In honor of its Centennial anniversary, The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc. (JLA) is awarding $1 million in grants to local non-profit organizations at its Centennial Gift Luncheon on Monday, April 24. During the luncheon, JLA will announce the grant recipients and showcase how honorees will utilize each Centennial Grant to transform their organization and the community they serve. The lunch, sponsored by Publix Super Markets Charities and Northwestern Mutual Goodwin, Wright, will also honor the league’s legacy of leadership during the past 100 years and launch the organization’s second century of service.

“The Junior League of Atlanta has a rich legacy dating back to 45 women who dared to form an organization that would allow their voices to be heard,” said Deanna Anderson, president of the JLA. “One hundred years later, the JLA is stronger than ever. This $1 million investment in the city’s nonprofits serves as a testament to how far we’ve come and how we plan to help other groups establish a strong legacy of community impact in Atlanta.”

The three-stage grant application process opened last summer. A committee of JLA members reviewed more than 100 proposals from Atlanta’s nonprofit community, looking for nonprofits that align with the League’s mission and are poised to effect transformational change in the city.

The JLA has been influential in strengthening Atlanta’s non-profit environment by founding of the Atlanta Speech School, the Atlanta Children’s Shelter and Children Have All Rights – Legal, Educational, Emotional (CHARLEE), an agency serving at-risk children and youth. Additionally, JLA members have volunteered millions of hours to support organizations including Zoo Atlanta and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Today, the JLA membership consists of 3,500 members with backgrounds of different races, religions and national origins. Members focus on issues surrounding commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking, generational poverty, and early childhood education