The nonprofit women\u2019s leadership group Junior League of Arlington that impacted philanthropy across the city is dissolving.<\/p>\n
Junior League president Dianne Forsberg said the organization\u2019s leadership felt it could not be sustained due to organizational and nonprofit challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere wasn\u2019t one or two items that really surfaced to the top, the challenges all nonprofits are facing are nothing new,\u201d Forsberg said.<\/p>\n
In a May 12 Facebook post, the organization recounted some of its largest accomplishments,\u00a0 such as its work to create the interactive water fountain in Founders Plaza and volunteer work with organizations across the city. The Junior League also thanked its volunteers over the past half century.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor 50 years, the Junior League of Arlington has helped shape our community through service, leadership, and volunteerism,\u201d the post reads. \u201cWhile we have made the bittersweet decision to dissolve the formal organization, we celebrate a golden era of service.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arlington\u2019s Junior League branch is a member of the Association of Junior Leagues International, which was founded in 1901.<\/p>\n
The Arlington organization was created in 1975 with 45 charter members. The all-women group focused on volunteering and fundraising for charitable causes across Arlington.<\/p>\n
The organization touched many areas in the city, from schools to businesses. By 2025, the Junior League had given over $3 million dollars and a million volunteer hours to groups across the city, according to the nonprofit\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
One of the group\u2019s marquee events is the Arlington ISD Back to School Kickoff, which it cohosted with other local groups. The event, which took place in August<\/a> last year, will still see some involvement from the Junior League, Forsberg said.<\/p>\n The group is planning to wind down its operations by the end of the month as it prepares for a full closure later this year, Forsberg said.<\/p>\n Membership declined in the past decade, impacting the group\u2019s ability to be sustainable, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been looking at a decade of struggles to maintain both our ability to have an impact on our community, to fulfill our mission of training civic leaders and volunteers and being of service,\u201d Forsberg said.<\/p>\n Nonprofits saw numerous challenges within the past year. Federal grant funding has been cut across the board<\/a> since last year, leading to service reductions by many North Texas nonprofits.<\/p>\n Junior League\u2019s fundraising proceeds will go into a foundation fund managed by the North Texas Community Foundation, according to the Facebook post. The funds include dollars raised two years ago when the Junior League sold its original home at the Center for Community Service.<\/p>\n In a statement, Rose Bradshaw, the president and CEO of the North Texas Community Foundation, said that the organization was honored to host the fund and will continue to make an impact on the women and children in Arlington.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the last 50 years, generations of women have invested in their community through Junior League of Arlington,\u201d Bradshaw wrote. \u201cBy opening the Junior League of Arlington Charitable Fund at North Texas Community Foundation, their legacy of service and philanthropy remains a resource for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the group is ending, the Junior League will help people long into the future, Forsberg said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur impact will continue to go on and serve the community, those dollars will be available for perpetuity and still reach out for both the women, children and families in Arlington,\u201d Forsberg said.<\/p>\n For Forsberg, the closure is bittersweet.<\/p>\n She serves as the Arlington ISD superintendent\u2019s interim administrative assistant. Alongside her school district job, she served on boards with the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Arlington.<\/p>\n The skills she learned with the Junior League were instrumental in her career and life, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt taught me about leadership and servant leadership, specifically, and developed me into the individual I am today,\u201d Forsberg said.<\/p>\n Arlington would not be the same without the group, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a legacy that will be everywhere that you look,\u201d Forsberg said. \u201cThere\u2019s probably some footprint, although it may be quiet, there\u2019s some footprint that the Junior League has touched in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: The North Texas Community Foundation is a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n