Celebrating 90 years of service

  

 Junior League of Wilmington

 Women building better communities

1801 N. Market St.

Wilmington, DE 19802

302-652-0544 Office

302-652-0826 Fax

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CORNERSTONE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Invitation

In June 2006, the Board of the Junior League of Wilmington pledged $25,000 of the organization's cash reserves to the Cornerstone Capital Campaign, thereby providing a firm foundation for the launch of this campaign to League members, stakeholders, and the greater community.

We invite you now to participate in the success of the Cornerstone Campaign, allowing the JLW to continue acting as a catalyst for community improvement.

The Cornerstone Campaign will significantly enhance the historic Lea-Derickson House and grounds. This historic property is headquarters to the Junior League of Wilmington, and provides the physical foundation for the League's mission of preparing women to effectively serve as trained volunteers and professionals in the field of community service. The Cornerstone Campaign will provide superior training and administrative facilities, enabling the League to more effectively serve the community and ensuring the League's invaluable legacy of volunteer and nonprofit service well in the future.

We are proud of the tradition created through nearly nine decades of countless JLW members making a difference in the greater Wilmington community, we embrace the League's vision for the future, and we hereby begin a new chapter in ensuring the organization's viability for years to come.

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The Junior League of Wilmington would like to thank the many donors to the Cornerstone Capital Campaign.  Please click here for a complete list of donors.

 

Description

An exhaustive Capital Improvement Plan with potential costs outlined was generously researched and compiled pro bono by the architectural and engineering firm, JAED. Extensive discussions and surveys within the League membership, as well as an independent feasibility study performed in Winter 2006, indicated strong support for the launch of a capital campaign. Significant capital improvements are necessary so that the League can move forward into the 21st century with the groundwork laid for a renovated facility and grounds to most effectively serve the League's mission.

Additionally, the campaign will secure that future by establishing a maintenance endowment to ensure ongoing maintenance of the house and grounds.

The Cornerstone Project:

  • Supports the League's commitment to its base of operations remaining in Brandywine Village; its historic headquarters since the 1960s.
  • Makes a statement to the Brandywine Village and Wilmington communities as a solid foundation for the continued revitalization efforts in the Village.
  • Renews and sustains the life of the historic building and its grounds and their future.
  • Provides enhanced, fully modernized and accessible spaces as a backdrop for the training of women for volunteer leadership and community service, League projects, and beyond.
  • Offers an enhanced place for other community groups and organizations.
More than just a renovation, the Cornerstone Campaign is intended to enhance the entire property to provide warm, inviting and practical spaces for the myriad of JLW functions. It will also be an enhanced haven for other organizations and community groups to meet and socialize, including the Greater Brandywine Village Revitalization, Inc. organization already housing its office space and holding meetings in the building.

 

The $750,000 to be raised through the Cornerstone Capital Campaign will be used as follows:

  • Undertake capital improvements such as existing drainage and storm water runoff issues, removal or stabilization of abandoned fuel tank, and parking lot upgrades.
  • Reconfigure the existing kitchen by enlarging the space and replacing cabinets and appliances for efficient and flexible meeting space.
  • Replace the antiquated HVAC systems.
  • Provide handicapped access to the first floor and patio.
  • Reconfigure and enhance two existing bathrooms and create a handicapped-accessible (ADA) first floor bathroom.
  • Upgrade the entire building for data access and networking.
  • Restore patio walls and terrace with enhanced access, exterior lighting, landscaping, and seating.
  • Upgrade security features including outdoor lighting and remote door control.
  • Conduct an archaeological survey, required by deed restriction with Old Brandywine Village, Inc.
  • Professionally catalog and store the JLW archives, compiling a JLW History for its 90th anniversary, and allowing office functions to be rearranged for more efficient and secure usage.
  • Update furnishings (awning, patio, and new meeting room furnishings as well as painting both the interior and exterior.
  • Establish a $150,000 maintenance endowment. The endowment will be slated for future maintenance of the Lea-Derickson House or, if the League should ever vacate the premises, it may use the fund's income for programs supporting the JLW mission.

 

 

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 Copyright © Junior League of Wilmington. All rights reserved. Last updated: August 16, 2007