1924-1933

The League was welcomed into the Association on May 10, 1924

The Junior League of Lexington was founded in 1924 by ten women dedicated to volunteerism and the improvement of the Lexington community. Led by the first President, Mrs. Mabel Marks, these women built the foundation of community service for which today’s League is known. 

In the early years, much of the focus was on growing the membership, raising funds and impacting the Lexington community with minimal resources. Between its first and second year, membership grew from 10 to 70, and by 1933, membership was more than 90. The most impactful project of the first decade was the opening of the Baby Home in 1927, which after much evolution was turned over to the City of Lexington to become a children’s home. The largest fundraiser of the Junior League of Lexington came from the Lexington Herald; each year one complete edition was written, edited and sold by the members of the League.

1937

One of the Junior League of Lexington’s greatest accomplishments is the Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show. The Horse Show began in 1937 and served as the League’s only fundraiser until 2007.  It has generated over three million dollars for the direct benefit of the local community and has become a prestigious event in the Saddlebred Horse industry, serving as part of the Saddlebred Triple Crown. The Horse Show still runs today for a week every year in mid-July, attracting exhibitors from around the globe.

1960s

By the 1960’s, the Junior League of Lexington was still growing and becoming an important asset to the local community. The 1960’s saw two more agencies the League helped to found:  the Opportunity Workshop of Lexington and The Living Arts and Science Center. Both agencies are still actively making a difference in the local community. The Living Arts and Science Center provides educational opportunities in the arts and sciences, while Opportunity Workshop helps find jobs for disabled individuals in the community.

1970s

The 1970’s brought many new firsts to the Junior League of Lexington. In 1977, the League’s “Horse Head” logo was created and could be seen on all League stationary and outgoing correspondence. The League’s Community Education and Research Committee was established to help sort through the needs of the community and determine where to grant the proceeds from the Horse Show.  The League also began training and educating its members to expand their volunteering skills.  During this time, the League funded projects and agencies in the arts, children’s services, and health services. The League gave Transylvania University five thousand dollars in honor of its Bicentennial Celebration to sponsor an exhibit of antique Kentucky silver. In 1978, the League was a contributing partner in the founding of Chrysalis House, a long-term substance abuse treatment facility that still operates today.

1980s

The 1980’s began with the League taking a major role in the revitalization of downtown Lexington. The League joined the Triangle Foundation, a group instrumental in the development of Triangle Park. During this time, funds and volunteers were also focused in many agencies, including: the Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center (now known as Ampersand), the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Saddlebred Museum, the Lexington Children’s Museum (now known as the Explorium), Hospice of the Bluegrass (now known as Bluegrass Care Navigators), and UK Children’s Miracle Network Telethon. In 1988, the Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show won the prestigious United Professional Horseman Association’s Show of the Year Award. The 1980’s also saw the Show bring in both corporate sponsorships and an association with a local television station WKYT-TV.  Annual profits were exceeding $100,000, making the Horse Show a major benefactor to the local community.

1983-84

The years 1983 and 1984 produced a historical milestone when members approved the lease and restoration of the Bodley-Bullock House.  Many long hours were spent to make the house operational and ready to be opened by 1986 and serve as the Junior League of Lexington’s headquarters. The house and its garden are open for tours and rentals and are a wonderful asset to the local preservation community. In 1986, the Junior League won the Kentucky Heritage Council’s Ida Lee Willis Memorial Foundation Award for their preservation efforts of the Bodley-Bullock House.

1990s

The 1990’s brought about a closeness with other Junior Leagues in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The introduction of the State Public Affairs Committee created an avenue for all of the Kentucky Leagues to collaborate together and participate in the state legislature. Owensboro, Louisville, and Lexington Leagues worked together to create a public service video to help with the prevention of teen pregnancy.

During this decade, the Junior League of Lexington received three prestigious awards. In 1993, the League was given an award for the “Outstanding Philanthropic Organization” by the National Society of Professional Fundraising Executives (now the Association of Fundraising Professionals). In 1995, the League won the “Leaders in Education and the Arts.” The award was in recognition of the Junior League’s contributions to improving the quality of education and/or the arts in central Kentucky. In 1996, the “Silent Witness Program” was started as an effort to help the fight against domestic violence. The public awareness campaign is a memorial honoring women murdered in acts of domestic violence. The League’s 75th anniversary year in 1999 was commemorated by a the League’s grant of a $75,000 donation to God’s Pantry Food Bank for the renovation and construction of a much needed nutrition education kitchen. In 1999, the League was awarded the YWCA of Lexington’s “President’s Award” for seventy-five years of outstanding service.

Funding and volunteers were provided for the following agencies in the 1990’s: Habitat for Humanity, the Ephraim McDowell Cancer Research Foundation, Central Kentucky Riding for the Handicapped (now Central Kentucky Riding for Hope), The Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Advocacy Center, Lexington Hearing and Speech Center (now The Hearing & Speech Center), Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure, and the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation. The decade was capped off by a donation as a founding sponsor to the new Hope Center for Women Recovery Program. This program is a six-month intensive rehabilitation process designed to address the special needs of women who suffer from addiction to drugs or alcohol.

75th Anniversary Commemorative Donation
In 1999, the Junior League of Lexington Presented a special $75,000 donation to God’s Pantry Food Bank for the renovation and construction of a much needed nutrition education kitchen.

2000s

Beginning in 2004, League Board’s focus turned to governance and management discussions for many years and the introduction of the League’s new website. In 2007, the inaugural Holly Day Market was held at the Kentucky Horse Park. 

The League’s 85th anniversary year in 2009 was commemorated by the League’s grant of a $20,000 donation to Chrysalis House. 2011 saw the kickoff of Bourbon and Cigars: A Southern Soiree, a precursor to today’s Taste at the House.

80th Anniversary Gift
In honor of our 80 years of service, the Junior League of Lexington awarded a $20,000 grant to the Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency of the Bluegrass, Incorporated in 2004. This grant will be used to implement a new training program addressing the prevention and detection of sexual assault in nursing homes. This is the first training program of this kind in the nation and will be conducted at each of the 64 facilities served by the Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency of the Bluegrass.

85th Anniversary Gift
During the fall of 2009 and in honor of our 85 years of service, the Junior League of Lexington awarded a $20,000 grant to the Chrysalis House.  The funds will be used to purchase equipment, software, furniture, and supplies for the Chrysalis Computer Lab. The computer lab is an integral part of the Job Readiness Program, which assists unemployed women in recovery in becoming contributing members of the workforce. This lab is named the “The Junior League of Lexington Computer Lab.”

2010s

2014 marked the beginning of the League’s updated branding. The League’s 90th anniversary was also commemorated by a grant of $20,000 given to Mission Lexington. Our headquarters also celebrated its bicentennial.

In 2017, the Holly Day Market and Horse Show both celebrated milestone anniversaries: their 10th and 80th respectively. That same year the Ad-Hoc Horse Show Transitional Committee made the recommendation in 2017 to relocate the Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show to the Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park in 2018. The first show at the Horse Park was awarded the UPHA Show of the Year Winner.

In 2019, a Centennial Committee was formed to begin work on the League’s 100th anniversary in 2024.

90th Anniversary Gift
The League’s 90th anniversary gift of $20,000 was awarded in the fall of 2014 to Mission Lexington. Mission Lexington is a community organization whose goal is to reduce poverty and improve the quality of Fayette County residents by offering free dental care, primary medical care, and mental health care to Lexington residents who could not afford it otherwise. The gift will be used to provide additional equipment needed to expand operational services to more patients in our community.

2024Our Centennial

2024 is a very special year for our League. Why? Because it marks the 100th Anniversary of the Junior League of Lexington! 

In 1924, our charter members saw an opportunity to make a difference. Through the combined energy and vision of our membership over the last 100 years, our League has truly made a difference in the Lexington community. Through the fundraising efforts of the Horse Show and Holly Day Market, through the historic preservation of the Bodley-Bullock House, and through the countless hours spent serving our community, each of you inspire and transform the lives of those in the Bluegrass through your devoted service and generosity. And like the women who preceded us, we approach the future with happy anticipation of a Junior League of Lexington that will continue to make a difference well into the future.