The League’s membership drive continues through September. Information is online at www.jldekalb.org or by calling 404-378-2162.
For 80 years, the Junior League of DeKalb has provided women with a venue for volunteerism and community activism. Members of the Decatur-based organization have lent their support and talents to a variety of causes, from setting up a hospital gift shop to establishing a rape crisis center and a women’s shelter.
But the image of “white gloves and pearls” is often what people picture when they think “Junior League.”
“There is that stigma from years and years ago, and we do still run into individuals who have it in mind,” said Angela Turk, who joined the group nine years ago and was recently voted in as its first president of color. “But the Junior League has definitely evolved, and we want to share publicly the work we do.”
Turk said the DeKalb League has become more diverse, attracting members whose ages stretch from recent college grad to retiree and who represent the county’s ethnic mix. Most of the members now work outside the home, a major shift from the early days when most were homemakers. A membership drive that kicked off a few weeks ago has also been drawing more empty-nesters.
“We have had some women join who are in their mid-50s,” said Turk. “Their kids have gone off to college, and they’re looking for opportunities to get involved with the community.”
The organization supports its efforts and its headquarters on Trinity Place with two an annual fundraisers - a poinsettia sale in the fall and a spring tour of kitchens. Members also work on community projects around its main initiative: improving nutrition and combating childhood obesity.
"We started a 'kids in the kitchen' initiative that works with children's groups to teach proper nutrition, how to read labels and how to make healthy snacks," said Turk. "We also share recipes with parents, and one Saturday a month, we do cooking demonstrations. We also are doing a lot of work with community gardens, looking at food deserts in DeKalb and seeing how we can work with local politicians and leaders to rectify the issue."
The other key element in the League’s mission is to build bridges between groups that can take action on issues facing DeKalb residents.
“We have a community advisory board of people who are working in these areas who can advise us,” said Turk. “We want to talk together to make a difference in the community.”
The DeKalb League, one of four in the state, also offers women the opportunity to take the lead in addressing those concerns.
“One important component of what we do is developing the potential of women,” said Turk. “We want to train our members to serve on other boards in the community, but they can get their grounding about how to advocate here. We’ve had several members who now serve on other boards who got their training with the League. And since we’re fairly small, with about 56 active members, we have more hands-on experiences that allow women to move up very quickly into leadership positions.”
The League’s membership drive continues through September. Information is online at www.jldekalb.org or by calling 404-378-2162.
Each Saturday, we shine a spotlight on a local neighborhood, city or community. To suggest a place for us to visit, e-mail H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or call 770- 744-3042.
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