History of the Dothan Service League

Members of the Sorosis Club, realizing the need for a women’s service organization in the Wiregrass Community, organized the Dothan Service League on May 22, 1946. Under the leadership of Mrs. Martha Chapman, the League’s first president, the League emerged as an organization of women dedicated to volunteering their time and their talents to various clinics and fundraising projects which today continue to support local Wiregrass agencies, as well as the Wiregrass community.

During the League’s early years, members donated a bookmobile to the Houston-Love Memorial Library, sponsored the Gingerbread House to provide childcare for working mothers and founded the Dothan Service League Girls Club (which now operates under Girls, Inc.). Later years found League members serving the community through delivering Meals on Wheels to home-bound residents, overseeing art projects at the Children’s Rehabilitation Center, and staffing the Gift Shop at the Southeast Alabama Medical Center

For more than seventy five years, this League and the Dothan area have prospered due to the dreams and ambitions of hundreds of dedicated League members who have given over 300,000 volunteer hours and $950,000 to transform our community. That’s who we are – Women Transforming Communities! League members continue to leave behind a legacy of service, commitment and an unwavering faith in the Dothan Service League and the Dothan area.

In January 2021, the Dothan Service League voted to pursue accreditation with The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. thus formally changing the name from Dothan Service League to The Junior League of the Wiregrass in May 2021. We are excited to continue serving the Wiregrass area and expanding our reach to fulfill the immediate needs in our community.