Susie Istock
9 April 2007

Junior League to Host Public Forum on Domestic Violence Issues at the Boston Public Library

As part of its Centennial celebration, the Junior League of Boston will host a three-part lecture series with Boston-area subject matter experts and partners about important topics related to the JLB’s mission and community focus.

(Boston, MA) April 9, 2007 – The Junior League of Boston (JLB) announces details about lecture series running in conjunction with the “Women Volunteers in Action, A Century of Commitment” exhibit at the Boston Public Library (Copley Square Branch) from April 6 – April 27, 2007.

The Junior League of Boston will host a three-part lecture series during the month of April centering on important topics related to the Junior League of Boston’s current focus area,The Health and Education of Women and Children. “We’re very excited to discuss women’s and children’s community service needs at the Boston Public Library this April,” said Kirby Lunger, President. “The lecture series will raise the level of dialogue around these community needs and trends.” The lecture series will be held in the Rabb Lecture Hall at the Boston Public Library (Copley branch) in the lower lobby. All lectures are free and open to the public.

The April 12 panel will discuss current domestic violence issues, including the increasing domestic violence homicide rate; populations especially vulnerable to domestic violence such as immigrants, pregnant women, and children; and the need for community-based services to augment existing shelter-based services available today.

The session will be moderated by Kirby Lunger, President of the Junior League of Boston, and will include a question and answer period with the audience. The lecture will be held at 6:30pm ET in the Rabb Lecture Hall (Lower Lobby).

Panelists include:

Michelle Kweder, Executive Director, RESPOND, Inc.
Mary Lauby, Executive Director, Jane Doe, Inc.
Betsy McAlister Groves, LICSW, Director, Child Witness to Violence Program, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center

About the Exhibit: The exhibit celebrates 100 years of the Junior League of Boston’s volunteer work to improve the social conditions in the Greater Boston community and features archival materials from 100 years of innovative community service projects. The JLB’s current community service initiatives are featured in lively, large format photographs (produced as a pro bono project by Boston University’s Center for Digital Imaging Arts) to tell the story how the JLB’s over 1,200 women volunteers continue to impact the community. The exhibit can be viewed at the Copley Branch of Library in the Boston Room and Rabb Lobby. For more information about the exhibit and lecture series please visit www.jlboston.org. The exhibit is free of charge and the public is welcome.

The Junior League of Boston warmly thanks “Women Volunteers in Action” exhibit partners: the Boston Public Library, Hart-Boillot LLC, Boston University’s Center for Digital Imaging Arts, Samuel Adams, and George P. Johnson.

About The Junior League of Boston: The Junior League of Boston is an organization of over 1,200 women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. For more information, please visit our web site at www.jlboston.org.

The Junior League of Boston joins 293 Leagues across the world to form the Association of Junior Leagues International. These Leagues have nearly 170,000 members in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Together, they represent one of the largest international volunteer organizations for women interested in making a positive impact in their communities. For more information, visit the web site www.ajli.org.