The Junior League's mission and that of the Association of Junior Leagues International is to be an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.  Our purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.  The Junior League reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism.

Each of the Junior Leagues in 294 communities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, works to identify local needs and develop programs to meet those needs.  Because each League focuses on targeted programming specific to its community, Junior Leagues can be credited with implementing changes and improving conditions in almost every sector of our society.

Junior League women provided hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours each year to address issues in our local communities.  From improving literacy and building cultural and recreational facilities to developing educational programs for women, children, and families, Junior Leagues work alone and in partnership with a multitude of local organizations to build better communities.

The purpose of the State Public Affairs Committee is to take action on select state and national issues, to educate individual Junior League memberships on issues selected for action by SPAC, to facilitate communication among member Junior Leagues of North Carolina in the area of public affairs, and to provide training in advocacy skills and strategies.

The State Public Affairs Committee selects issues for study and action which relate to the educational, charitable, and voluntary purposes of the Junior Leagues of North Carolina.  These issues stem from those which the Junior Leagues of North Carolina have enough experience and/or expertise through their projects or programs to impact the state's public affairs processes.


History of State Public Affairs
Before SPAC was formed in the early 1980s, North Carolina Junior Leagues together supported the bill for the Commission on Child Advocacy.

During the Fall of 1971, Junior Leagues attended and learned about the Public Affairs process.  In New York and California, Public Affairs Committees had already been active.

In 1972, a meeting was held in Durham, North Carolina for the purpose of planning for a State Public Affairs Committee for North Carolina Junior Leagues.  The function of SPAC would be primarily research and education.  It would not be action-oriented but would provide a means of sharing information on issues and know-how on projects.  Each member League would send two Delegates to serve alternating two-year terms.  Officers for SPAC would be elected from the Delegates.  It was recommended that one Delegate would be a Board of Directors member of her League to ensure that she has a broad knowledge of her League's projects.

During the 1980s, Junior Leagues in the United States gained recognition for advocacy efforts to improve the child welfare system.  U.S. Leagues also helped gain passage of the first Federal legislation to address domestic violence.  More than 100 Leagues developed the "Woman to Woman" Campaign that actively and comprehensively tackled the impact of alcohol abuse on women.  The Canadian Federation held its first national conference focusing on violence against women and the negative impact of pornography.

Public stands we taken on issues related to children, public education, as well as for guardian ad litem programs to ensure fair representation for minors in all situations.

SPAC was designed to include members of the now eleven Junior Leagues of North Carolina:

• Junior League of Asheville
• Junior League of Charlotte
• Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties
• Junior League of Fayetteville
• Junior League of Gaston County
• Junior League of Greensboro
• Junior League of High Point
• Junior League of Moore County
  
• Junior League of Raleigh
• Junior League of Wilmington
• Junior League of Winston-Salem

Each member of the League pays annual dues by the beginning of the SPAC fiscal year.  The Chair, Chair-Elect, Legislative Liaison, Assistant Legislative Liaison, Treasurer, and Secretary make up the SPAC Executive Board and are elected for a one-year term of office.  Delegates A and B are appointed to represent the member Leagues.  All member Leagues are encouraged to send their President, President-Elect and any Board of Directors members to the SPAC meetings which occur quarterly throughout the State of North Carolina.

Over the years Junior Leagues through the organized efforts of the State Public Affairs Committee such as a non-profit 501(c)3 entity have taken stands and action on many different issues such as Child Advocacy, Development and Preservation of the Environment, Voluntarism, the Arts, Women, Domestic Violence, Public Education, Crime Prevention, and Senior Citizens.  We have fully exemplified our mission of organizing women to be outstanding volunteers by developing and realizing our potential as women leaders and making our communities better places because of the effective action take, particularly through the efforts of SPAC.