Most of the work we do at The Junior League is quiet work. A project might be done in a day, but it takes weeks and months of set-up and coordination. Fund-raising projects – even very successful ones – don’t necessarily get a lot of attention outside of the League. Ongoing community projects require careful care and feeding, including working with – and sharing credit with – community parties.
So we’re pleased to have been collectively honored by the United Nations Association of New York for League-based initiatives in fighting against human trafficking.
UNANY, the largest of over 175 community-based UNA chapters around the country, cited the work being done at the state level by the New York State Public Affairs Committee of The Junior League (NYSPAC), the Junior Leagues of New Jersey State Public Affairs Committee (NJSPAC) and the Michigan State Council of Junior Leagues (MSC) as well as more localized efforts by individual Leagues in Los Angeles, CA, Atlanta, GA, New Orleans, LA, Owensboro, KY and Westchester County, NY.
So hats off to all of the League members involved in this important fight. As Delly Beekman noted, the 110-year legacy of The Junior League is rooted in service to the under-served, and few groups in our society are as under-served as victims of human trafficking, particularly in its most vile form—commercial sexual exploitation of children.