The Junior League of Toronto (JLT) proudly reflects on a century of partnership with one of Canada’s most beloved institutions — The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). Our relationship with SickKids is woven deeply into the very fabric of our League’s history — one built on compassion, innovation and service. It highlights JLT’s exceptional achievement in inspiring and mobilizing volunteers to strengthen their communities. On January 6, 2026, JLT will proudly present a $100,000 cheque to SickKids’ Young Families Program. A fitting tribute to our 100 years of service.

Over the decades, JLT members have supported SickKids through hands-on volunteerism, visionary program development and financial contributions that continue to benefit patients and families. Our own JLT-trained civic leaders have served on both the SickKids Hospital and Foundation Boards.

The Early Years: 1920s–1930s

In our earliest decades, JLT members rolled up their sleeves to meet the most pressing needs of Toronto’s children and families. In 1926, when the call went out from a public health nurse that she needed volunteers to help at Well Baby Clinics, it was the catalyst for the JLT beginning, an organization that had a dramatic impact on SickKids and Toronto. The JLT rallied women and trained them to be volunteers and civic leaders. JLT volunteers staffed well-baby clinics at SickKids and other hospitals, collected mothers’ milk for premature babies and volunteered daily in the hospital’s wards and supply rooms.

When the Dionne quintuplets were born in May 1934, JLT members worked tirelessly, collecting and delivering milk across Toronto – their normal route expanded to a three-hour route every day of the year. Dr. Alan Roy Dafoe of SickKids himself credited JLT’s efforts with helping to keep the quintuplets alive in their earliest months. Junior Leaguers collected 145 ounces of milk – 13,622 ounces in all – which was shipped to Callander, Ontario for the five tiny babies.

During this time, the JLT:

• In 1931, donated $10,000 for 200-300 new hospital beds, replacing worn-out 40-year-old straw mattresses.
• Funded a therapeutic tank for recovery and a deep-freezing unit for plasma use.
• The JLT funded the cost of eyeglasses for 24 years until government funds became available for low-income families.
• In 1938, the JLT established and staffed the first Occupational Therapy Department at SickKids
• JLT members provided rides with their own vehicles to children and families who were unable to get to the hospital on their own means. There were at least 25 regular patients utilizing this service with six to eight JLT members on duty every day.  After that, the JLT paid for taxis to bring in the children.  SickKids noted, “In transportation alone, the JLT provided a service the hospital was ill equipped to give and without any doubt saved us many thousands of dollars.”

Building for the Future: 1940s–1960s

Our commitment to innovation continued as JLT helped SickKids grow into the world-renowned institution it is today.

• Donated $10,000 toward the hospital’s $6.0 million hospital’s new building fund.
• In 1949, the JLT opened Canada’s first Cerebral Palsy Clinic and Nursery School, operated under SickKids’ guidance – a groundbreaking initiative that earned JLT national recognition and the Mayfair Community Service Award. When JLT struggled to find staffing for the clinic, as they found no nurses in Canada with special cerebral palsy training, the JLT sent a nurse and therapists to the U.S. to learn. The JLT also found a furniture maker that would make specialized treatment tables, chairs and other items based on designs from a U.S. clinic’s drawings.
• In 1967 a $100,000 gift and volunteer support, helped fund the M. Hincks Treatment Centre for emotionally fragile children and adolescents, now part of SickKids.

Expanding Impact: 1970s–1990s

• In 1976, together with the SickKids Women’s Auxiliary, JLT launched the Special Food Dispensary – now the Specialty Food Shop — helping families access medically indicated foods for children with special dietary needs.
• In 1993, through our RMC II Designer Showhouse, JLT raised over $1.6 million in funds and goods to support Toronto children and families, including those receiving care at SickKids.

Looking Ahead: 2026 and Beyond

The JLT’s contribution to the Young Families Program aligns with our new community topic of Empowering Women to Succeed and community impact area of Supporting Women To Strengthen Their Personal and Financial Resilience.

The Young Families Program is a health-care service for adolescent mothers and their children, providing comprehensive care, parenting education and support until the child is two to three years old. Services include management of illness, nutrition, sexual health and mental health support, with care co-ordinated with community partners. Adolescents can be referred by healthcare providers, agencies, or can refer themselves, and the program works closely with the Young Parents Program to support families from pregnancy through parenthood.

From staffing Well Baby Clinics in the 1920’s to funding at-risk family programs in 2026, JLT’s partnership with SickKids has always reflected our mission of advancing women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training.

As we celebrate our 100th anniversary, this $100,000 gift symbolizes more than a milestone – it’s a promise. A promise that the JLT will continue to respond to the needs of Toronto’s children and families, just as we have for the past century.