A ground-breaking educational initiative inspires more than 60 other Leagues

Issue Area(s): child welfare, health and nutrition, AIDS

Overview

In 1986, the Junior League of Los Angeles daringly endeavored to dispel fear and misinformation about the AIDS virus by setting up a hotline and establishing a speakers’ bureau. It operated with six other Leagues to set up similar projects.

How it works/What’s the impact?

Other Leagues followed suit.

• The Junior League of Mexico City introduced AIDS education to the country, bringing together leading public and private health and education officials and ultimately incorporating AIDS education into health clinics for low-income families.
• The Junior League of Montclair-Newark put its support behind Babyland, one of the nation’s first centers to provide education and care to children with AIDS.
• The Junior League of San Francisco defied community opposition and opened Hope House, a halfway house for formerly incarcerated women who were HIV-positive.
• The Junior League of Honolulu worked with the Life Foundation and the Department of Health to produce “Bloodstream Follies,” a comic book that was distributed in all Hawaiian schools to educate children about AIDS.