Junior League of Wilmington celebrates 70th anniversary

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — An organization in Wilmington focused on creating positive change in the lives of children and families in our community is celebrating a milestone this week.

The Junior League of Wilmington was officially founded on September 30, 1952.  It is part of the Association of Junior Leagues International, which includes more than 290 Leagues in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, and Mexico.

“We use the community as our leadership laboratory and members are charged with finding issues that are important to them that they face every day,” said president Madeline Schildwachter. “Throughout our membership, we take different roles in identifying and finding ways to support all of our citizens.”

On Friday, the Junior League of Wilmington will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a party at the City Club. The event was originally scheduled to take place on September 30, but was postponed due to Hurricane Ian.

“It’s a fundraiser and it’s a cocktail party, and it’s just a time for us to get together,” Schildwachter said. “We spent the whole month doing all kinds of activities through town, whether they were volunteer opportunities, socials to connect former members with current members, and it was really kind of like a pep rally.”

Tickets to the event are mostly sold out. Schildwachter says they look forward to many more years to come.

“In the springtime is when we encourage new interested members to come and join us,” she said. “And so we’re trying to really make sure that everyone understands there’s something for everyone here, and there is something for everyone’s level of involvement and time commitment.”