Welcome to the Junior League!

It is our pleasure to provide you with information about our organization and encourage you to submit an application for membership if you are interested in supporting our Mission through membership in our volunteer organization. Membership in the Junior League offers many exciting opportunities to improve your community through collective action, to develop yourself and your leadership potential as a woman, to create future volunteers, and to promote the importance of volunteer service. As a member of the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas, and thus the Association of Junior Leagues International, you will be a part of a network of more than 300 women locally and 193,000 women in 294 Junior Leagues in four countries working toward a common Mission.

Mission

The Junior League of Northwest Arkansas 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.

Reaching Out

The Junior League of Northwest Arkansas reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism, and are a minimum age of twenty-four.

Community Focus - Our community focus is domestic violence and child abuse in Northwest Arkansas. Current projects include assisting Children s House, That s My Bag suitcases for foster children, and administering Women s Independence Network and HealthCare Action.
Financial Support- We currently are funded through our Winter Dreams Tour of Homes, Touch a Truck, Add Another Place Setting Cookbook, sponsorships, corporate donations, and membership dues. Fundraisers are necessary to continue to train volunteers and to provide funds to support our community projects.
New Member Training- New members attend training sessions for one year to prepare for active participation in the League and service to the community. Emphasis includes learning about the League, developing volunteer skills and meeting other members.

New Member Obligations 2008-09

Membership in the Junior League can be a rewarding and fun experience, but also brings obligations on the part of women who wish to be members. Membership obligations are the following:

1) General Meeting Obligation: Attendance at monthly general meetings, held the second Tuesday of each month, September through May, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at varying locations throughout Northwest Arkansas.
2) Fundraising Obligation: $40 in ticket sales to “Winter Dreams” Tour of Homes, $20 in ticket sales to “Touch A Truck”, Purchase of 2 Add Another Place Setting cookbooks (at $26.95 each + tax) plus work shifts for any League sponsored fundraisers. Fundraising enables our League to continue our community projects.
3) Financial Obligation: New Member Dues and Fees of $200 must be submitted with application for membership. Note: Dues are non-refundable once accepted in the New Member Class.
4) New Member Course Obligation: The formal curriculum includes a mandatory orientation retreat, monthly new member training meetings, and mid-year mini-retreat in January, as well as working at League projects and fundraisers, and participation at League training events, socials and other activities. Time commitment is estimated to average 5-8 hours monthly. Successful completion of the New Member Course curriculum is necessary to attain Active membership status.
- a. New Member Orientation Retreat: Our mandatory orientation retreat will be held Friday, August 1, 2008, 5:30 p.m. through Saturday, August 2, 2008, 4:00 p.m. at Mt. Sequoyah Conference and Retreat Center in Fayetteville. Lodging and meals will be provided during this stimulating and informative retreat which will prepare you for the year ahead!
- b. Monthly New Member Training Meetings: The 4th Monday of each month, August through April, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and the mid-year mini-retreat (January date TBD).

Benefits of Membership

The benefits of volunteer service, training, and working together are many:

Becoming an effective community volunteer through ongoing training to develop skills such as: leading effective meetings, managing volunteers, budgeting, accountability, conflict resolution, teamwork, fundraising, and public speaking
Improving the community through hands-on volunteer opportunities
Advocating for necessary changes at the community and state levels
Sharing your talents and skills with other women excited about community service
Working with other exciting and committed women volunteers throughout Northwest Arkansas

Apply for Membership

To become a new member of the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas, fully complete a membership application, and follow all instructions on the last page to submit the application.

To download an application, please click here: New Member Application 2008

Together the members of the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas are making a significant contribution to our community through our volunteer training and service. We invite you to join us! If you have any questions not answered here, please contact Bridgette Smith, New Member Training Chair at 479-619-6007 or uscswim@aol.com.

We look forward to working together as women building better communities!