TV personality, producer and bestselling author Robin Roberts will be the keynote speaker at the Junior League of Dallas (JLD) Milestones Luncheon on April 5 at the Omni Dallas Hotel. The award-winning co-anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America perfectly represents the charity’s theme for 2024, which is “bold,” says JLD president Christina Eubanks.
“She is a bold woman in service and business, and we feel Robin really embodies a multifaceted woman,” Eubanks says.
Roberts began her career as a sports anchor and reporter in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and rose to become the first woman to co-host NFL Primetime on ESPN. She has co-anchored Good Morning America since 2005.
Having survived a life-threatening bone marrow disorder through a transplant from her sister, Roberts is an advocate for bone marrow donation and supports numerous charities and causes.
At the luncheon, Kathleen Gibson will be honored as 2024 Sustainer of the Year. The senior managing director of CH Investment Partners has held prominent roles within JLD and the private and nonprofit sectors, including Texas president of Citibank, president and CEO of Southwestern Medical Foundation and chair of multiple nonprofit boards.
“She embodies what it means to be a League member,” Eubanks says. “She used her training both professionally and civically, and that’s the best we can hope for.”
The luncheon typically attracts 750 to 800 supporters and is JLD’s largest fundraiser, enabling it to distribute about $1 million annually to Dallas nonprofits. Eubanks chose the theme “bold” for her one-year volunteer term as president because it signifies moving forward. “The organization is 102 years old, so we always have to be innovative as to how we work on the next 100 years,” she says.
Of the nearly 300 Junior Leagues in North America and Great Britain, Dallas is perennially in the running for the title of biggest. “Between Houston and Dallas, we go back and forth every year,” Eubanks says. “I believe this year Houston may have 14 more members.”
JLD currently has 4,000 constituents, including 1,800 active members. The others are “sustainers,” who transition to an advisory role at age 45, and “provisionals” in their first year.
The group boasted 5,000 members before the pandemic, which cut the roster, but it’s currently rebuilding. Some 300 women joined last year — a 20% increase over 2022, Eubanks notes.
Each active member is responsible for 60 hours of volunteer work a year, which combines to around 100,000 hours. The bulk of that time is devoted to 28 partner nonprofits devoted to education and arts, health and wellness, and strengthening families.
Most of the agencies, such as Equest and the North Texas Food Bank, are longtime affiliates, but there are new ones every year. For instance, New Friends New Life, which aids women and children who have been sexually trafficked, was accepted as a partner for JLD’s 2023-2024 year, which ends in May.
“We say 85% of our members work outside the home, so we have to be thoughtful about what type of programs we can support,” Eubanks explains. “If an agency only has daytime hours during the week, it may not fit with what our members are able to do.”
Because of that limitation, she introduced a program called Done in a Day, which allows nonprofits to request help for specific events. For example, JLD volunteers served meals at the temporary shelter that operated last month in Fair Park during frigid weather. “That is one of the ways we are trying to be more nimble,” Eubanks explains. “We are trying to be thoughtful about how we innovate every year.”
JLD also runs annual special projects, including Girls Night Out at St. Philip’s School & Community Center, Grants for Innovative Teaching and others. With only four paid staff members, the group runs a variety of educational programs for members, including instruction on fundraising and leadership.
“We are really about training and developing women,” Eubanks says. “We’ve made progress in showing that we are not just ladies who lunch, that we are really out in the community doing the work.”
Visit jlddallas.org to buy luncheon tickets, which start at $250.