www.jackandjillinc.org

Our Chapter

In February 1953, Mary Evelyn LaNier and Mary Woods gathered together a group of Cincinnati mothers interested in working together to improve the lives of their children. They wanted to create a medium or a familiar conduit for educational, civic and social development and knew that Jack and Jill was the best organization to meet their needs. They worked diligently to complete all the necessary charter paperwork and a provisional chapter was formed on March 14, 1953. In December of that same year, the Cincinnati Chapter became the 51st local chapter to be chartered into Jack and Jill of America, Inc. The organization was founded with 33 mothers and 60 children. Sadly, in 2019 our chapter’s last surviving charter member, Marian Spencer, passed away at age 99. She was recognized for her trailblazing accomplishments in the Cincinnati Chapter and beyond during the Mid-Western Region Mothers Conference hosted by the Cincinnati Chapter in July. After 66 years, the Cincinnati Chapter now has 55 mother members and over 100 children.

Cincinnati chapter has persevered this year with strong programming despite the challenges due to Covid-19. We executed a robust calendar of both chapter-wide and individual grade group activities that showcased. We began with a socially distant HBCU tailgating extravaganza to celebrate the collective impact and community pride for HBCUs amongst our Jack and Jill families. In addition to HBCU pride, our chapter honored the life and legacy of Carole Robertson by having an overwhelming attendance at the Regional Virtual Carole Robertson Memorial and HBCU pride event. We continued to educate our children by also hosting individual grade group activities with a focus on civil rights and its ongoing legacy. Those activities centered around oratorical speeches and poems, historical movies, trivia games, posters and collages. The chapter continued the emphasis on civil rights by focusing on legislative awareness just in time for the Presidential election. A chapter wide voter caravan allowed the city of Cincinnati to see Black families come together to share in the importance of voting with their children. To raise money and tackle physical awareness, the chapter came together for a virtual 5k to benefit the Queen City Foundation. For the Thanksgiving holiday, each grade group sponsored at least one family and created Thanksgiving baskets. The children even added artwork or a special gift to each basket for personalization. Our chapter developed a virtual drive to help area children get the necessary items for swimming (swimsuits, towels, etc.) to continue the chapter’s JJ Swims Initiative that was launched in 2019. The chapter continued to support our families through leadership modules for the teens, money matters modules for our kids; virtual volunteering for our families and overall support for the families in the chapter during these unprecedented times. This year has been an amazing year where our chapter continued to keep the theme of “Marvelous Moms Making an Impact” despite the odds.

About Jack and Jill of America

The late Marion Stubbs Thomas founded Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated, on January 24, 1938, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Twenty mothers came together to discuss creating an organization to provide social, cultural and educational opportunities for youth between the ages of 2 and 19. In 1946, 10 chapters were involved in the national restructuring process. The constitution and bylaws were drawn up, and the organization was incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware.

Today, Jack and Jill boasts 262 chapters nationwide, representing more than 50,000 family members.

Each chapter plans annual programming activities guided under our five point programmatic thrust:

Cultural Awareness

We remember the ways of living developed by communities and passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and values. Through our cultural heritage we honor and preserve those who are making a difference in our community by teaching our children to cherish their past and be excited about the future.

Educational Development

The core of the Jack and Jill of America philosophy is that every child – if given the proper guidance and opportunity – can be developed into a leader. Whether it is through skill enhancement or understanding the concepts of integrity, Jack and Jill has become a national icon in creating effective leaders.

Social/ Recreational

We are social beings with a need for balance to function and maintain healthy lives. We believe it is necessary to engage our children both socially and recreationally, learning to interact with peers and others in a healthy, positive and productive manner. These activities promote processes that help to refresh and reinvigorate both the mind and body.

Health

Chapters continue to embrace the importance of being more aware of health issues that impact our communities, resulting in an organization that is more health conscious. We are committed to providing healthy behaviors and personal empowerment programming and training for families to live healthy lifestyles.

Civic

Since our inception, we have been committed to legislation aimed at bettering the lives of all children. Past and present legislative advocacy focus has been on violence in the media, health and wellness initiatives, voter registration, responsible gun laws, and equal access to quality education.

Membership

We are a membership organization of mothers with children ages 2 to 19, dedicated to nurturing future Leaders by supporting children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving and civic duty. Jack and Jill has 262 local chapters within 7 geographical regions in the United States.

Become a Member

If you are interested in becoming a member of this chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., you must be sponsored by a member(s) of the chapter. You will be invited to attend a meeting where pertinent information, such as the qualifications, cost, selection process, and other information will be discussed

An individual meeting all requirements and qualifications must then be approved by chapter vote to complete the selection process. Each chapter is autonomous and has specific criteria for sponsoring new members.

Legacy Membership

If you are a child or the spouse of a child whose mother graduated from a chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. in good standing and you meet the other criteria for membership, you are eligible for membership as a Legacy Member. Legacy forms can be obtained from our National Office.