What is the Jackson Service League?

Who are we?

The Jackson Service League (JSL) is a nonprofit organization consisting of women who are dedicated to supporting and strengthening our community through service. Since 1952, JSL members have invested their time, talents, and compassion into the various philanthropic organizations throughout the Madison County – Jackson, Tennessee area. When women come together, they can make lasting change and find their village in the process.

What do we do?

JSL gives back to the Madison County – Jackson area by supporting various philanthropic organizations/nonprofits, with emphasis given to those that serve women and children. Our members volunteer countless hours each year, provide grants to local organizations, and award an annual scholarship to a deserving high school senior.

Our grants and scholarship funds are made possible through various fundraising efforts. We are frequently looking for creative and socially oriented ways to raise funds.

Service is at the heart of our mission. Each member completes a minimum of twelve (12) volunteer hours annually, most of which we accomplish together. Through shared service, we not only invest in the greater Jackson community but also in our own relationships that make JSL a true village.

Who do we help?

JSL supports many charitable organizations in the Madison County – Jackson area, especially those nonprofit organizations that focus on women and children. Eligible nonprofits are encouraged to reach out to share how we can serve their needs and are encouraged to apply for our annual grants. Over the years, we have planted gardens, stocked food pantries, painted and furnished rooms for local centers, collected school supplies, served meals, and much more.

We also award a yearly scholarship to a young woman graduating from high school who demonstrates leadership, service, and promise.

A Little History:

Each generation has a particular vantage point to view our city’s history and the path tread down by our collective stories. Lost in our own days, we sometimes forget that we are a part of a city and one community.

Whether it’s a road away from racial hatred or a road that celebrates creatives, a community adopts a certain path tread by the people before them. The community saunters along until the moment when individuals and organizations rise up and insist on change, for better or worse. In the 1950s, a particular group in Jackson did just that.

During World War II, the economy desperately needed women to fill in the workforce gaps left by men who were fighting in the war. Women began to take a more active role in their communities and the workplace, but by the 1950s, men were still the titans of the business world. In Jackson, women were still snubbed by local clubs, networking groups, and business organizations dominated by men. Their avenues to serve the community, as a group, were limited.

In 1952, seventeen women banded together and changed the path of our community by creating the Jackson Service League: an all-female, non-profit organization dedicated to serving its community. Since its inception, the JSL has logged over 25,000 hours of community service. The money raised by their service has benefitted other non-profits that help women and children, such as the Dream Center, Area Relief Ministries, the Care Center, RIFA, and others.

Each generation has the unique opportunity to affect the path of their community. In essence, our future is determined by our actions today, but the path of Jackson was determined, largely, by the actions of people no longer here. The women of the Jackson Service League have looked down the path that Jackson is on. Together they are treading a new path that makes the future of Jackson hopefully look less bleak. They weren’t content staying on a path that celebrates inactivity or turning their eyes away from the needs of their neighbor.

These women aren’t superheroes—they’re everyday women juggling work, families, and life’s many responsibilities. Yet they still give their time, energy, and compassion to fight against poverty, illiteracy, and hopelessness. They are choosing to make the time and space in their lives to invest in our community and make Jackson a better place to live.

We all have twenty-four hours in a day. How will you invest yours? What impact will your actions make? Will you choose to be a light? What’s your excuse?

While an argument could be made that you don’t need an organization or club to create change in the community, JSL has shown that it is greater than the sum of its parts. One woman hosting a small fundraiser can help a family—but dozens of women working together can create a wave of support that reaches across the community. That’s the power of finding your village.

“While the JSL isn’t eradicating poverty, they are evoking change, which is not as easy as it looks. Our modern lives may not be as affected by prejudice or disagreement as much as inactivity and laziness. If we all sit on the couch, what will our city look like thirty, forty, fifty years from now? Are we willing to get our hands grimy instead of just writing a check? Are we motivated to offer our time, or are we too content with our routine? Are we willing to leave Jackson as it is? The women of the Jackson Service League have made their choice. What will yours be?”

- Ginger Williams Our Jackson Home 2016 https://www.ourjacksonhome.com/blog-2/jsl