About Us
The Junior League of Moore County is a non-profit community volunteer organization and a member of The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI).
~ Our Vision ~
Fostering a rewarding and welcoming environment for women, the Junior League of Moore County’s membership will use its training, education, and expertise to address community issues through voluntarism.
~ Our Board (2011 – 2012) ~
President – Mollie Tobias
President-Elect – Lisa Mudd
Treasurer – Kelly Philpot
Treasurer-Elect – Charlotte Brown
Corresponding Secretary – Wendy Smyth
Recording Secretary – Leigh Blanton
Past-year President -Elena Turbeville
~ Our History ~
In response to a newspaper article, a group of women met in February 1987 at the Holiday Inn in Pinehurst, NC, to discuss the possibility of starting a Junior Service League (JSL). After electing officers and choosing a Board of Directors for the 1987-1988 year, much of the year was spent researching and selecting a project. The Moore Theatre for the Young project was chosen in conjunction with the Arts Council of Moore County, and JSL volunteers were in place beginning January 1989. The Theatre project was comprised of after-school drama classes, productions, and summer art camps. JSL donated funds and volunteered with the Theatre project through 1991.
In 1990, two more projects were chosen by our members: The Help Guide, a human service resource directory, and Parent-to-Parent, a video-based drug abuse prevention program for parents which was facilitated by our members. Dottie Martin, the wife of past Governor James Martin, started Parent-to-Parent in North Carolina. Mrs. Martin was very active throughout the state initiating the program. JSL supplied funds and volunteers to both of these programs for two years. In 1991, JSL added Friend to Friend, an agency that provided free services to victims of domestic violence. For two years, JSL purchased equipment for their shelter, and volunteers worked with some of the children living at the shelter, as well as establishing a courtwatch program. The courtwatch volunteers observed the styles of judges and attorneys and kept track of the verdicts and sentencing to assist victims needing to go through the court system. Although Friend to Friend was JSL’s primary project, we also provided landscaping for the county-owned Davis Community Center. The above-mentioned projects were developed in conjunction with various community agencies.
One of the goals for the 1992-1993 year was to establish projects that were solely ours. Therefore, for the stated year our members worked on two projects: SOS Crates and the Help Line. SOS Crates involves supplying the public elementary and middle schools with basic school supplies to be distributed at the teachers’ discretion to those children in need. After working with the HelpGuide Directory for three years, our members made a decision to institute an informational and referral telephone line, the HelpLine, with a part-time employee.
Since 1988, our members have volunteered in many different programs throughout the community: Prancing Horse, a therapeutic horseback riding program; The Sandhills Children’s Center, a school/daycare for the emotionally, physically, and mentally handicapped children; Wyatt Open Door Daycare, a community-supported daycare center for those children who need financial assistance as identified by the Department of Social Services; The Penick Home, an Episcopalian retirement community; The Sandhills Coalition for Human Care, an emergency assistance program that supplies food, clothing, and temporary housing for those in need; Pinetree Enterprises, an adult center for the developmentally disabled; Moore Regional Hospital, where volunteers assisted with the infant hearing screenings; and the Literacy Council, where volunteers helped people improve their reading skills.
In May 1988, the Junior Service League of Moore County became the Junior League of Moore County (JLMC) after affiliating with the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI). We were the 298th league to affiliate with AJLI and have continued our mission of helping children in need.
Since 2000, JLMC has held a number of fundraisers. These included a Mardi Gras Ball, Wine Tastings, Rhinestone Roundup Silent Auction, and the Oyster Festivals. The fundraisers proved to be very successful in allowing JLMC League to continue to aid our charities and scholarship programs: Communities in Schools, SOS Crates, Moore Reading Recovery, Sandhills Children’s Center, Prancing Horse, and Aberdeen Primary.