By Mary Young, President 1998-99, Vice President of Finance, 1994-95

With the belief that "success is a journey-not a destination," the Junior League of Miami (JLM) has had an incredible journey of fund and "friend raising" during its first 70 years-with the help of its membership and our community. Always focused on those in need, the members of the JLM have contributed millions of dollars and supplemented this financial support with immeasurable amounts of precious time, love, and energy to its causes.

Our fund-raising activities have reflected the changing face of our members and community, and have always been focused on how we might make the greatest contribution and impact on our projects. As a salute to all those who have been in the fund-raising trenches for the League, this briefly recaps our incredible journey through the decades.

The 1920s
In its infancy, the League established a tradition of diverse fund-raising efforts. The very first fund-raiser was held in 1925, just two months after the original 24 women got together to think about forming a League in Miami. The event was a dance on August 5, 1925, at Coral Gables Country Club, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. to "raise funds to establish a free dental clinic for the school children of Miami," according to a Miami Daily News report.

In 1927 the JLM entered the retail world with a Gift Shop at the Roundtable Tea Room on Flagler Street. Janet McNeill reported on this early effort in a 1960 Tropical Topics: "The luncheon guests would pass through the anteroom where the Gift Shop displayed hand-made articles and donations of lovely things from the girls."

The first JLM Benefit Ball, a benefit bridge party, a musical concert, the Orange Ball, the first JLM edition of the Miami Daily News, and our first children's play, Snow White, laid the foundation of raising money to enable such early projects as the Children's Home Society and the Occupational Therapy Ward at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The patients in the Ward at Jackson helped to supply inventory for the Gift Shop in the form of the arts and crafts they created, "to help take their minds off depression," according to a 1928 newspaper account.

The 1930s
During the 1930s, the conventional annual balls continued, however, the Gift Shop evolved into the League's Thrift Shop carrying all kinds of "rummage" (known today as our "Encore Shop"). In addition to what had now become traditions of retailing and charity ball fund-raisers, the 1930s saw the addition of the "Hialeah Race Day" (raising more than $22,000 in 1930!), the abandonment of the Miami Daily News due to two years of SURPLUS funds and the introduction of such new fund-raisers as a Fashion Show and "Junior League Day" at Burdines, a musical recital, a "Town Hall" series . . . and the introduction of the Rummage Tea, as well as the popular League Follies. The Thrift Shop moved to 405 North Miami Avenue.

The 1940s
With our emphasis on supporting the nation's war efforts during World War II, fund-raising efforts were sometimes modified and the Thrift Shop, Annual Ball and Rummage Tea were ALL suspended during 1941 and 1942. The Thrift Shop remained our anchor fund-raiser through the decade, and was actually staffed in 1943 by paid workers in order to release highly-trained Junior League volunteers to better support the war tasks in Miami. To help subsidize these workers, dues were increased to $15 per member in 1946.

The 1950s
The Thrift Shop continued to be the primary source of income with such new additions to our efforts as co-sponsorship of the Annual Horse Show, a Charity Fashion Ball with Burdines and Town & Country Magazine, and our first monies from the Community Chest (the precursor of the United Way) to support our project, the Junior Museum (now the Miami Museum of Science), established by the Junior League of Miami with just $5,000. While celebrating our 25th year of service, with a Silver Anniversary Ball, we also raised members' dues to $20.

The 1960s
The Thrift Shop moved and became the "Encore Shop" in 1964 under the leadership of President Lamar Adams, who well remembers the tremendous year-long job it was to move everything. The Shop generated net proceeds during the decade of more than $67,000. Dues were raised to $30 per member and in 1969, Channel 2 awarded the Junior League of Miami a matching grant of $5,000 for our film Drugs Are Like That. We celebrated our 35th year with an Anniversary Ball and continued today's enduring tradition of an Encore Shop Coffee (or Tea) .

The 1970s
The Encore Shop continued through the decade, contributing more than $132,000 from 1975 through the end of the decade. The first "Designer Show House" took place in 1972 with proceeds from this fund-raiser exceeding $81,000 through the 1970s. To continue to promote member participation in our retail endeavors, the Encore Shop quota was raised to $48 per member in 1974.

The 1980s
With more than $428,000 raised during the 1980s from the Encore Shop alone, other diverse fund-raisers such as a Holiday Bazaar, the continuation of the Show house, a "Hair Cut-a-Thon," the Virginia Slims Florida Tennis Tournament, Burdines- "A Taste of Italy," and the YMCA Network Holiday Happening were implemented.

In 1985, under the leadership of President Becky Matkov, "Miami Magic," a progressive gala through our city largely tapping corporate underwriters, was introduced. Through an evening of fund and friend-raising, almost $800,000 for League projects was raised by ticket sales and corporate underwriting of this gala during the years 1985 to 1989.

The 1990s
The Encore Shop has continued to thrive and as of 1995 had contributed $423,000 to this decade's revenues. Miami Magic in 1990 and 1991 contributed more than $125,000. The final Miami Magic was held in April 1992, under the leadership of Mary Mills, with a net of $68,700.

With Hurricane Andrew and changes in the corporate climate in Miami, Miami Magic was replaced by an Auction Gala in 1993. During the next three years, the dinner/auction contributed almost $200,000 to League projects and we began to focus our fund-raising efforts to other sources than merely "our own."

The years 1993 through the present saw more than $3 million committed to our South Dade Transitional Living facility from a variety of sources such as the Knight Foundation, "We Will Rebuild" (spawned from the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992), and the Dade County Homeless Trust. We also raised $15,000 in 1993 from the Liz Claiborne Foundation, $10,000 from the Women's Relief Association in 1995 and another $58,000 in 1996 from the Coral Gables Rotary Club to benefit Inn Transition.
With more than $100,000 committed to the "Ronni Bermont Endowment Fund," additional monies and in-kind donations were also obtained to support the "227-A Kid's Place."

With the millennium not quite upon us, the JLM looks ahead while remembering a rich heritage of fund-raising and a powerful impact in the community. We thank the community for celebrating the past 70 years that has "empowered Miami's women, children and families to conquer tomorrow's challenges and to build a united community"and look forward to continued support in the years to come.

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