In 1920, The Junior League of Brooklyn constructed and furnished a residence for one hundred working girls, which was known as the Junior League House. This building was donated to the Y.W.C.A. the following year for incorporation into the Harriet Judson Branch.

The JLB also organized and staffed the first social service committee for the Kings County and Coney Island Hospitals, in addition to having financed the first public recreation area in the Greepoint area. In Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) the JLB made history by establishing a bookshop and Lending Library, the first permanent moneymaking project in any League.

In 1929, The Stock Market crashed and millions were left penniless. Junior Leagues responded to the nationwide economic hardship by operating baby clinics, day nurseries for working mothers, birth control clinics, training schools for nurses and by providing many other practical services. As the national crisis grew, increasing numbers of women looked for ways to contribute.

E.B. Thayer McKee, President, JLB, 1923-1924

Economic disaster and upheaval characterized the 1930s. Junior Leagues responded by opening nutrition centers and milk stations to aid the hungry. They also set up special volunteer bureaus to recruit, train and place much-needed volunteers to assist those suffering most from the Great Depression.

Children's Theater
Volunteers wrote, produced and performed plays for children in schools and hospitals. The project, which continued for 26 years, performed for as many as 10,000 students in a single year.

The Junior League of Brooklyn's recreation of the 1863 Civil War Fair was the great event of 1930. The Sanitary Fair and Calico Ball raised $12,000 in spite of the Depression. The Depression years found the JLB engaged primarily in fund raising for relief programs.

This era of war work included a lively Children's Theater and the beginning of Toy Workshop. At the Toy Workshop, JLB volunteers collected and repaired thousands of toys each year and donated them to hospitals and settlement houses.

The 1960s were characterized by upheaval, social unrest and change. As the Civil Rights Movement grew, Leagues discussed the value of ethnic diversity within the Leagues.

Rachel Carson launched the modern environmental movement with her book, "Silent Spring." At the same time, Junior Leagues added environmental issues to their agendas with the development of the educational film, "Fate of a River," which detailed the problems of pollution. Urban riots around the country led to a new awareness and understanding of the inequities of society, which in turn motivated Leagues to establish programs addressing the education, housing, social services and employment needs of urban residents. One such program, launched by the Boston League, includes a tutoring program for one of Boston's disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Recognizing the desperate need for trained social workers, the Junior League of Brooklyn ushered in the 1960's with the establishment of the Brooklyn Junior League Social Service Fellowships. During the next several years, these Fellowships provided full financial support for five graduate students in social work, with the stipulation that the recipients return to work in Brooklyn for two years following the completion of their course work.

The Fellowship program was followed in 1963 by the Corrective Reading Program for Children at the South Brooklyn Neighborhood Houses. The three-year project was designed to help children with reading comprehension and interpretation, as well as the recognition and pronunciation of words. Trained and supervised by a professional reading consultant, Junior League of Brooklyn volunteers worked for one hour a week on a one-to-one basis with their pupils. The program stressed individual attention and parent cooperation. In addition to the above, the Junior League of Brooklyn sponsored projects with the Brooklyn Museum and the Long Island Historical Society [later known as the Brooklyn Historical Society], and the Visiting Nurse Association.

The 1970s saw the advent of both disco and the international energy crisis. Membership diversification became a priority of the Junior Leagues with the adoption of the Association of Junior League International's statement that it "reached out to women of all races, religions and national origins." It was a very busy decade for the Junior League of Brooklyn.

The Junior League of Brooklynco-sponsored a hot breakfast program for school children in Fort Greene, compiled three Guidebooks to New York City (one for the disabled, one for children's activities, and one for shopping in Brooklyn), developed a Children's Garden at the Civic Center, refurbished a TV Lounge for the Elderly at the St. George Hotel, completed a successful Court Watching Program devised to observe and evaluate tenant-landlord and criminal cases.

In addition, the Junior League of Brooklyn funded the establishment of a Family Day Care Program for infants at the Amboy Neighborhood Center in Brownsville, a relocation facility for fire victims. Under the program, infants were cared for in licensed homes by trained "provider" mothers. These funds became available when New York City announced it was unable to fulfill its commitment to the Ingersoll Day Care Center.

The Junior League of Brooklyn also developed and staffed a Senior Citizens Advice Desk at the St. George Hotel, an information, referral, and advocacy program for elderly persons.

In 1977, the Junior League of Brooklyn's "Underground Society Bash" brought more than 750 people, including politicians and celebrities, to the New York Transit Exhibit in Brooklyn's old Court Street Station and raised funds for the League's community programs.

Through the Task Force on Children, the League then joined a city-wide advocacy effort, concerned primarily with fiscal policies of the New York City Board of Education.

In 1979, the Children in Placement project was initiated in collaboration with New York's Council on Adoptable Children and the Council of New York Law Associates to facilitate permanency planning for abused, neglected or abandoned Brooklyn Children coming before Family Court. This program developed into today's National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program.

Diversification training programs supported the Association of Junior Leagues International's goal of reaching out to women of all races, religions and national origins. Throughout the United States, Junior Leagues gained recognition for national advocacy efforts aimed at improving the nation's child welfare system. Leagues were also credited with helping to gain passage of the first federal legislation to address the growing crisis domestic violence.

In 1980, the Junior League of Brooklyn celebrated its 70th Anniversary; established a Task Force on Parks and Recreation; initiated a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) project to train lay advocates for children in the foster care system; participated with the Brooklyn Educational and Cultural Alliance, in a Brooklyn media monitoring project, and expanded the Parenting Education of Brooklyn (PEP), which sponsored a city-wide conference on parenting education programs.

On May 31, 1983, the League was honored to receive the Presidential Recognition Award from the Federal Regional Council for its community work with PEP,the CASA project and the Map of Prospect Park.

PEP continued strong in three hospitals with additional work with teenage mothers. The CASA program worked to establish its own Board of Directors, and to receive its own tax-exempt status. Junior League of Brooklyn Members also contributed to the Brooklyn Bridge tours and the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Day Celebrations.

In December 1983, the Junior League of Brooklyn was invited to attend a White House briefing in Washington, D.C. The invitation came in recognition of the enormous impact which the Junior League has on its various communities through the extraordinary contributions of its volunteers.

New areas of volunteer work were initiated: Brooklyn Women's Anti-Rape Exchange (BEWARE), The Chemical People, and New York City Self-Help Clearinghouse.

The Junior League of Brooklyn worked with the Hug-A-Baby Program. 1984-1985, the year of our 75th anniversary, found us reflecting on our past while working on the present. The day of our major fund raiser was proclaimed "Brooklyn Junior League Day" by Brooklyn's Borough President. Over 300 attendees were present to toast the honored guests — the past presidents of the Junior League of Brooklyn — 13 of whom were in attendance.

In 1985-1986 more than 15 projects were researched and three were presented to and passed by the membership. They were the Trousseau Project — a furnishings drive for graduates of the PAES program; CASA II: A Needs Assessment; — to determine the extent of problems for foster children within the Brooklyn Family Court System; and Home Safety for Senior Citizens — the publishing and distribution of information to prevent home accidents.

At Long Island College Hospital members established an evening Story Hour and activity program to relieve children's stress of being hospitalized. A project called Women to Women was established to educate women on the use of alcohol and its effects.

In 1987-1988, The Junior League of Brooklyn held the first ever Decorators Show house in Brooklyn. More than 1,000 people attended and our members contributed over 1,200 volunteer hours. This event raised more than $20,000 and we received press coverage in 15 newspapers and magazines.

Under the leadership of the Training Committee, we produced a large number of quilts to be distributed by the ABC Quilt Project to children who have AIDS. Our volunteers began their commitment as Teen AIDS Awareness educators at a Red Cross placement. The Junior League of Brooklyn Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) placement was featured in the AJLI "Points of Impact" video, one of only three League projects highlighted in the international Association. Our newsletter won second place in the Annual AJLI Public Relations competition.

1991 brought the addition to a new placement with Graham-Windham, working with the residents of their Malcolm X Group Home in Brooklyn. The Survivor's First Video was filmed and scripted. The Junior League of Brooklyn also hosted its first Politician's Forum to acquaint our elected officials with our community work and our advocacy efforts.

The Junior League of Brooklyn moved ahead in 1992 to address the homeless problem by adding a new placement, the HOPE Program. The Junior League of Brooklyn had thirteen members join the mentor segment of the placement.

Community Lectures in the 1990s included educational workshops for teenagers such as AIDS education and the prevention of violence among teens and a lecture cosponsored by the Brooklyn Historical Society. Ellen Chesler, author of a biography on Margaret Sanger, l ectured on Sanger's life as a feminist, birth control advocate and political activist.

The Junior League of Brooklyn voted to work on a major project in 1994-1995 in collaboration with the Crown Heights Youth Collective, an organization founded in 1978 to serve young people in Crown Heights through educational, cultural, and recreational programs. League members cleaned, sorted, catalogued, and provided new books for the library at the Collective in addition to setting up a reading corner for young children.

Teens at the Collective benefited from several training sessions lead by Junior League of Brooklyn members in such areas as SAT preparation, resume writing, and developing interview skills. They also were provided access to materials to research college and job information in the Collective library. The Junior League of Brooklyn organized and ran a College Fair for the teens and the Fall Provisional Class researched and assembled a comprehensive Job Directory for them. The Spring Provisional Class organized a terrific Job Resource Fair, which drew a large audience of youth from the Crown Heights area.

The League celebrated its 85th anniversary by holding a gala Anniversary Ball at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in March, for which we honored our 58 past presidents. The event drew 260 guests, 19 past presidents, and raised nearly $40,000. Awards and honors bestowed upon League members included: Debra Smallwood, Junior League of Brooklyn President 1992-1993, being named a "Woman of Influence" by the Brooklyn YWCA; Ann Ellis, Junior League of Brooklyn President 1977-1978, honored by the Park Slope Neighborhood Family Center, which she helped establish; Karen Schlesinger, Junior League of Brooklyn President 1978-1980, honored by the Brooklyn Historical Society ; and, Libby Ryan honored by Project Reach Youth. Ann Ellis and Bonnie Nuzum were selected as Volunteers of Distinction to be listed in the Junior League Centennial Cookbook, an Association-wide cookbook.

The Junior League of Brooklyn has worked with the Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center. The Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center has created a multidisciplinary team to investigate and report cases of sexual and physical child abuse. The Junior League of Brooklyn designed and painted a mural for the center's playroom; provided playroom volunteers; created and implemented a courtroom orientation program for the young clients; held special events to build community awareness and support for the Center and its mission; and, provided $20,000 to help furnish interview rooms and equip them with video and closed circuit technology.