IMPACT | COMMUNITY
Community Council Vice President Sara Beth Leader drops off masks collected during JLLR's mask drive at the Arkansas Department of Health.
Community Council in the Wake of COVID-19 When the pandemic made its first appearance in Arkansas in March 2020, the Junior League of Little Rock swung into action. by
S AR A B E T H LE AD E R
The Junior League of Little Rock is an organization of women that are motivated to improve our community. The League has an incredible legacy and, during these unprecedented times, has proven to be creative and committed to honoring our mission. Stuff the Bus facilitated the delivery of school supplies for roughly 3,000 students in the Little Rock School District (LRSD) directly from suppliers. Boosters & Big Rigs provided 250 school supplies and face masks to be distributed by UA Little Rock Children International. In June, July, and September, League members created and mailed camp kits to attendees of the first virtual Kota Camp that the committee hosted with Camp Aldersgate. The Nonprofit Board Institute also adopted a virtual format. The course opened with a Board Member roundtable, filled by the League’s Boardwalk members, to discuss “Resource Development during a Crisis.” Later sessions included “COVID-19: Precautions in the Workplace” and “Nonprofit Pivoting.” These additions to the curriculum were cultivated to address the impact of 6 | Interaction | Volume XXVII | 2020-2021
our current circumstances on nonprofit boards and how they have adapted. In order to fulfill Community Focus Opportunity requirements, more than 700 masks were collected and donated by the League to be distributed by the Arkansas Department of Health. The Advocacy Committee committed to educating the League’s members and our community about voter registration and absentee ballots. Nightingales began delivering snacks to UAMS Family Home and continues to seek safe and effective ways to support families at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Little Readers Rock partnered with Pyramid Art, Books, and Framing and local chapters of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. to collect books that centered around inclusion, diversity and featuring characters of color. This League year, the needs of our community changed rapidly, as did the awareness of issues our community faces. The willingness and ability of our community projects to adapt to those changes will leave a legacy in their own right.
