HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR PAST COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Career Connections for Young Women (CCYW): A partnership that began in 2004 between Junior Achievement of Southwest New England (JA) and the JLH to develop a new project to further the current community impact focus of Empowering Women and Girls to Overcome Obstacles. The program prepared and inspired teenage girls in the Greater Hartford area to focus on careers, professional goals and financial responsibility. It focused on inspiring students (a mix of students from suburban and urban communities) to think positively about their future and develop career pathways for themselves.

Family/School Connection: This project, begun in 2000, targeted at-risk elementary school children and their families. The program provided a combination of services to strengthen families, change behavior and reduce the incidence of truancy and child abuse. Made up of three components, the project offered home visitation, parent outreach and tutoring of school age children. The Junior League provided targeted parent outreach events such as financial seminars, a Friday Readers Club, and special events. Since its creation, the League provided more than $81,500 in funding for this program, and more than $50,000 in-kind support. Additionally, League members raised $148,500 in grant funding during the six years of this program.

Saturday Science Sampler: The JLH developed this project in 1998 in collaboration with the CT Valley Girl Scouts and Hillyer College (University of Hartford) to expose Hartford adolescent girls to the world of science through a series of six hands-on workshops. The program also built mentoring relationships and provided a safe, structured Saturday activity.

Rebuilding Together Hartford: The Junior League was a founding sponsor of Rebuilding Together Hartford (formerly Christmas in April) in 1995. RTH is a national program utilizing thousands of volunteers for an annual one-day effort to repair and rehabilitate the homes of elderly, low income and disabled homeowners.

Friends of the Family: This resource and referral center for teenage parents was developed in collaboration with a Hartford Board of Education program called Teenage Parents’ Program (TAPP). The program was successfully transitioned to a permanent home at the Village for Children and Families and continues its work today.

Cultivating Hope: This therapeutic gardening program was developed in 1985 in partnership with Peter’s Retreat, a residential facility for people living with HIV/AIDS. The project was successfully transitioned to Knox Parks Foundation and Peter’s Retreat.

Take 5: In collaboration with the Hartford Children’s Immunization Project, this program linked volunteers with new parents to encourage timely immunizations for their babies. Take 5 was recognized nationally by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

75th Anniversary Gift: Hartford CHOICE, a program of Catholic Family Services, in an intensive six-month, home-based, family-oriented transitional program for youths ages 9 to 16 who are found delinquent by the juvenile court, committed to the Department of Children and Families, and released into the community under the supervision of CHOICE. The $75,000 Anniversary Gift in 1996 supported the renovation of the program’s building on Ely Street.

EXCERPTS FROM OVER 80 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIPS AND PROJECTS

Junior League members assess community needs and develop programs to meet those needs, often forming collaborations with other organizations to increase our impact and share resources. Our collaborations allow League members to work and learn from some of the most innovative and dynamic leaders who share our passion for community action. Below are some of our programs and collaborators through the decades.

The 1920’s

• Maternal Milk Station – Visiting Nurse Association of Hartford
• Free Day Bed Fund – Hartford Hospital

The 1930’s

• South-End Day Nursery
• Children’s Theatre Workshops
• East Side Pre-school Project – Union Settlement House
• “The Story Lady” Children’s Radio Program, WTIC – Hartford Public Library

The 1940’s

• Volunteer Bureau of Greater Hartford
• Summer Camp – Connecticut Society for Crippled Children and Adults

The 1950’s

• Film Caption Bureau – American School for the Deaf
• Speech Therapy Department – Hartford Rehabilitation Center, Inc.
• Job Training Program – Hartford Association for Retarded Children
• Education Program – Greater Hartford Symphony Society
• Playground – Oak Hill School for the Blind
• Atmospherium Projector – Children’s Museum of Hartford

The 1960’s

• Teacher for the Perceptually Handicapped Class – Newington Children’s Hospital
• Basic Art Library – University of Hartford Art School
• Teacher Recruitment Program – Hartford Public Schools
• Psychiatric Social Center – Capitol Region Mental Health Association
• Child Development Program Supplement – Community Renewal Team
• “Handbook for the Handicapped” – Rehabilitation Center, Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce
• Docent Program – Wadsworth Atheneum

The 1970’s

• Historic Preservation Revolving Fund – Hartford Architectural Conservancy
• Tour Guide Volunteer Program and Exhibit – Children’s Museum
• CAVID Project (Computer and Video Instruction for the Deaf) – American School for the Deaf
• Somers Correctional Facility Sesame Street Playroom – Families in Crisis

The 1980’s

• Growing Up At Risk in Connecticut – Connecticut Association of Human Services
• Growing Older in Connecticut – Connecticut Association of Human Services
• A Visit to the Big House – Families in Crisis
• Niantic Prison Sesame Street Playroom – Families in Crisis
• Special Needs Adoption Conference – Child and Family Services
• PhoneFriend – CAPCAN, American Red Cross
• GATE (Gain Awareness Through Education) Substance Abuse Prevention Program
• Friends of the Family – TAPP (Teenage Parent Program) Hartford Board of Education

The 1990’s

• Arts Committee, Art Goes to School – The Music Company
• Souper Sustainers – Loaves and Fishes Ministries Soup Kitchen
• Child Care Grant Fund Project – Capitol Region Education Council, Community Renewal Team
• Young Women at Risk – Hartford Action Plan, Family Life Ministry Shepherds Center, Inc.
• Friends of the Family
• The Children’s Playscape at Charter Oak Landing – Riverfront Recapture Inc., City of Hartford
• Habitat for Humanity – Women’s House
• Christmas in April Hartford
• Stepping Up to 2000 – Family Resource Center at Martin Luther King Elementary School
• Cultivating Hope – Peter’s Retreat
• Take 5 – the Hartford Child Immunization Project

The 2000’s

• Family School Connection – Children’s Trust Fund and Center City Churches
• Rebuilding Together Greater Hartford
• Saturday Science Sampler – CT Valley Girl Scouts and the University of Hartford
• The Children’s Brochure – Greater Hartford Arts Council
• Souper Sustainers – Loaves and Fishes Ministries Soup Kitchen

The 2010’s

• Freshplace – Foodshare and the Chrysalis Center
• Career Connections for Young Women – Junior Achievement of Southwest New England

The 2020’s

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford – SMART Girls Program