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To: Rules
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Michel, Blount, Frazier
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 36
A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING THE JUNIOR LEAGUE 1
OF JACKSON ON THE CELEBRATION OF ITS 85TH ANNIVERSARY. 2
WHEREAS, the Junior League of Jackson, a charitable women's 3
organization whose purpose is to improve the quality of life of 4
those in its community, is celebrating its 85th anniversary in 5
2026, and is celebrating 85 years of service to the Jackson 6
community and the State of Mississippi; and 7
WHEREAS, originally organized as the Junior Auxiliary of 8
Jackson in 1927 by a small group of women who wanted to better 9
their community, the Junior League of Jackson, as it exists today, 10
was born in January 1941; and 11
WHEREAS, with more than 2,200 provisional, active and 12
sustaining members, the Junior League of Jackson is now the 13
fifth-largest league in the Association of Junior Leagues 14
International; and 15
WHEREAS, throughout its 85-year history, the Junior League of 16
Jackson has tirelessly stepped out with bold action in response to 17
community needs in the areas of healthcare, children and youth, 18
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arts and education, and community and neighborhood social services 19
in order to make the greater Jackson area a stronger and better 20
place to live, work and play; and 21
WHEREAS, in the 1940s, the Junior League of Jackson undertook 22
one of the organization's first major leadership roles in 23
improving health services in the City of Jackson by helping open 24
and maintain the Community Hospital, which grew to include a 25
dental clinic in the mid-1950s; and 26
WHEREAS, in the decades that followed, the physical and 27
mental well-being of many Mississippians was improved due to many 28
ongoing health-related projects of the Junior League, a sampling 29
of which includes: advocating for the establishment of the 30
University of Mississippi Medical Center, the state's first 31
four-year medical school and teaching hospital; volunteering at 32
the Mississippi School for the Blind and the Orthopedic Appliance 33
Dispensary, more recently known as the Orthopedic Clinic at the 34
University Hospital; enhancing newborn care with the donation of a 35
neonatal ambulance to the City of Jackson and the creation of 36
"Rockin' Mamas," an infant rocking and stimulation program at the 37
University of Mississippi Medical Center; providing enrichment and 38
companionship to children hospitalized at the Blair E. Batson's 39
Hospital for Children at the University of Mississippi Medical 40
Center through project "REACH"; and distributing infant car seats 41
and explaining their proper usage to new mothers at the University 42
Medical Center; and 43
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WHEREAS, as its first signature project, the Junior League of 44
Jackson undertook an ambitious fundraising campaign to build the 45
Children's Cancer Clinic at the University of Mississippi Medical 46
Center, and after raising $2 Million, celebrated the achievement 47
with groundbreaking ceremonies for the clinic in 1989; and 48
WHEREAS, in addition to their ongoing service in the field of 49
healthcare, members of the Junior League of Jackson have 50
volunteered through many projects to enrich the City of Jackson as 51
a place to live and visit, including: serving as guides and 52
docents at the Old Capitol Museum and the Mississippi Agricultural 53
and Forestry Museum; working with the Department of Archives and 54
History to preserve historical structures in Jackson by publishing 55
and distributing various historical books, developing walking 56
tours and school programs and nominating structures for the 57
National Register of Historic Places; and cataloging Eudora 58
Welty's letters and books for historical archiving; and 59
WHEREAS, although the greater Jackson area has benefited the 60
most from the Junior League of Jackson's volunteer efforts, 61
communities throughout the state have been helped by the quick and 62
generous response of its members during times of crisis, as 63
especially demonstrated in the Mississippi Gulf Coast during the 64
wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Camille in 1969; 65
and 66
WHEREAS, in keeping with the Junior League's primary focus on 67
children and youth, over the years, members have volunteered in 68
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ways that better the lives of all children in Mississippi through 69
programs such as: DREAM/Drug Awareness; parenting classes and the 70
first Mississippi Conference on Child Abuse; planned enrichment 71
activities and one-on-one time with children at the Emergency 72
Shelter for Abused and Neglected Children; the Children's Advocacy 73
Center; over 4,000 backpacks with nutritious food given to 74
students to take home over the weekend; over 10,000 books and 75
school supplies given to students and teachers to support academic 76
growth; over 700 children impacted and supported by summer 77
projects; $100,000.00 awarded in mini-grants to Jackson public 78
schools; $100,000.00 donation to the Foundation for Mississippi 79
History to support the creation of the Margaret Ann Crigler Park; 80
and 81
WHEREAS, in December 2010, the Junior League of Jackson 82
celebrated the opening of its second-signature project, the 83
Mississippi Children's Museum at LeFleur's Bluff State Park, which 84
was supported by a $1 Million financial commitment from the Junior 85
League; and 86
WHEREAS, 100% of the Junior League of Jackson fundraising 87
supports the Mission of Junior League of Jackson, and $1.3 Million 88
was raised in fundraising in 2024; and 89
WHEREAS, while it is impracticable to individually recognize 90
each and every worthy and honorable project the Junior League of 91
Jackson has undertaken since its founding in 1941, the Legislature 92
declares that, as clearly demonstrated over the past 85 years, the 93
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ST: Celebrate 85th Birthday of Junior League of
Jackson.
Junior League of Jackson truly is successful in living out its 94
stated mission as "...an organization of women committed to 95
promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and 96
improving communities through the effective action and leadership 97
of trained volunteers.": 98
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF 99
MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate the Junior 100
League of Jackson on the celebration of its 85th anniversary in 101
2026, express to the members of the Junior League our sincerest 102
gratitude for its many years of volunteer service to the City of 103
Jackson and the entire State of Mississippi and extend heartfelt 104
wishes for many more years of success in all of its future 105
endeavors. 106
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to 107
the leadership of the Junior League of Jackson and made available 108
to the Capitol Press Corps. 109