Junior League of Tulsa

The Junior League of Tulsa, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

The focus of the Junior League of Tulsa is Women and Children in Transition.

The nearly 1,000 members of JLT come from all walks of life - corporate executives, teachers, doctors, attorneys, at-home wives and mothers. They are as diverse as the City of Tulsa.
o 71% are between the ages of 30-39
o 80% work full or part-time
o 82% are married
o 80% have children at home
o 100% have a heart for building a better community.

Our Voice

JLT's voice is heard not only on the state level but also on the national front through its affiliation with the Association of Junior Leagues International. As one of 295 Leagues worldwide, the overall mission of each individual League is strengthened by the sum of the whole. Locally, members of JLT's Public Affairs Committee act as political advocates for the organization. The Chair (or Vice Chair) of the committee annually serves on the Oklahoma State Public Affairs Committee (OKSPAC) and helps coordinate all OKSPAC activities. Since the early 1970s, state SPAC committees have represented the interests of Junior Leagues across the country. Through SPAC, groups and issues addressed in their projects are presented to policy makers at the state and local levels. Most recently, JLT has focused its advocacy efforts to create a citywide family non-violence campaign.

Our Focus

Since its formation in 1923, JLT has been committed to making a difference. For eight decades, JLT has prepared its members to accomplish one vital mission - to improve the Tulsa community through volunteer service. Its members have contributed more than 1.5 million volunteer hours and have raised over $5,000,000 for the Tulsa community. By identifying critical and emerging needs not met elsewhere, JLT develops projects specifically to fill these voids. Each year, JLT continues to address issues by researching community needs, identifying opportunities and matching proposed projects to current membership skills. Through coordination, volunteer training and fund development, JLT strives to make each project it undertakes to be self-supporting within three years. Doing so enables JLT to leave a lasting impact while offering assistance where none previously existed. Then, JLT moves on to address other critical issues. No other organization in Tulsa operates in this manner.

As the needs of the city grow more complex each year, few issues can be solved by just one organization. JLT's community projects demonstrate the organization's on-going collaboration with the greater community, ensuring that the city's needs will be addressed more efficiently. True to its focus, all JLT projects help women in transition. The following are recent examples:

As a past project of the League, the Child Abuse Network (CAN) exists to reduce the trauma that a child abuse investigation can pose for the child. CAN brings multiple agencies together in a single, safe, and comforting environment for children in crises. This committee will develop and implement a volunteer program at the Child Abuse Network agency that would provide policies, procedures, training, and oversight of volunteers.
The Laura Dester Impact program provides short-term volunteer assistance to the Laura Dester Children's Shelter while strategically planning for future needs or that organization. Various annual short-term ("Done in a Day") projects are chosen, planned, and implemented by a committee of members in partnership with the Laura Dester Shelter staff.
The St. Francis Children’s Hospital Family Resource Center will assist the hospital in developing and staffing a resource center through which families of patients can obtain information about their child’s medical condition, obtain information about resources outside the hospital and become informed participants in the health care process.

JLT also participates in done-in-a-day projects addressing immediate needs and even offers educational scholarships to recognize outstanding young women for their volunteer service.