In August 1948, the first community women visionaries became concerned about the needs of the small charity hospital in town and founded the Doctor’s Wives of Washoe County. In addition to their medically related goals, they were also concerned about community service, fundraising, and assessing community needs. So, in May 1950, the Washoe Medical Center Women’s League was founded.

Between 1967 and 1968, a group of local women, many of whom had been Junior League members in other cities, and were therefore familiar with the Junior League’s goals, organization and training, met. They recognized that the Junior League adopted as new chapters existing organizations that not only promoted volunteerism, but also assessed the needs of their communities in cultural activities, social welfare, criminal justice, child advocacy, and in many other areas.

These founding members approached a number of the Washoe Medical Center Women’s League Board members, soliciting their support. Their goal was to establish an independent organization to fulfill the League’s community goals, that would hopefully be a stepping stone to evolving into a Junior League. Thus, in February 1969, the Reno Service League, Inc. was founded.

After almost 10 years of organization building and successful projects and programs, in 1978, representatives of the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) came to Reno to asses our suitability as a new chapter. In 1978, the Reno Service League became the Junior League of Reno, Inc., the 238th Junior League in the Association.