Junior League gives 25 years to Norman community
Junior League gives 25 years to Norman community

NORMAN — One of the things that sets Norman apart from other cities is the willingness of residents to volunteer their time, money and resources.

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One group that has donated countless hours to the community is the Junior League of Norman.

The nonprofit group was founded in 1975 as the Junior Service League.

Its very first fundraiser was a pumpkin sale at the Firehouse Art Center.

The group became the Junior League of Norman in 1983 when it joined the Association of Junior Leagues, now known as the Association of Junior Leagues International.

The league will celebrate its 25th anniversary as the Junior League of Norman with an open house for members, provisional members and sustaining members from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Junior League of Norman office, 300 W Gray, Suite 104.

President Stephanie O'Hara said the evening will be a time for the group to reflect on how it has affected the community during the past 25 years.

"We're going through our archives and we're going to have everything out, including old photos, for everyone to look at,” O'Hara said. "It's also a time to honor our members.”

O'Hara said the Junior League of Norman has about 110 active members and 200 sustaining members.

Each year, the group puts up to 8,000 volunteer hours into its community projects, which include "Reading is Fundamental,” a literacy campaign that has distributed more than 100,000 books to Head Start schools in Cleveland County, and Baby Steps, which provides day care and other support services to high school-aged parents so they can graduate.

"Baby Steps opened in 1993, and we've graduated 130 teen parents from Norman Public Schools since then,” she said. "It's become one of our favorite projects, and many of our members go over and rock babies during their lunch hours to give the workers a break.”

In addition to continuing its longtime programs, O'Hara said the organization continues to find new ways to help Norman become a better community.

"Our newest program is ‘Kids in the Kitchen,' a childhood obesity initiative,” O'Hara said. "We teach cooking classes for kids and parents and show them how to make healthy choices.”

O'Hara said anyone interested in learning more about the Junior League of Norman and its services can go to www.juniorleagueofnorman.org.

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