On October 18, the Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. (JLC) along with Crown City Guides, hosted its annual Bus Tour for 100 members the 2014-2015 Provisional Class. Genie Hufham, a Charlotte native and sustaining member of the JLC, served as the tour guide representing Crown City Guides. Genie was an active member of the JLC in the late 80s and early 90s where she served on the Education, Program and Communications Council and the Board of Directors.
The Bus Tour is designed to show the impact the Junior League of Charlotte has had on the Queen City since it began 89 years ago. It lasts two and half hours and focuses on visiting important landmarks that the JLC has been a part of building, preserving or maintaining including:
Duke Mansion: built in 1915, the JLC contributed to preserving the historic home, including owned the building for a period of time during the efforts.
Junior League of Charlotte Family Resource Center at the Levine Children’s Hospital: The 2,700 square foot facility is the latest legacy in the Charlotte Community. It provides families a place to find helpful information and resources about children’s health and is a current JLC Placement.
The Ronald McDonald House: Opened in 2011, this house is a home away from home for families whose children are being treated at Charlotte area medical facilities. The Junior League of Charlotte supplied the funding for the family lockers located in the house and has supplied volunteers to assist the families during their stay. The Charlotte house opened in May of 2011 and is a current JLC Placement.
Children’s Theater of Charlotte: Children’s Theater was a National Junior League movement beginning in the 1920’s. It continued to be wildly popular during the Depression and World War II and expanded into puppetry, radio and finally television. In1940, the Junior League of Charlotte worked with other community organizations such as the Red Dept, the Charity League, the Women’s Club, the Girls Scouts, the Boy Scouts, the City Schools, the Charlotte Symphony and the Charlotte Observer to establish the Children’s Theater Council.
Discovery Place: In 1978, the JLC provided funding and volunteers to establish a Collections Gallery at Discovery Place, which included building display facilities and physically moving shells, fossils and other museum artifacts from the Nature Museum to the Uptown Discovery Place location. More than half-million people from all over the United States visit Discovery Place and it is a current JLC Placement
Berry Hill House: In 1976, the JLC, in conjunction with our Bicentennial Commission, accepted the ‘Berryhill Project Proposal’. Its objective was to preserve historically and architecturally significant structures in Charlotte-Mecklenburg; to act as a catalyst in revitalizing the Fourth Ward; and to establish a revolving fund to preserve endangered structures. The League purchased the first home in Fourth Ward in 1976, called the Berryhill House, and began the renaissance of one of the original 4 wards in uptown Charlotte. Today, the Fourth Ward’s population stands at over 3,300 residents and serves as a national example of historical preservation and inner city revitalization.
Mint Museum on Randolph: In 1936, the League initiated free art classes for underprivileged children; out of this grew the Junior Mint Museum. In the 1960’s, the League established a docent program where JLC members volunteered by interpreting works of art displayed at the Museum, taking educational programs into the schools with an art interpretation program, and providing programs related to the general field of art history as requested by the Museum. In 1971, the Mint Museum took over the docent program as its own.
The tour was extremely successful and all those in attendance left with an appreciation of the opportunity we have as JLC members to make an impact on our community now, and in years to come.
