The year was 1929 — the year of the “Great Stock Market Crash” that ushered in the Great Depression. Herbert Hoover was President. The first Academy Awards were presented with “Wings” winning Best Picture. The Philadelphia Athletics won the World Series. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway was published. Foster Grant mass produces sunglasses for the first time. Locally, the Junior League of Williamsport is organized, inaugurating 95 years of service to others.

The Junior League of Williamsport was founded by 12 women committed to community service, interested in making new friends, and, most importantly, interested in developing their potential for voluntary community participation.

Their mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training.

Their vision is that the Junior League of Williamsport is a resource and advocate committed to improving the quality of life for children and their families.

The following values guide them to accomplish their mission and achieve their vision:
– A membership that is inclusive of all women who believe in the importance of volunteerism.
– The power of collaboration across all sectors to create sustainable and thriving communities.
– The significance of women exercising leadership widely and broadly throughout the community.
– A League environment that encourages diversity of opinion and supports multigenerational engagement.

The Junior League has a rich history in the community from its founding. According to Amanda Steinbacher, president, the early activities of the League focused on efforts with the Red Cross, well-baby clinics, and assisting the community with other needs, such as playground equipment.

By the 1960s, League members were publishing books about the historical significance of local homes and along West Fourth Street, Steinbacher added. Junior League members also created the Exchange Mart, which was a discount store run by volunteers. The women were the foundation for the first tactile museum in the city, which eventually became the Children’s Discovery Workshop in the late 1980s.

The Junior League’s support reaches far and wide in the community. In 2005, the Junior League pledged $25,000 for the James V. Brown Library’s Capital Campaign to build a new children’s wing. In 2011, the League brought Elizabeth Smart to the Community Arts Center to share her story with local students. Members also participated in many projects with the Central PA Food Bank, Project Linus, Firetree Place, and more.

In 2002, they created an Endowment Fund with the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania. One of the highlights for many members was starting the Cinderella’s Closet prom dress project, which was eventually taken over by the YWCA Boutique.

New this year, members are working on an initiative called “Code Red. Period.”, which addresses period poverty, the struggle many low-income women and girls face while trying to afford menstrual products. So far, this initiative has placed thousands of take-home supplies in several local school districts with a goal to expand to all school districts within Lycoming County. Projects like this also set an example for future leaders.

The women involved with the Junior League are very passionate and committed to their work with the League. Amanda Steinbacher, president of the Junior League of Williamsport, told Webb Weekly, “Being a part of the League has broadened my knowledge of our Williamsport community and all of the wonderful things it offers. I am so proud to be a leader of this organization while also being able to make an impact through voluntarism.”

Other members of the Board of the Junior League agree.

“As a Williamsport native, I joined the Junior League of Williamsport to give back to our wonderful community. Further, my leadership skills, create lifelong friendships, and work alongside empowering women,” said Melissa Kelley, president-elect.

“I joined Junior League of Williamsport to give back to our community and to show my daughter, a 7th grader at the time, the needs our community had/has and the purpose of volunteering,” said Michele Boyles, community vice president. “As a league, we have all made an impact within our community and each other’s lives.”

“I joined the League to be active in my community and to meet like-minded women,” said Sustaining Advisor Dana Brigandi, who joined in the early 2000s. “I didn’t know I would also meet women I’m proud to call my friends and get to volunteer alongside them to make a difference.”

The women of the Junior League of Williamsport look forward to many more years of service to others and empowering women.