"We didn't know if anyone would come," says Willow Glen resident Betty Kirtland, who was president at the time of the first rummage sale. "But then the doors opened and--whoosh--people rushed in."

Although Kirtland says they were aiming to raise $5,000, they ended up surpassing their goal. By the time the sale was over, they had earned $20,000, which went to local organizations like the Youth Science Institute and a children's theater program that the league started.

Raising money may have been the goal, but Kirtland says the experience of organizing the first rummage sale was priceless.

"We had so much fun preparing for the sale that it almost didn't matter if anyone came," she says. "We worked together and it made the organization stronger."

Despite the camaraderie, putting together the event wasn't easy. The leaguers labored over logistics, distributed 15,000 flyers to publicize the event, and pillaged their garages for high-quality items to donate to the sale. The members also added a dash of creativity to make the work more enjoyable--they penned a song for the event and created a mascot named Rummage Sale Rose.

One member, Mary Jane Wiesler, was especially instrumental in organizing the rummage sale, Kirtland says. Wiesler had experience in preparing rummage sales as a previous member of a Junior League in San Diego. Her experience helped guide the league through the process of getting the event off the ground.

The league's efforts were recognized in local papers. However, in 1969, women's fundraising activities were relegated to the "Women's Page" in the San Jose Mercury News.

"It was the only way we could get publicity at that time," Kirtland says.

Thirty-eight years later, the Junior League members are following in the steps of their predecessors. Kirtland, who is a sustaining member--a member who is still involved in the organization but not active full time--is still involved in the rummage sale and will be stationed in the boutique department this year.

Willow Glen resident Marit MacDonald, who is co-chairing this year's rummage sale, says the fundraiser is thriving.

"It started as a fundraiser, but it has evolved into something more," she says. "It's an opportunity for low-income families to buy high-quality goods."

The sale is set up like a department store in the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Pavilion. This 33,000-square-foot space is divided into several sections, selling items like pots and pans, kitchen electrical appliances, clothes for children, toys and china and silver.

Repeat customers, MacDonald says, often arrive at 4 a.m. to ensure a spot in the front of the line. Families strategize ways in which they can divide and conquer.

"Someone from last year explained to me that they have different family members go to different departments," MacDonald says.

The event has grown in size and popularity since its inception, but the goal remains the same--to raise money for the league's community projects. Funds from the rummage sale will go toward a grant for the Triton Museum and training new members for volunteer work.

And the camaraderie that characterized the first fundraiser is still going strong.

"The rummage sale is a great opportunity to spend time with each other," MacDonald says.

But this year also marks a big change in the rummage sale. Although it's usually held in October, members decided to move the event to March. With membership beginning in October, the league moved the rummage sale up, allowing new members more time to learn how to organize a large fundraiser. The timing fits nicely with Women's History Month, which falls in March.

Since the time when Kirtland was president of the league, another major change has occurred--the majority of members juggle a career with charitable work. Junior League of San Jose President Leah Schnoor estimates that 80 percent of members work outside the home.

Kirtland says she is impressed by working women who squeeze volunteering into their busy schedules.

"Younger women today have a much tougher time," she notes. "They work and do the Junior League. Now the meetings are at night because most of the women have jobs. Members from my generation went to college, then graduated and got married. That was the thrust."

Kirtland, however, was one of the women who managed league membership and a career--as a speech therapist for the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

Looking for a way to make friends after moving to Willow Glen 40 years ago, she joined the Service League, the predecessor to the Junior League. Once the Service League fulfilled certain requirements, it became the Junior League of San Jose in 1967, according to member Carolyn McCoid.

The Junior League of San Jose operates out of the Farrington House on Dry Creek Road. McCoid, who is a member of the Farrington Historical Foundation, says the Italianate-style home was donated to the league by Dorothy Farrington in the late 1970s. Farrington wanted the home to be preserved and used by an organization that was geared toward charitable work.

And voluntarism is a trait that Junior Leaguers are known for. The organization puts its members through a rigorous training process to ensure they are well-equipped for whatever task they undertake.

"People ask why we don't volunteer directly," Schnoor says. "But the Junior League provides training on what is needed in the community. It gives members a chance to figure out what their particular interest is and shows them how nonprofits work and how to set and agenda and stick to it."

The Junior League of San Jose has chosen a wide variety of groups to contribute to over the years, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Clara County and Junior Achievement of Santa Clara County. This year the league's focus is on preparing children for kindergarten.

MacDonald says her Junior League training gave her the tools not only to be an effective volunteer but to improve her job skills as well.

"You can take your training and apply it in other areas, like your career," she says. "I learned how to build a website and developed my public speaking skills."

The Junior League began in 1901 in New York City as a volunteer-based, nonprofit organization created for only women. Today there are more than 296 Junior Leagues in four countries, with approximately 193,000 women participating. Women 21 and older join the organization for a wide range of reasons--such as helping low-income people, meeting others in their immediate community, and networking with like-minded women.

The Junior League rummage sale will be held on March 19 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will also include a Community Health and Service Fair from 8 a.m. to noon. For more information, visit www.jlsj.org.