FAYETTEVILLE — Originally, Vanessa Miller was simply looking to meet some new people.

Miller’s husband, Greg, encouraged her to get involved with Junior League of Northwest Arkansas in 2004. At the time, Vanessa worked at home, and during business hours, the mailman was often her only inperson conversation.

Eager to connect with more people, Miller got an application and went to the league’s prospective member meeting.

“I didn’t know a soul inthe Junior League,” says Miller, a native of Texas who moved to Northwest Arkansas about 15 years ago. “At the time I didn’t have any children [the Millers have two today], and I needed a way to meet other women with the same interests.”

It was an immediate connection for Miller. She has been a member ever since, and has volunteered in a series of positions with the nonprofit organization. Currently, she is its president, serving a one-year term that concludes in May.

The Junior League of Northwest Arkansas is a group of women who promote volunteerism, striving to develop the potential of women and better the communities in which they live. Many among its membership ranks additionally serve on the boards of directors for other organizations.

The local chapter is affiliated with the Association of Junior Leagues International Inc., but its impact is felt locally.

“All the money that goes to our organization stays in Northwest Arkansas,” says Miller, who says she grew up in a home in which domestic violence took place.“One of our big goals is we need to have more awareness of the Junior League itself in the community, and then our projects and domestic violence.”

Women who join the chapter are asked to give seven years of service. Afterward, some choose to stay involved as “sustainers,” while others, like Miller, remain active members.

Including sustainers, more than 300 women are currently involved with the organization. Most are from Benton and Washington counties, but there have been members from as far away as Eureka Springs and southwest Missouri.

Miller says the average age of its newest member class is 29. Women interested in joining the league are encouraged to come to its annual prospective member meeting in April. About 60 new members come on board each year.

The league is an active supporter of several local organizations that benefit women and families, such as the Peaceat Home Family Shelter and the Economic Opportunity Agency of Washington County Inc. Children’s House. Its members founded That’s My Bag, which provides children removed from their homes with backpacks stuffed with essentials - everything from clothes and toys to books and personal-hygiene items. The bags are donated to shelters and the Department of Health and Human Services.

On Saturday, the league will be having its first Moonlight Masquerade fundraiser at 5826 Clear Creek Blvd. in Fayetteville. The event lasts from 7-11 p.m., and tickets are $75 per person.

The event is “focused on unmasking domestic violence in Northwest Arkansas,” and appropriately, a festive mask and theatrical hair and makeup are suggested for attendees. The chapter hopes to draw 250 people to the fundraiser.

“It goes back to our mission, developing the potential of women, improving communities, and training our volunteers,” Miller says. “We feel like it’s a perfect fit, and it’s in October, which is Domestic Violence Awarenessmonth.”

Moonlight Masquerade is an attempt to create an event that allows men to connect with the league. Currently, it holds several fundraisers, such as its 14th annual Winter Dreams Tour of Homes (Dec. 2) and its seventh annual Touch-a-Truck event(May 4).

Those fundraisers are more geared toward women and families, though, as are ongoing sales of the league’s cookbook, which is available through its website. If Moonlight Masquerade is successful, Miller says, it could allow the league to further its workin the region.

“We see that we’re missing an audience out there that could really be supporting us, if we find a way to do that,” Miller says.

For more information about the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas’ Moonlight Masquerade, visit juniorleaguenwa.org.

Northwest Profile, Pages 31 on 10/14/2012