OUR STORY

Jack and Jill of America, Inc. was founded January 24, 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from a meeting of 20 mothers by the leadership of Marion Stubbs Thomas with the idea of bringing together children in a social and cultural environment.

Today, Jack and Jill of America, Inc. is a national organization with over 200 chapters and a membership of more than 35,000 families.  It is the oldest and largest African American family organization in the United States.  Jack and Jill of America, Inc. is committed to ensuring that all children have the same opportunities in life.

The Tacoma Chapter, sponsored by the Seattle Chapter, was voted into the national body of Jack and Jill of America, Inc at the 42nd National Convention in Houston, TX.  Installation services were held on Sunday, October 25, 1980 at the Fort Lewis Officer's Club.  Dr. Gertrude Paxton, past national officer, and Edna James, then Regional Director rendered a very memorable service installing twenty-seven founding mothers.  At that time, Tacoma became the thirteenth chapter in the Far West Region.

The primary purpose of this organization is to create a medium of contact among mothers and children to provide constructive recreational, social, and cultural programs for children through concentrated efforts of organized parents.