Since 1933, the Junior League of Tucson has welcomed members who are committed to developing the potential of women and to create lasting community impact period from the time the leak started meeting as a group of 50 members in the Santa Rita Hotel to today with a membership that includes more than 250 community minded women and a dedicated meeting center JLT has been laser focused on ways to help the needs of our community.

• 1930s

  First meeting of the Service Club (forerun-ner of the Junior League) held in 1929; group establishes a day nursery for children of working mothers and a lending library, and is accepted as an official Junior League.

  First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt attends a Junior League Ball in Tucson; first League radio broadcast; first Rolling Library operated by the League; establishment of the Well-Baby Clinic.

• 1940sa special year

  Members work on WWII related issues in conjunction with the American Red Cross;

  Volunteer as docents at the Arizona State Museum; Lobbied to the Arizona legislature for better funding on children’s care state-wide; Funded the Junior League Children’s Art Museum at the Chamber of Commerce.

• 1950s

  Responsible for staffing 4 of the 10 Well-Baby Clinics in town; Junior League Puppet Show performed at local schools for more than 1,000 students each year; Lobbying efforts focused on funding fine arts buildings and programs in Arizona; Fundraising endeavors included the establishment of the rummage sale and JLT Folies, portion of the proceeds going to furnish and equip the Teenage Canteen at the YMCA.

• 1960s

  Fort Lowell restoration is major project for

  JLT; assumed control of the Brewster Home, residential program for young mothers (later became Emerge!); JLT was a founding member of the Tucson Council of the Arts;

  Supported state-wide legislation to prohibit discrimination; $20,000 donation given to establish day care program for working mothers (later known as Tucson Association for Child Care); $55,000 donated to Tucson Southern Counties Mental Health Services (today known as La Frontera).

• 1970s

  Established traveling “Desert Museum Van” program in connection with Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to provide sensory learning experiences to schools around Tucson;

  Restoration of Cordova House began, including volunteer efforts and monetary donations by JLT; Child advocacy remained main focus through partnerships with Pima County Juvenile Justice Collaboration, continued traveling educational shows for area youth and legislative advocacy for foster children.

• 1980s

  JLT plays pivotal role in opening of St.

  Luke’s Home through volunteers, trainings, and financial contributions; First cookbook, Purple Sage and Other Pleasures, is pub-lished; Current headquarters on River Road donated by Helen Murphey, a founding JLT member; Celebrated 50th anniversary by donating $25,000 to the City of Tucson for entrance plaza at Reid Park Bandshell;

  JLT volunteers assist in establishment of Tucson’s Ronald McDonald House.

• 1990s

  League helps to open Corazones, a home for parenting teens and their babies; The Parent Connection collaborates with the League to develop the volunteer-based First Step program. Volunteers are trained to go into local hospitals to provide parents of newborns with emotional support and parenting resources; $5,000 committed toward the printing of the Baby’s First Year calendars.

• 2010s-Present

  Kids in the Kitchen program launched in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Tucson; Established JLT Community Advisory Panel; First Touch-a-Truck™ Fundraiser held to replace Rummage Sale; Menstrual Equity and Period Product Access issue area launched in in 2023;

  First period product collection distributed 40,000 products to area nonprofits;

  Celebrated 90 years of community engagement, training and leadership.