Junior League of Boise Collection

In 1925, twenty-eight women organized and formed the Junior Charity League of Boise. For three years, these women worked together to identify the community’s greatest needs and strategies to address disparity, poverty, and malnutrition. They hosted fundraisers and fostered relationships with community partners to prove themselves as candidates worthy of a charter and acceptance into the Association of Junior Leagues of America (AJLA).

On March 1, 1928, AJLA formally accepted into its ranks the Junior League of Boise (JLB), becoming the 97th League in the country. In the immediate years following inception, JLB volunteers created nutrition camps, well-baby clinics, and programing for ill children at the city’s hospitals. This initial project focus allowed the Junior League of Boise to address issues that directly impacted women and children of the community. This work became especially critical after October 1929, as Boise and the rest of the country felt the effects of the Great Depression.

Throughout the 1940s, JLB supported the local foster care system and national war-time efforts. During the years after WWII and through the 1970s, JLB programs brought art, culture, and history enrichment to Boise children and created the foundation for partnerships with the Idaho State Historical Society, Zoo Boise, Boise Art Museum, Boise Public Library, and the Boise School District. Additionally, JLB members hosted equipment drives for the first Boise nursing school and partnered with the Salvation Army to create the Booth Memorial Home for unwed mothers.

In the 1980s and 1990s, JLB members identified gaps in available resources for hands-on science education for children and adult literacy in Boise. This research led to the League’s involvement in the creation of nonprofits including the Discovery Center of Idaho and the Learning Lab. JLB members also facilitated the formation of Idaho’s only Ronald McDonald House, working behind the scenes to secure its location on Main Street in downtown Boise. Historically JLB hosted several key annual events, including fundraisers and events open to the community (Elizabethan and Renaissance Faires, Fantasies of Chocolate, Follies, Cause for Applause, and Second Time Around thrift store). JLB also published cookbooks of local recipes which were highlighted regionally and nationally.

In the 2000s, the Junior League of Boise has continued its mission to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training. Its goals remain to promote and perpetuate social change in Treasure Valley communities.

(modified from Junior League of Boise website)