OUR HISTORY
The Junior League of Morgan County has been part of building a better community and making lasting community change for since 1949. We embrace diverse perspectives, build partnerships, and inspire shared solutions. Our main motivation is to come together to make it Morgan County even better. The current focus areas of community impact are the education and health of women and children.
1949 Established Decatur Jr. Service League
1950 First Follies - started youth center development
1951 Follies - Crippled Children’s Clinic
1952 Fashion Show - Construction begins on Youth Center
1953 Buy a Brick for Youth Center - Mother’s March of Dimes
1954 Follies - Youth Center opened - Hospital kick-off campaign 1955 Youth Center became The Boy’s Club - Heart fund drive
1956 Donation for Boy’s Club director’s salary - sponsored special education class at Gordon Bibb
1957 1st Costume Charity Ball - Assisted Civil Defense
1958 Charity Ball - Parties to raise money for pediatric wing at DGH
1959 Charity Ball - Holiday Bazaar - Furnished entire pediatric wing at DGH
1960 $3,000 to Boy’s Club - Toy Cart at DGH established
1961 Charity Ball - Assisted in organizing Friends of the Library
1962 Charity Ball - Holiday Bazaar - Contribution - Girl Scout Council
1963 Charity Ball - Bake Sale - Established Reading Enrichment & Improvement Program
1964 Charity Ball - Bake Sale - Staffed Wheeler Basin Library - $2,000 to Boy’s Club
1965 Charity Ball - Antique Fair - Sponsored American Wind Symphony Orchestra in Concert
1966 Charity Ball - Bake Sale - Sponsored Reading Consultant for City Schools
1967 Charity Ball - Bake Sale - Helped Well-Baby Clinic - Morgan County Health Department until 1972 1968 Charity Ball - Bake Sale - Purchased equipment for City Schools Eye Clinic
1969 Charity Ball - Apple Day - Funded salaries for summer school teachers
1970 Apple Day - Bake Sale - $3,000 to Gifted Students Program
1971 Pledged $10,000 for furnishing Youth Section of Wheeler Basin Library
1972 Follies - Cotton Country Cooking - $10,000 copies printed
1973 Cookbook Sales - Bake Sale - Formed Child Health Committee
1974 Cookbook Sales - Established Tutoring program with City Schools
1975 Cookbook Sales - Increased membership to 100 members
1976 Cookbook Sales - Follies - $5,000 for Red Cross building fund
1977 Cookbook Sales - Contributed to Junior Achievement
1978 Cookbook Sales - Monte Carlo Night - Child Advocacy (PACT) is born
1979 Cookbook Sales - Monte Carlo Night - Mental Health Association & PACT
1980 Cookbook Sales - Follies - Funded playroom for Pediatric Wing DGH
1981 Cookbook Sales - Monte Carlo - $3,000 to Girl Scout Little House Our History
1982 Cookbook Sales - $5,000 to PACT - Operation Home
1983 Cookbook Sales - Charity Auction - $2,000 to Friends of Girl Scout Little House
1984 Cookbook Sales - Latchkey Committee - Hospice $4,000; DGH $8,000 - Intensive Care Program 1985 Cookbook Sales - Hospice $5,000 - Meals on Wheels
1986 Cookbook Sales - Charity Auction - Applied to AJLI for membership
1987 Cookbook Sales - Charity Auction - raised $20,000 - Funded McGruff Program
1988 Cookbook Sales - Monte Carlo Night - Joined AJLI - $5,000 to Emergency Daycare
1989 Cookbook Sales - Cotton Country Auction - Funded and staffed Family Preservation Program w/ PACT - raised $26,800
1990 Cookbook Sales - Funded Youth Enrichment Program at Carrie Mathews, PACT - Mental Health - Retarded Citizens
1991 Holiday Market - Cookbook Sales - Co-sponsored Rape Seminar - PACT - Lifeline - CC - Youth Enrichment
1992 Holiday Market - Cookbook Sales - Raised $15,000 - PACT, Youth Enrichment, Toy Cart, Hope Place, Girl Scouts, Hospice, Habitat for Humanity
1993 Holiday Market - Cookbook Sales - HANDS, Inc. - Raised $15,000
1994 Holiday Market - Cookbook Sales - Raised $25,000 - HANDS, Inc - Candidates Reception
1995 Bag-A-Bargain - Cookbook Sales - Raised $38,000, HANDS, Inc., PACT, Junior Achievement, Toy Cart, $20,000 to HANDS
1996 Bag-A-Bargain - Cookbook Sales - Raised $55,000 - $20,000 to HANDS, CCC, Cancer Society, PACT, Princess Theater
1997 Bag-A-Bargain - Cookbook Sales - Raised $55,000 - $20,000 to HANDS, CCC, Cancer Society, PACT, Princess Theater
1998 Cookbook Sales - Beyond Cotton Country born - raised $50,000 - $20,000 to HANDS, CCC, Cancer Society, PACT, Princess Theater
1999 HANDS Home Opens - Cookbook Sales - Bag-A-Bargain - New Signature Project - Lots more to prepare for Y2K
2000 Final Payment on HANDS Home, Cookbook Sales, Bag-A-Bargain, Bereavement Center chosen to receive on time $15,000 donation
2001 Centennial Celebration of AJLI, Cookbook Sales, Bag-a-Bargain, 1st and 2nd Annual Cotton Cup Classic. Adoption of a Joint Signature Project with Habitat for Humanity and the Decatur-Morgan County Community Free Clinic
2002 Signature Project support of Habitat for Humanity and the Decatur-Morgan County Community Free Clinic. Bag-A-Bargain, Cookbook Sales, Think Green
2003 2nd Annual Fine Art Auction, 9th Annual Bag-A-Bargain, Think Green and Cookbook Sales. Cookbook loans paid. 2nd year of Signature Project support of Habitat for Humanity and the Community Free Clinic. Volunteers to 10 agencies. Community Assistance Fund gave grants to 12 agencies. Website launched.
2004 10th Anniv. of Bag-A-Bargain, Cookbook Sales. Voted to hold Decorator Showhouse. 3rd and final year of financial support to Habitat for Humanity and the Community Free Clinic. Adopted two Signature Projects: Even Start Literacy Program and Delano Park Playground for All Children. Volunteers to 8 agencies. Community Assistance Fund gave grants to Carnegie Visual Arts Center in honor of Brooke Hill and to the Brooke Hill Ovarian Cancer Education Fund.
2005 Inaugural Decorators Showhouse raised over 65,000; Provisional Project with Alabama Charity Championship; supported PACT and Decatur General Toy Cart; Final home built from funds to Habitat for Humanity; Cookbook Sales. Volunteers to 6 agencies including Playground for All Children at Delano Park
2006 Bag-A-Bargain raised $12,000. League focused on the Playground for All Children in partnership with Friends of Delano Park. Gave $4,000 to PACT, $150 to DGH Toy Cart.
2007 JLMC fundraiser was the Alabama Charity Championship which raised $12,000; donated $4,000 to PACT; donated $150 to DGH Toy Cart; donated $70,000 to Friends of Delano for partial payment of the Playground for All Children; broke ground on the Playground for All Children; Alabama Charity Championship; 1st American Girl Fashion Show
2009 Final payment to Delano to complete our $142,000 commitment, purchased an Arts-a-Flutter Butterfly; $4,000 to PACT and $150 to DGH Toy Cart; American Girl Fashion Show raised $6,500 and Alabama Charity Championship raised $8,000 2010 Adopted Children’s Hands-on Museum and donated $15,000; Dragonfly for Carnegie Arts Trail; $4,000 to PACT; $150 to DGH Toy Cart; Alabama Charity Championship raised $9,000 and American Girl Fashion Show made $18,500.
2011 Reprinted Cotton Country Cooking; signed deal with FRP & QVC for inclusion in Classic Junior League Cookbook Collection, Fundraisers: 3rd Annual American Girl Fashion Show, Alabama Charity Championship; Cotton Country Cooking, Beyond Cotton Country; Donated $15,000 to Carnegie Visual Arts Center, Hands-on Children’s Museum; $7,000 to PACT; $500 to DGH Toy Cart. Started Knapsacks for Needs Program
2012 Fundraisers: First Annual JLMC Mardi Gras 5K made $7,788; 5th Annual American Girl Fashion Show; Cotton Country Cooking, Beyond Cotton Country. Donated $5,000 to PACT, $500 to Toy Cart, $14,500 to the bank for our Signature Project account
2013 Fundraisers: Alabama Charity Championship, 2nd Annual Mardi Gras 5K, Selection of new 5 year Signature Project: Decatur Morgan Mammography Center, Selection of 3 year partnership: FACES. Donated $10,000 to DMHF; $15,000 to FACES; $4000 to PACT; $150 to Toy Cart
2014 Fundraisers: Inaugural Bacon and Brew fundraiser - bacon themed food and man-centric auction, 3rd Annual Mardi Gras 5K; Donated $15,000 to DMHF; $15,000 to FACES; $4000 to PACT; $150 to Toy Cart
2015 Fundraisers: 2nd Annual Bacon and Brew fundraiser, 4th Annual Mardi Gras 5K, Inaugural Kentucky Derby Viewing Party; Donated $15,000 to DMHF; $15,000 to FACES; $4000 to PACT; $150 to Toy Cart
2016 Bag-A-Bargain is BACK!
2017 Bag-A-Bargain in its 2nd year provides funds to DMH Foundation and PACT
2018 PACT celebrates it's 40th year serving Morgan County; JLMC announces new 2 year Signature Project with The Albany Clinic, A children's mental health clinic servicing Lawrence, Limestone & Morgan Counties.
2019 Junior League of Morgan County celebrates 70 years of service to Morgan County!
2020 JLMC donates $10K to The Albany Clinic & PACT
2021 Inaugural My Fair Lady Fundraiser proves itself as a huge addition to our fundraising efforts.
2022 Cotton Country Cooking turns 50! Members, Friends, Family & supporters celebrated 50 years of Cotton Country Cooking.
2023 JLMC hosts 1st Annual Charity Golf Classic, donates $5500 to Morgan County Child Advocacy Center, $10,000 to PACT, and 400 hygiene kits to Clothe Our Kids
2024 JLMC hosts 2nd Annual Charity Golf Classic and 1st JLMC Scarecrow Trail, donates $10,000 to Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Morgan County, $6,000 to PACT, and $6,000 for 900 hygiene kits to Clothe Our Kids.