The Junior League of Miami was honored with the Outstanding Nonprofit Organization Award during the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce’s 20th Annual Diamond Awards. The Diamond Awards is a signature Chamber program established in 1997 to recognize companies providing quality products and services while investing time and resources into community. While the majority of the awards are given to for-profit businesses, the Chamber also honors a deserving nonprofit each year.
“We were honored to accept this award, which recognizes the hard work of our volunteers as well as the impact we have made on the community,” said Helen Picard, President of the Junior League of Miami. “For more than 90 years, the Junior League has been a catalyst for change and an advocate for those whose voices must be heard. We are so pleased to make Coral Gables our home base and we are deeply appreciative that the Chamber of Commerce has presented us with this honor.”
According to Mark A. Trowbridge, president and CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber is proud to honor the Junior League of Miami. “As a stalwart community partner and leading nonprofit in Miami, the Junior League embodies excellence in everything they do, while charting the course for other non-profits, as well. Over the years, the women of the Junior League have rolled-up their sleeves and found ways to serve our community like no other. We are thrilled to etch their name next to ours in recognition of their legacy of service.”
Nicole Waters, Director of Marketing for Bill Ussery Motors Group, a corporate partner of the Junior League, echoed his sentiments. “Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables and Mercedes-Benz Cutler Bay celebrate the Junior League of Miami on its recent Diamond Awards recognition. We are proud to be community partners and look forward to their continued success in making a difference in Miami,” Waters said.
The Junior League of Miami has a long history of success, including founding the Junior Museum of Science – now the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. The organization has also played a major role in founding the Guardian Ad Litem program and the Children’s Home Society.
Today, the volunteer-run League boasts membership of almost 1,000 women and hosts several important programs including Done in a Day, which assists local organizations with short-term events, and Inn Transition, an innovative and critical answer to transitional housing for victims of domestic violence.
In April 2018, the Junior League of Miami, in partnership with the Deering Estate Foundation, will host its 2018 Miami Showhouse. The event will feature the extraordinary work of designers who will temporarily transform interior and exterior spaces at the Deering Estate to raise awareness and financial capability for the 91-year-old nonprofit organization to continue its work helping at-risk families in Miami.
About the Junior League of Miami
The Junior League of Miami, founded in 1926, is an organization of approximately 1,000 women sharing a common vision to empower Miami's women, children, and families to conquer tomorrow's challenges and to build a united community. The mission of the Junior League of Miami is to promote voluntarism, develop the potential of women, and improve communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The Junior League concentrates its resources to make a significant impact on our community. This year, in addition to providing $150,000 in direct funding, another $600,000 in volunteer hours will be dedicated to the community for projects that address families at risk. For more information, visit www.jlmiami.org.
