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This Junior League is not your mother's social club
By SHARON L. BOND
© St. Petersburg Times,
But the Junior League still is fighting the stereotype of a rich matrons' social club, so it may not be recognized immediately as a force of action in St. Petersburg. "We have this fluff reputation in the community for tea parties and socials," said Colleen M. Russo, a lawyer who is the league's president this year. "We are not like that anymore. We are workhorses. We lose members for that reason." Membership is no longer a selection process; the league is open to any woman who wants to volunteer, can pay the dues and will attend meetings. Another sign the league is more modern is that its meetings no longer are restricted to day hours. It used to be that working women who couldn't attend the day meetings couldn't vote and had no say in the direction of the league, Mrs. Russo said. The league has 540 members, 200 of whom are active. New or provisional members this year total 63. Members pick areas of league work that interest them. "We train our volunteers," said Mrs. Russo, who has been a member for 14 years. "You get something out of being part of the league." St. Petersburg's Junior League has conducted numerous projects. One of the earliest was to establish a fund to pay for a bottle of milk daily for children who couldn't afford it. The league also helped establish a number of health clinics that eventually were folded into city programs. A current project is the back-to-school care fair, begun in 1997, which provides free health exams, immunizations and school supplies to any child going to school. Also working on that project are Bayfront-St. Anthony's Hospital, the Kiwanis and Lions clubs and the Pinellas County Health Department. "We reach 2,000 to 3,000 kids a year, and it is growing," said Mrs. Russo. "It's a great resource center for families." Community Outreach is one of the league's newest projects and involves jobs such as painting a house owned by the Free Clinic or collecting clothes for the Center Against Spouse Abuse. Most of the jobs can be done in one day. "It was created because we have found that some of our volunteers want hands-on, quick experience," Russo said. "They don't have time for lots of meetings and planning. They want a quick fix."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
