American Red Cross; Prenatal Clinic at Presbyterian Hospital; Venereal Disease Clinic; Four Well Baby Clinics; Prenatal Clinic at Barelas

Funds provided to:
St. Anthony’s Orphanage, Albuquerque Public Library, Blind Association, Crippled Children’s Clinic, Playground development, Barelas Clinic, Hospitalization Fund, British War Relief (World War II)

1941 – 1950

Projects included:
Established a Dental Clinic; War bond drives; Established Cerebral Palsy Day School; Radio Program for Children on KOB; “Up and Down the Scales”, a music education radio program; “Our Enchanted Land,” a NM history radio program; Opened Junior League Thrift Shop in Albuquerque; Workshop for the Blind (now part of NM School for the Blind)

1944 – Transition to Junior Service League of Albuquerque
1948 Transition to Junior League of Albuquerque – accepted into Association of Junior Leagues of America

1951 – 1960

Projects included:
Established The Children’s Theater; Established Scholarships for Cerebral Palsy Day School and Transition School; Volunteer coordinator for Bernalillo County Indian Hospital (now UNM Hospital); Raised seed money for Albuquerque Children’s Zoo (now Rio Grande Zoo)

Funds provided to:
Rehabilitation Center ($3000.00), All Faith’s Receiving Home New Mexico Hearing Society ($1000.00), $10,000 grant to KNME to air “Donkey Tales”, a TV show for pre-school children that ran through 1961, $1,000 grant to American Field Service Foreign Exchange Program

1961 – 1970

Projects included:
Fundraising for Albuquerque Vocational Clinic; Assisted New Mexico Arts and Crafts Fair; Established docent program at UNM Art Museum; Established Albuquerque Tutoring Council; Established Information/Referral Service; Established The Volunteer Bureau (part of Information and Referral Service); Established the Arts Council Project; Collaborated with APD and APS on 3-Year Model Cities Child Safety Project

Funds provided to:
Major grant to All Faiths Receiving Home, Family Consultation Services, Albuquerque Public Library, Drug Abuse Education Center

Received recognition from:
Albuquerque City Commission – JLA awarded Distinguished Service and Merit Award

1971 – 1980

Projects included:
Established KIDS (Kindergartens in Demand Statewide) to advocate for state laws creating statewide kindergartens; Collaborated with UNM to publish Handbook of Community Services; Conference on Albuquerque’s Future

Funds provided to:
Learning Disabilities Project, Venereal Disease Education Workshop, Children’s Section of Albuquerque Public Library, Senior Citizen ID Program, Geriatric Day Care Center Project, Child Care Training Seminar, Child Advocacy Coalition Project, Workplace Crime Seminar, Energy Resources Seminar, Restoration of Old Airport Building (now a National Register landmark), Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation Project, Crime Stoppers in Albuquerque

1981 – 1990

Projects included:
Published Simply Simpatico, JLA’s first cookbook; Opened Ronald McDonald House; Established Holiday Olé, JLA signature fundraising event; Endorsed (1) NM Museum of Natural History, (2) Open Space Act, (3) Special Education in New Mexico; Established Volunteer Albuquerque; Endorsed (1) child restraint device legislation, (2) treatment facility for mentally ill and violent adolescents, (3) severe DWI penalties; Established Rio Grande Zoo Project for Trainable Mentally Retarded Children (AMAZE) Co-hosted Opening of New Mexico Museum of Natural History; Transferred Volunteer Center from JLA to United Way; Established Community Star Award

Funds provided to:
Ronald McDonald House K.A.R.E. (Kids Alcohol Responsibility Education), Distinguished Teacher Award ($1000), Explora!, Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence, Adolescent pregnancy prevention project, Peanut Butter and Jelly Preschool, Senior citizen project, Parenting project, Family Focus Center at Zia Elementary School, Karnival for Kids

1991 – 2000

Projects included:
Expanded Building Blocks to multiple hospitals; Construction of Family Focus Center at Zia Elementary School (NM State Legislature granted $100,000 matching funds for the project); Established Parentcraft, funding scholarships to parenting classes; Established Women’s Housing Coalition; Opened Family Focus Center at Zia Elementary School; Hosted Furr’s Women’s Expo; Established ARTTS – Arts Reaching To The Stars a $300,000 program providing variety of arts activities to NM children; Transferred Building Blocks to Peanut Butter and Jelly Family Services; Albuquerque Promise Book, part of national America’s Promise program – collected and monitored Albuquerque’s contribution of ‘promises’; Women’s Roundtable for leaders of 30 NM women’s organizations; Hosted (through A.R.T.T.S.) the Arts Education Summit; Collected over 500 promises for America’s Promise; Published A Taste of Enchantment, JLA’s second cookbook

Funds provided to:
Hurricane Andrew Relief Fund, Albuquerque Museum Foundation Associates Art Education, Peanut Butter and Jelly Therapeutic Preschool for playground equipment, Peanut Butter and Jelly Family Services ($25,000), Albuquerque community programs ($50,000 in total)

Received recognition from:
Governor Gary Johnson – “Junior League of Albuquerque Day” Proclamation
New Mexico Chapter of the National Society of Fundraising Executives – Most Outstanding Philanthropic Organization in New Mexico

2001-2010

Projects Include:
Make A Difference Day for Albuquerque community – matching volunteer opportunities to volunteers via the JLA website; Helped found Volunteer! Albuquerque; Partnered with Explora! Science Center and Children’s Museum to unveil the new Explora! facility; Satellite, Homework Center in conjunction with Albuquerque Public Library; Make A Difference Day – matched 1700 volunteers with 77 non-profits to work on 117 projects; Collaborated with UNM Children’s Hospital on “Happy Landings” gala/concert fundraiser for purchase of pediatric emergency helicopter (netting $80,000); Collaborated with Southwest Arts Festival to host “Preview Night” benefit for Once Upon A Theater; Collaborated with ARCA to present 14th Annual People’s Choice Awards; Make A Difference Day – matched 2200 volunteers to 70 projects in Albuquerque; Assisted The Crossroads – provided life-skill trainings, an outdoor playground, donations of goods and services; Kids in the Kitchen, an Association of Junior Leagues International program addressing childhood obesity and nutrition; Collaboration with Cuidando los Ninos; Ronald McDonald Family Room, a family support facility within UNM Children’s Hospital

Provided funds to:
Satellite Homework Center ($6,000), Make A Difference Day beneficiaries ($11000), Enlace Communitario, Pegasus Legal Services for Children, Roadrunner Food Bank “Food for Kids” program, American Red Cross fund for victims of Hurricane Katrina, Albuquerque Community Foundation

Received recognition from:
USA Today Weekend Magazine — named JLA as a “nation winner” for work on Make a Difference Day; appeared on magazine cover April 15, 2005
NM State Senate, Senate Memorial 57 — honoring the 25th anniversary of Simply Simpatico cookbook

2011-Present

Projects Include:
Collaboration with The Storehouse and the Rio Grande Food Project to create a model food pantry in an underserved Albuquerque neighborhood; annual Halloween party for the Crossroads; Project Share – Annual Christmas party and “Adopt a Family” program; Kids in the Kitchen, an Association of Junior Leagues International program addressing childhood obesity and nutrition; New Day Youth and Family Services to create a transitional living center which offers a supportive short-term living environment for youth in need; Ronald McDonald House; a collaboration with New Mexico Association for the Education of Young Children for the purpose of bringing the Wonder of Learning (WOL) exhibit to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and to engage in educational and professional development activities during and after the exhibit to expose teachers, students and families to early education and emergent literacy.

Provided funds to:
Rio Grande Community Farms, Albuquerque Meals on Wheels, Family Promise (IHN), Working Classroom, Once Upon a Theatre, The Performers Ballet & Jazz Company, New Mexico Collaboration to End Hunger, Cuidando Los Niños, The Storehouse, the Rio Grande Food Project, Special Spaces, Meals on Wheels, APS Title I Homeless Project, the Children’s Grief Center, the New Mexico School for the Blind, Silver Horizons