Welcome to the Junior League of Hartford website! Whether you are a prospective member, current member or a member of the community, we thank you for visiting our website to learn more about the Junior League of Hartford.

The Junior League of Hartford, Inc. (JLH) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

We are diverse women, sharing a common desire to make a difference in our community through volunteer efforts. Whether your goal is to meet new friends or engage in hands on volunteer opportunities, our goal is to provide members with both outcomes. As a 15 year member of the Junior League organization, I can honestly say my life has been greatly enriched by the friends I have made and the opportunities I have had to give back and impact and improve our communities.

What has made the JLH so successful since its founding in 1921 is that we provide our members with both training and the opportunity to use our skills doing hands-on work in the community. We educate our members about Hartford, its programs, services, needs and the problems facing the region. Once we have defined a need in the community which we feel we can help fill, we develop and implement projects with community partners (as appropriate) who share our vision with respect to that need, and the means of meeting it.

Our current community projects include the Freshplace project, and Done in a Day projects such as Peter’s Retreat, and Souper Sustainers. In the past, we have been involved with the Family/School Connection, Saturday Science Sampler, Village for Families and Children, and so many others! We also provide grants to various area groups through our community grants program.

In order to provide these programs in the community, we work diligently to raise the necessary funds. Our current fundraising efforts include:

• Clothes Horse, our clothing and household goods resale shop;
• Show House, our decorator Show House traditionally held every three years; and
• League, Links & Laughter, our annual golf outing and luncheon fundraiser.

Through our community projects and our fundraising activities, as well as through formal training, the JLH provides its members with new skills, or the means to enhance their existing skills in such areas as leadership development, project management, strategic planning, budget development/ management, running effective meetings and public speaking among many others! We also choose one member each year to attend the Leadership Greater Hartford Quest program, a program providing leadership and community-building. The training we offer our members provides them with the tools needed to lead and inspire others, while providing service to the Hartford community.

It is our intent that our members, while remaining actively involved with the League, also utilize their skills elsewhere in the community. Many of our members go on to serve other community and non-profit organizations, both as volunteers, employees and board members. Our members serve on the Boards of organizations such as the Greater Hartford Arts Council, The Village for Families and Children, Rebuilding Together Hartford, Asylum Hill, Inc., Hartford Street Youth Project and CHOICE Advisory Board, Community Partners in Action Resettlement Program, Healthy Families Task Force, and American School for the Deaf.

Please explore our website to learn more about the Junior League of Hartford, and feel free to contact us should you have any questions!

Sincerely,

Allison Schmitz
President, 2007-2008

.: Who We Are
.: What We Do
.: President's Message
.: History