On October 2, 1915, Alice (Miller) Chester and ten other women established the Junior
League of Milwaukee. Focused upon the goal of training volunteers for assisting with
community improvement, this group of women steadily grew in size and commitment
throughout the 20th century. Influential projects in their first thirty years
include the Confidential Exchange, the fundraising Follies, a Children's Theater,
and the Curative Care Network. A strong era of increased advocacy occurred between
the 1940s and 1970s. The organization took up the causes of women, children, the
ill, and the disabled particularly. For example, the Blood Center of Wisconsin, the
Task Force on Battered Women and the Advocates for Battered Women (now a part of the
Sojourner Family Peace Center, Inc.) were major projects of the Junior League. Other
important projects, such as the PennyWise Resale Shop and the Junior League Singers
also began during this era. In the later 20th century, the organization reorganized
and self-assessment projects created new committees and a membership drive. Many new
projects emerged, including the Care Fair, the Citizen's Review Board, and the
Community Assistance Awards. As of this writing, the organization's mission is as 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, and they have a membership of approximately 650 people.
