The Junior League of Arlington is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and continuing its legacy of helping women develop their own skills and serve their community.
“In our 50 years, we’ve had a lot of different ways of serving it, but the most important way, I think, is that we develop women and give them skills, leadership skills, that they can use both professionally and personally to serve the community as a whole,” President Dianne Forsberg said. “Everything from parliamentary procedures to business — just everything in between.”
The JLA’s history dates back to Oct. 22, 1975, when the Service League of Arlington was founded with 45 charter members.
Seven years later on Feb. 22, 1982, the Arlington League was admitted into the Association of Junior Leagues International as its 248th Junior League. That led to the official name change to the Junior League of Arlington on April 22, 1982.
Now, the Junior League of Arlington has 200 members, many of them sustaining members.
This is Forsberg’s second tenure leading the organization, having also served as president 15 years ago.
Since its inception, JLA said it has given more than $3 million and 1 million volunteer hours of service to more than 100 agencies.
This year, Junior League of Arlington is providing grants to 10 agencies totaling $100,000. It partnered with Arlington ISD in August for the AISD Back to School Kickoff at AT&T Stadium.
In June, JLA moved into Wellspring on Main at 201 W. Main St., which provided more space for meetings, officing and on-site storage.
Forsberg, who works for the Arlington Independent School District, said she sees the JLA being an important part of the community for years to come because of its impact and scope.
“When you look at all of the years that women have come together to serve the particular needs of their community, the one thing that I think is great about Junior League is that you have a vast network. It’s worldwide,” Forsberg said. “They’re in five countries, and you have a vast network to garner information and knowledge from and that you are able to look at your own individual community and see what the needs are.”
Hometown Holidays Tour of Homes
On Dec. 7, the Junior League of Arlington, in partnership with the Arlington Historical Society, will hold its Hometown Holidays, a special tour of several featured homes in Arlington, created in memory of Diane Cravens, who died in 2022. Cravens was a community philanthropist, a volunteer with the Arlington Historical Society board of directors, Arlington and Fort Worth junior leagues, Fine Arts League, Arlington Art Museum Exhibit Committee, Arlington Public Schools and Fleetwood Memorial Foundation, where she served as executive director for many years.
These homes will be included on the tour:
505 S. Fielder Road, home of Mary Tom and Kelly Curnutt.
1201 Canterbury Court, home of Lisa and Carl Cravens.
1102 Greenbriar Lane, home of Jeannie and Will Deakyne.
1312 W. 2nd St., home of Giana Ortiz and Jacob Fain.
Tickets for the tour are $30 for general admission, which includes the tour, and $50 for VIP tickets that includes a special reception ahead of the tour at the Fielder House Museum.
You can buy tickets here.
Lance Murray is a freelance contributor covering business for the Arlington Report.
At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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