FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2023

Junior League of Howard County Aims to Raise Awareness About Abused and Neglected Children in Howard County

Howard County, MD. – – The Junior League of Howard County’s Little Black Dress Initiative (LBDI) is a week-long, social media driven fundraising campaign that uses the iconic Little Black Dress to raise awareness about abused and neglected children in Howard County. Advocates will wear 1 Little Black Dress for 5 consecutive days from April 17-21, 2023, and will be encouraged to harness the power of their social media networks to drive online donations.

What is the Little Black Dress Initiative?

Founded in 2014 by the Junior League of London, Little Black Dress Initiative (#LBDI) is a week-long awareness and fundraising campaign that harnesses the power of social media and doing something “a little different” in order to educate people about local issues in our community. We aim to raise awareness for our cause and funds to support it.

In Howard County, our LBDI mission is to raise awareness about abused and neglected children in Howard County.  Our goal is to raise funds for Voices for Children, the CASA program of Howard County and is an investment in your community’s future. Each year, over 420,000 children in the United States experience abuse or neglect, ushering them into the dependency court and foster care systems. A child in foster care, on average, will move into multiple homes and attend multiple schools.

Quick Facts about our Cause

• There are currently 86 children in foster care in Howard County.
• There has been a 10% increase in the number of children in foster care each year for the past five years.
• The average age of children in foster care in Howard County is 9 years old.
• Currently in Howard County, 61% of the children in foster care identified as female at birth.
• Currently in Howard County, 71% of the children in foster care are identified as African American or two or more races.

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About Junior League of Howard County

Junior League of Howard County Inc. is an organization of women who are committed to: promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The organization’s purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

Since our founding in 2021 the Junior League of Howard County has been on the forefront of social reform, identifying problems and finding solutions. We are an army of women empowered as agents of positive change tackling Hunger, Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking, Education and Health within our community.

MEDIA CONTACT
Ronesha L. Prioleau, VP Communications Council
Junior League of Howard County
[email protected]
(843) 412-3704