CHAPTER HISTORY

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The founding of the Greater Tampa Chapter of Jack and Jill is rich in history and personal commitment. While visiting Tallahassee, Florida in April 1983, Rudean Crawley met a childhood friend, Jeraldine Smith, and they discussed the Tampa of that day compared with the Tampa of their childhood. It was their opinion that more could and should be done for the youth of Tampa through a local chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Mrs. Crawley enthusiastically returned home to lead the efforts of establishing a local chapter of Jack and Jill of America in Tampa. Mrs. Crawley contacted Margarette Spears, along with several other Mothers who expressed similar concerns about the state of the Black youth in Tampa. The initial meeting of 20 interested Mothers led to the formation of the Tampa Bay Interest Group of Jack and Jill of America four months later.

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Several organizational meetings were held and the group number quickly swelled to seventy-six. Children were divided into appropriate age groups; officers were elected; goals, bylaws and constitutions were formed. It was at this point that an invitation was extended to representatives of Tampa's sponsoring chapter, Tallahassee, as well as the National and Regional offices of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

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A kick-off tea was held in an effort to invite interested Moms to join the organization. The meetings proved successful, thereby enabling the recognition of the Tampa group as an interested group seeking membership in the National Organization of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

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In February 1984, the organization met the requirements for "provisional" chapter status. After several years of enriching activities and conforming to National guidelines, the chapter was honored to receive charter status from the National body at the Jack and Jill biennial convention held in July 1986 in Norfolk, Virginia.

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On September 8, 2002, at Allen Temple A.M.E. Church, the Greater Tampa Father's Auxiliary was organized and in January 2006, the Greater Tampa Associates Group was formed.