With Thanksgiving coming quick, it’s that time of the year to start giving. Join Noozhawk this year in celebrating #GivingTuesday as we give back to the nonprofits in our community.
Noozhawk had the opportunity to speak with Justine Bosio, Communications Chair at Junior League of Santa Barbara, to learn more about how the nonprofit promotes voluntarism in the Santa Barbara community.
Junior League of Santa Barbara
Question: What is the name & mission of your nonprofit?
Answer: Junior League of Santa Barbara, The Junior League of Santa Barbara, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.
Q: How long has your nonprofit been in service and whom was it started by?
A: The Junior League of Santa Barbara was founded 95 years ago, in 1924. A group of 24 young women created an organization of volunteers in the Santa Barbara community. The JLSB was incorporated on January 2, 1925 (the first general meeting was held on Novemer 24, 1924) with 50 members.
Q: What was the inspiration behind your nonprofit?
A: The inspiration behind our nonprofit is to be a leading force in improving the lives of children, youth, and families in this community. We value making an impact in our community, building relationships, responsive voluntarism, and leadership and growth.
Q: Why is your mission important to you?
A: Our mission is important to us because we are able to empower women and provide a supportive environment to foster leadership and professional and personal growth, by training women to become strong, active leaders who use their voice to advocate for others. We have a passion for improving the welfare of our community and strive to make a lasting difference by seeking to create sustainable projects with measurable impact. The League sees the importance of working as a team to create deep relationships based on respect, honesty, and integrity. Valuing diverse viewpoints and creative solutions while providing our members with a fun and gratifying experience. We believe there is great importance in providing service and compassionate voluntarism in our community, and that allows us to connect with those we serve.
Q: How is your nonprofit primarily funded and what are your greatest needs?
A: Our nonprofit is funded through two annual fundraisers, our annual Rummage Sale in the fall and our annual Gala in the spring. We are also extremely grateful for our private donors and public sponsors who continue to donate and allow us to actively pursue our mission and focus area. We also have membership dues that fund annual League operations.
Q: In what ways does your nonprofit utilize it’s funding?
A: Funds donated to the League are invested back into JLSB in a way that secures financial sustainability for the organization in the upcoming years and strategizes for future community endeavors. We fundraise to support our Signature Project, S.A.F.E. House Santa Barbara [™️] , to secure the longevity of this therapeutic rehabilitative shelter for children who are survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. We use funds to support impacts projects and events in support of our community partners and other nonprofits in the Santa Barbara community. We fund an annual grant with our Community Assistance Funds for which local area nonprofits are able to apply. We also use funds raised to support annual League operations, including training members and offering an environment where they can embrace leadership positions and grow personally and professionally.
Q: What is one best kept secret or fun fact about your nonprofit that not everyone knows?
A: We facilitated the opening of the Santa Barbara Zoo in 1963!
Q: Can you tell us one success story from your nonprofit?
A: In May 2018 The Junior League of Santa Barbara (JLSB), in partnership with 4 Kids 2 Kids, Inc. announced the official opening of S.A.F.E. House Santa Barbara [™️] (Saving At-risk Youth From Exploitation), the county’s first therapeutic rehabilitative shelter for children who are survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. The shelter, a six-bed Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP), is designed to meet the very specific needs of girls who have been commercially sexually exploited. With only a handful of beds in all of California dedicated solely to young girl survivors, opening a six-bed home has made a significant impact.
Q: What makes your nonprofit different from others?
A: The JLSB one of 292 Junior Leagues in four countries belonging to the Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI). AJLI has been providing support, guidance and leadership development opportunities to member Leagues for more than 80 years.JLSB reaches out to women of all races, religions and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism. Our goal is to be a leading force in improving the lives of children, youth and families in the community. We are a training organization that offers a supportive and environment that empowers women to step out of their comfort zone and to learn and grow without fear of failure.
Q: What is the biggest obstacle your nonprofit has faced or currently faces and how did you overcome it?
A: The Junior League of Santa Barbara is a nonprofit volunteer organization and as such, relies exclusively on the generosity and commitment of our members. We are lucky to have a hardworking and dedicated membership base to coordinate two annual fundraisers to support our mission. Funds raised from these events directly impact our community, enabling us to host events for organizations helping at-risk youth in our community.
Click HERE to make a donation to Junior League of Santa Barbara.