WORDS: Shannon Evans
PHOTOS: Junior League of Manatee County
This is a story about a volunteer force that knows how to get stuff done. If there’s a project that needs to be completed, they’ll show up with supplies before most people have even finished planning it out. This is the Junior League of Manatee County (JLMC)—a training ground for women who know their efforts matter.
JLMC is a nonprofit volunteer organization that equips and empowers women to lead meaningful change through service. It was founded locally in 1978 as part of the Association of Junior Leagues International, bringing together women across various careers and life stages to address real needs in the region.
“The Junior League of Manatee gives women the tools, confidence, and connections to turn compassion into action,” says the League’s president, Carla Kortas. “We are both a volunteer organization and a leadership lab. Through all the service projects we do, our members are also building skills in project management, public speaking, budgeting, and teamwork. The women I serve beside are mothers, professionals, and caregivers who show up for our League and our community because it matters, and their children see what it means to serve and to lead.”
“We’re small but mighty,” adds Membership Director Brooke Codere, who joined in 2024. “Neighboring leagues might be larger, but we’re growing! And more members means greater impact.”
Programs For Children
That impact shows up in all kinds of ways. While members vote annually on the initiatives they want the League to pursue, recent years have centered on food insecurity, particularly with children. The League’s Snacks for Students program provides classroom snacks at Daughtry Elementary, a Title I school in West Bradenton. League members shop for the snacks, deliver them to the school, and organize the distributions for teachers to keep in their classrooms.
“Food plays such a big role in how kids feel and in their ability to focus,” Brooke explains. “When the community helps schools keep healthy snacks on hand, it takes some pressure off everyone and helps students stay engaged.”
JLMC also has a booth at the Bradenton Farmers Market on the first Saturday of each month, where they host an initiative called Kids in the Kitchen. In partnership with Realize Bradenton, the program teaches kids how to make easy and healthy snacks using fresh local ingredients. Each month features a new recipe, and Junior League members buy produce directly from other market vendors. Then they demonstrate how to prep the food and invite families milling around the market to join in. One recent treat—blueberry parfaits with yogurt and honey—was a hit with all the kids.
“When kids are involved in making food, they get excited to try new things,” Brooke says. “They go home and ask their parents to make it again. We want to empower families to make healthy choices together.”
JLMC also uses the booth to spread the word about its mission and encourage new members to join.
The League’s projects are not all centered around food, though. Members work on park cleanups and often partner with local nonprofits to help out when crises strike. During last year’s hurricane season, they dedicated their Little Black Dress Initiative fundraising week to families in Rubonia who had lost homes to storm damage. Volunteers assembled and hand-delivered holiday meal baskets. When they discovered one family’s house still had no drywall, the League used leftover funds to cover the repair costs. One member said it was the most impactful and meaningful thing she had ever done during her time in Junior League.
The League also supports families and the younger generations through scholarships. In 2024, JLMC launched its first scholarship initiative for local high school seniors, awarding four scholarships to young women who had already shown leadership in their communities. The League had planned to award only three, but the applicants were so incredible, they couldn’t narrow it down! One of them had already started her own nonprofit.
Financial support like this is obviously helpful, but the awards have a dual purpose. Supporting young women in this way helps cultivate the next generation of role models—the very girls who might one day champion children just as JLMC does now.
Pathways For Women
Like Carla mentioned, JLMC is an outlet for volunteering, but it’s also a place where women learn leadership by doing. Meetings follow Robert’s Rules of Order, introducing members to aspects of nonprofit governance and parliamentary procedure. Guest speakers lead workshops on topics like public speaking or community advocacy.
“Many of our members are working women and moms,” Brooke says. “We understand busy schedules, but we also know how driven women can be. Most of us work full-time and still make time to serve. You can be as involved as you’re able, but once you dive in, you realize you’re part of something powerful.” And when children see their mothers or neighbors volunteering, they learn early that kindness and community service can be part of everyday life.
So what does membership entail?
New members complete orientation and a project during their first year, which gives them immediate experience in planning and collaboration. The League requires eight in-league volunteer hours and eight out-of-league hours annually. JLMC only works because its members volunteer, but it wants to encourage them to help out with other local efforts like churches, libraries, or their children’s schools.
As for who makes up the Junior League, there’s no one age group or particular season of life represented.
“We’re very come-as-you-are,” Brooke says. “Some of us are young professionals, some are moms, some are retirees. Everyone brings different strengths, and that mix makes us stronger.”
Even if members only join the League to serve, it inevitably becomes a place of personal connection, too. Working shoulder to shoulder, packing snack bags, or making recipes at the farmers market is a fast track to getting to know people. Pretty soon, service like this doesn’t feel like work but more like a friendship with a purpose.
That purpose always circles back to children. Isn’t it the case that when women strengthen one another, families become steadier, and whole communities grow more secure? Each League project grows from that belief. Children who see these women at work begin to understand that leadership means taking responsibility for the place you live. It also means inspiring and leading those who come after you.
“Our hope is that every child in Manatee County feels seen and supported,” Brooke says. “We want them to see that people believe in them. And hey, maybe they’ll grow up to join the League someday.”
Get Involved
Want to serve and meet other women in Manatee County? Here are simple ways to take part in JLMC:
- Become a member. Join a network of women serving Manatee County and build practical leadership.
- Volunteer. Sign up for a project or an event.
- Support the work. Make a gift or sponsor a program. Checks can be made out to Junior League Manatee County and mailed to P.O. Box 14117, Bradenton, FL 34280.
For more information, visit www.manateecounty.jl.org.
