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In 2000, the Junior League of Raleigh became a targeted
league - one that directs its volunteer time and financial resources
to a singular focus area - "Promising Youth: Changing Lives
through the Power of Education." This concentrated focus has enabled
our organization to make a significant impact in Wake County, collaborating
with other agencies to directly reach and improve the lives of at
risk youth through substantive educational and enrichment initiatives.
In the last three years alone, our League has given over $600,000
and over 200,000 in volunteer hours to this important community
need.
Junior Leagues' Kids in the Kitchen
 During National Volunteer Week, April 23-29, more than 225 Junior Leagues will host interactive educational programs to teach kids important nutrition tips and encourage a healthy lifestyle.
The Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen program, a childhood obesity and nutrition initiative from the Association of Junior Leagues International, is designed to help our communities address the urgent issues surrounding childhood obesity and poor nutrition. The need for the Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen program is already apparent to leaders in healthcare and is increasingly gaining attention in the media.
This attention is focused on alarming statistics related to the percentages of overweight and obese children and adolescents in all four countries where Leagues exist. The fact that these youth have increased chances of developing health problems such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Helping children with nutrition issues has been one of many focuses of the Junior League volunteers since its inception in 1901. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Mary Harriman, a 19-year-old New York City woman, formed the first Junior League and mobilized a group of 80 other young women to work to improve child health, nutrition and literacy among immigrants living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Now, with an estimate that nearly one-third of adolescents in the United States are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, the Junior Leagues are working to bring kids the important tools and information about living and eating healthy in today’s society
The Junior League of Raleigh is partnering with our friends at the Heritage Park Community Learning Center to teach the children of Heritage Park about healthy eating and how to prepare healthy snacks. We have enlisted the help of Natalie Taft, a registered dietitian and health educator associated with the Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education, who will make a presentation about healthy choices, calories, nutrition and how to make healthy snacks. The Raleigh Kids in the Kitchen event will be held at the Heritage Park Community Learning Center on Tuesday, April 25 at 6:00 p.m. Kids will take home "goodie bags" filled with healthy snacks, healthy snack recipes, nutrition and healthy eating tips.
More information:
Kids in the Kitchen
Association of Junior Leagues International
Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education
Junior League of Raleigh Media Advisory
NC Safe Surrender Law
 In July 2001 the North Carolina General Assembly created a Safe Surrender Law. This law allows a parent to legally give up an unwanted infant anonymously and safely. The Junior League of Raleigh and our sister Leagues across the nation have joined together to help spread the word of the Safe Surrender Infant Abandonment Law. In North Carolina, the “Decriminalize Abandonment of an Infant” law aims to encourage parents who might otherwise abandon an infant in a way that might jeopardize the baby and/or the parent, to instead deliver the infant to a safe place. While it is regrettable to have a need for this act, it is worse yet to ignore. Our awareness campaign is aimed directly at reducing the number of illegally, unsafely abandoned newborns nationwide.
We hope that women will seek help and medical care while they are pregnant and not after they give birth. However, we want pregnant women (and the fathers) to know they will not be arrested or be tried for surrendering an infant to a hospital, health department, nonprofit community clinic or other Safe Surrender under this law. A baby up to 7 days old may be placed with any responsible adult and must be unharmed. Anyone who receives a baby in this way must keep the baby safe and warm and call 911 or the county social services department.
The law will not work if people aren't aware of it, please educate friends and family to help us in our awareness campaign.
Helpful Links:
Safe Surrender N.C.
Infant Abandonment Materials
Decriminalize Abandonment of an Infant
Heritage Park Community
Learning Center
 Since
its adoption of the Heritage Park Community Learning Center in 2001,
the Junior League of Raleigh's signature center has grown! Through
the League's substantial financial sponsorship, improvements have
been made to the on-site computer lab, library, preschool and other
existing program enrichment and educational resources. The Junior
League has also helped Heritage in another and very significant
way. Each year we send over thirty volunteers to work with the resident
children and other community collaborators to help deliver the tutoring,
mentoring and enrichment programs that take place in the center.
Some of the programs our League members have helped
with include: B.U.G. Club ("bring up your grades club"),
an esteem-building program that celebrates good report cards; "Off
the Hook Book Club," a program created by League members to
promote pleasure reading and reading comprehension; a Holiday Spree
shopping program, teaching children the value of earned (play) money,
how to budget and how to write checks; Fall Festival; an Easter
Egg Hunt; and Fun Friday, a fun-based educational and character-enrichment
program.
The total cost the Junior League's sponsorship of
Heritage is $300,000, with $200,000 paid in early 2002, and the
remainder coming from Spree proceeds $50,000 per year in the years
2002-2003 and 2003-2004.
The Natural Learning Initiative
 With
different community partners, our League is proud to spearhead the
construction of an interactive outdoor experience-- better known
as a "Natural Learning Initiative" (or "NLI" for short). It's a
carefully planned, designed and constructed outdoor facility that
offers both educational enrichment and recreational enjoyment for
all ages. Visualize nature paths, wood gazebos and forts, edible
gardens and mazes, bird blinds, an outdoor theatre stage - and you
have the right idea. Published studies speak to the advantages of
outdoor learning and recreation and how this positively parlays
into classroom performance and overall character enhancement. A
very few of these learning experiences are popping up in the State,
including the one you see featured in Southern Living, Time Out
for Teaching, September 2001.
We aim to install this custom-designed site at Heritage
in 2004. Our JLR team members have already worked with the Heritage
children and NCSU to design the facility. With construction in the
works, we offer a variety of collaborative partnership opportunities
with other community friends interested in making this dream come
true. And to our members, we have offered a number of community
placements geared toward promotion, celebration and continuation
of this awesome signature contribution. The NLI will be a permanent
gift to our promising youth and our entire community.
The First Lady's Statewide
Educational Initiative
 In
partnership with the First Lady of North Carolina Mary Easley and
Communities in Schools
of North Carolina, the Junior League of Raleigh is making an
impact in the lives of at-risk youth across North Carolina. In November,
2001, the Junior League of Raleigh contributed $100,000 to CIS of
NC in honor of Mrs. Easley's education community service initiative.
Along with the financial contribution, all eleven Junior Leagues
across North Carolina committed to work with Communities in Schools
in their own communities - seeking out opportunities to improve
the lives of at-risk kids through educational programs.
The partnership was announced at a press conference
held at Brentwood Elementary School, a Communities in School site
in Wake County. First Lady Mary Easley, JLR President Virginia Parker
and CIS of NC President Linda Harrill visited with the children
involved in the program and then remarked on the partnership in
front of media, JL leadership and Brentwood students and staff.
The Junior League of Raleigh asked that the financial
gift be directed towards starting CIS programming in low wealth
counties where CIS currently doesn't exist as well as expanding
programming to more low wealth areas in counties where CIS already
exists.
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