Community Events The Junior League of Schenectady has worked with different groups and organizations within Schenectady, Saratoga and Albany counties for the past 76 years. Reaching out to support projects that focus on women, children and families is a continuing goal of the League. We make a difference one person at a time. Recently the Junior League of Schenectady, has been working to promote, the importance of learning, and healthy living with children. Two signature projects are Operation Back to School and Kids in the Kitchen. Check out the latest on these events below. Together, the members of the Junior League of Schenctady contribute to our community through action and leadership of trained volunteers, by doing large projects and small Done-in-a-Day projects. Quick Links: - Done-in-a-Day Projects - Operation Back-to-School - Kids in the Kitchen - Homes for the Holiday House Tour View our New Video >       Done-in-a-Day Projects Making an Immediate Impact on the Community Done-in-a-Day projects provide League members with a fun, easy way to volunteer in the community. The commitment for Done-in-a-Day projects ranges from minimal to full day events, such a stuffing food baskets, or apple gleaning and painting community rooms. These projects allow members to provide meaningful services without a long-term commitment. These opportunities are a wonderful way to learn more about the variety of organizations available in the Capital Region while meeting fellow members of the community. Among the local nonprofit agencies that have benefited from a Done-in-a-Day project are: - Northeast Parent & Child - Concern for the Hungry                                                 - Parson's Child and Family Center - CAPTAIN (Community Action for Parents Teens and Interested Neighbors) - YWCA of Schenectady County [Back to Top]                   Operation Back to School Now in its 6th year of service, Operation Back to School supplies an entire school of children with their complete year of school supplies. Read the press release below to learn more: Hamilton students to receive backpacks, school supplies Junior League launches Operation Back-to-School for fifth year. (Schenectady) - This year, the first day of school at Hamilton Elementary will bring with it a special delivery for each of the school's 474 students. The Junior League of Schenectady will be handing out backpacks filled with school supplies as part of its Operation Back-to-School. The event will take place at the school on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 1:45 p.m. "This is a service to not only the school, but to the community," Hamilton Principal Robert Flanders said. "This is a neighborhood school and we will get our parents here to say thank you." Students will receive a new backpack filled with all of the school supplies needed to get the year started right. In order to do this, teachers provided the Junior League with a list of supplies students would need for their class. Now in its fifth year, Operation Back-to-School has brought school supplies and backpacks to more than 2,000 children throughout Schenectady. For the last two years the project came to Van Corlaer Elementary School, and before that Lincoln Elementary. Junior League of Schenectady Past President Denise Murphy McGraw said the project is made possible through $19,000 in grants from the Broughton Foundation, Stewart's, the Wright Family Foundation, CDPHP, Troy Savings Bank and Fedelis Care. "The goal of Operation Back-to-School is to excite children about learning. We all remember how excited we were when we got our new notebooks and fresh pencils in September-we felt like anything was possible," McGraw said. "Our hope is that the children of Hamilton will get excited about learning, stay excited about learning and really believe anything is possible for their future." [Back to Top]                   Kids in the Kitchen Since the early 1970's, the number of overweight children ages 12-19 in the United States has doubled, and the number of overweight children ages 6-11 has tripled.  Today, this issue is considered by many the number one risk to children's health.   Kids in the Kitchen is an AJLI project designed to promote healthy lifestyles for children around the world in an effort to battle childhood obesity. For the past 3 years, the Junior League of Schenectady has teamed up with the Boys & Girls Club in Schenectady to create a program which promotes fitness, cooking and nutrition.   Here are the highlights from March 31, 2008 program: Cooking - local chefs from Glen Sanders Mansion taught the children how to prepare healthy foods within a fixed budget.  The baked chicken quesadilla's and fruit kabob with yogurt for dipping were a delicious treat.   Fitness - exercise programs with the Men's and Women's basketball teams from Union College, as well as a Hip Hop Ab instructor who taught the children that this fun, fast-paced fitness program can be done by anyone, anywhere.   Nutrition - Fun nutrition education through a nutrition trivia contest.   "The Junior League of Schenectady has a long history of addressing important community issues and partnering with Schenectady County, and Kids in the Kitchen builds on that Legacy, as well as the heritage of the 106 year-old Junior League movement - 76 years serving Schenectady and Saratoga County" said Denise Murphy McGraw, Junior League past president and Association of Junior Leagues International Board of Directors member.   For more information about the Association of Junior Leagues International's Kids in the Kitchen initiative, please visit their website at www.kidsinthekitchen.ajli.org.   [Back to Top] Homes for the Holiday House Tour The first Junior League of Schenectady Homes for the Holidays House Tour was held on December 5, 1981, as part of the League's 50th Anniversary celebration. Our goal was to showcase beautiful homes in the Schenectady area decorated for the holiday season, while inspiring our membership - Actives, Sustainers and Provisionals alike - to work together and get to know each other better. These initial goals are still a great part of the Tour today. Right from the beginning, rather than hold a walking tour of one particular area, as was generally the norm for a house tour, we wanted to include as much of Schenectady County as possible. It was decided to have homes from Niskayuna, Scotia, Glenville and the City represented The Tour was deemed such a great success that it has been voted on by the Active membership every two years since to be one of our major fundraisers. With so many months of preparation going into the event, it was decided in 1983 to hold the tour for two days. Financially, the 1993 Tour was our most successful - ticket sales soared to 3,000 when one of our featured homes was Llenroc, the exquisite Lawrence estate built on the banks of the Mohawk River. In 1995, the League decided to include small area businesses in the House Tour, bringing local florists in to decorate the homes. And, we grew even more in 1997 when, recognizing the increase in our membership from Saratoga County, we added several houses in Southern Saratoga and a church in Vischer Ferry to the homes we spotlighted in Schenectady and Niskayuna. While the fashion show was eliminated years ago, the luncheon has remained part of our Tour, known as the Cinnamon Stick Tea Room. The Tea Room was held at various locations throughout the years, including some of the homes on the Tour, and most recently, at Cella Bistro. It is a popular feature of our event and seatings have always filled quickly. As our history indicates, the League welcomes the growth that comes with success. Our next House Tour will occur in 2009. Thank you now, in years past and in years to come, for providing us with the success on which to build our event - and a better community. [Back to Top]
		Junior League of Schenectady, NY PO Box 857 | Schenectady, NY 12301 518-370-1902 | Contact Us
®Copyright 2007 Junior League Schenectady. All Rights Reserved. Site design by Surf4 Design Group. Hosted by Surf4.net