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Tradition, integrity, dedication, and friendship bind the women of San Antonio Junior Forum (SAJF). For forty-five years, the members of this nonprofit service organization have raised families, established careers, and maintained successful businesses. Yet, year after year, they continue to find time to volunteer thousands of hours to civic, philanthropic, and educational projects that enrich our city and the lives of its residents.
The San Antonio Junior Forum, one of ten chapters in Texas, was founded on January 20, 1961, with seventeen original members and a profit that year of $42.50 from selling candy. From this modest beginning, San Antonio Junior Forum has grown in strength, numbers, and influence with membership now exceeding 200 women and financial contributions to our city of over $1 million.
Committed to serving the needs of our community, San Antonio Junior Forum is involved with a number of worthwhile service projects. Through the contribution of volunteer hours and extraordinary fundraising efforts, SAJF continues to have a positive impact on San Antonio, helping many individuals and groups that otherwise would have no support.
Among San Antonio Junior Forum’s many past accomplishments are:
- The San Antonio Junior Literacy Library, which was established in 1966 in conjunction with the Literacy Council.
- SAJF also established the original grant for Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital Cancer Research Center Patient Aid Fund.
- Members have in the past spent countless hours at the Brighton School for Children with Down’s syndrome.
In 1985, SAJF started Kids on the Block, an innovative puppet show that helps children learn about handicaps and become more accepting and sensitive to individuals with disabilities. About 10,000 school children a year see the show as the puppeteers travel to all area school districts. From 1961 through 2004, SAJF members have volunteered over 240,000 service hours.
SAJF currently has two award winning cookbooks in print, Celebrate San Antonio and Clean Your Plate. Celebrate San Antonio was voted into the Walter S. McIlhenny Hall of Fame and won the Tabasco Award for community cookbooks. These two dynamic cookbooks are sold at fine stores around the state and make wonderful gifts for clients, family and friends!
San Antonio Junior Forum continues to meet the needs of our community.
Our current service projects include:
- Kids on the Block
- C-Life at Homewood’s at Shavano and at Morningside Manor
- Battered Women’s Shelter
- Any Baby Can quilts
- Salvation Army Christmas stockings
- Celebration of Life
Over the years , SAJF has been honored as one of the city’s top volunteer organizations, but however proud the heritage, the San Antonio Junior Forum realizes the importance of progress. Members continually study the needs of our community and look for new opportunities to serve. New horizons lie ahead as members extend their helping hands.
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