Junior League of Dayton

The Junior League of Dayton (JLD) is a nonprofit organization for women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing their potential and improving their communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The JLD is comprised of nearly 300 active and sustaining members and welcomes new classes annually. Civic engagement is about deepening our individual and collective connection to our communities and recognizing that we have a shared stake in its well-being and concerns. Membership in the Junior League is not about volunteering for the sake of volunteering—it is about building and mobilizing support on an issue and serving as a resource in combating the problem. In 2019, JLD donated more than 2,000 hours across the Miami Valley in support of the Memorial Day tornado relief efforts and an additional 2,400-plus hours across Dayton in support of various community partners. Most recently, the JLD has transitioned their Learn, Grow, Explore programming online enabling children and families to continue to have access to critical programming during the global pandemic and summer months. New videos are posted to the JLD Facebook page weekly in the spirit of reaching children and teaching them necessary educational skills. Historically, this programming has taken place live in conjunction with the Dayton Metro Library as part of a larger community initiative.Through the establishment of strategic alliances, the JLD strives to improve literacy outcomes for Miami Valley children and ensure that at-risk children and families have increased access to educational support programs and materials. In 2019, the new member class hosted the “ … Just Like Me!” campaign providing more than 200 culturally diverse books to children in the Miami Valley. The JLD has donated more than 1,500 books back into the community in the last four years.