By Tatum Northington
Elmore/Autauga News
The Prattville Service League (PSL) is an institution in Prattville going back nearly 70 years. They not only provide services and award grants to community entities, they also provide sisterhood amongst women in Autauga County. However, over the past 10 years, there has been a steady decline in membership and since Covid-19 hit, the group has become almost non-existent.
The PSL at one time used to boast a membership of over 70 women a year, providing nearly 2,500 hours of community service each year. The group is known to host the annual Labor Day Barbecue, the Miss Labor Day Pageant, the local Chili Cookoff, and the annual PSL Golf Tournament. The money raised through these events was then awarded to local groups in the community in need of help, such as teachers and classrooms or other service clubs. PSL saw its height of service during the 1980s – 2000s, with local women devoting countless hours to help others.
Susannah Cleveland, former President of PSL in the mid-90s, explained “I did not grow up in Prattville, so joining the Service League was a great way to meet new people and become invested in my new community. Some of my closest friendships in Prattville came from my time in PSL and over twenty-five years later, I still treasure those friendships.” PSL provided a space for women to congregate and network, allowing many women an opportunity to provide services outside of their jobs and homes. This sisterhood continued to grow and prosper, until it just didn’t anymore.
No one is sure when the shift happened, but it seems to have hit many community service organizations across the local area and state. Busy lives and the new age of technology have stopped many from participating in extracurriculars outside of their work and families. Current President Leigh Hall reminisced saying, “My mom would bring me to the area where they were making the food for Labor Day. I remember helping stir the camp stew. It was a huge time involvement but whole families participated to make sure the BBQ was a success.”
Hall has many fond memories of the PSL and this is why she joined in 2018. Over the years the commitment of members has gone from seven years to five years, and sometimes even less, as many people can’t seem to make the commitment to the group in current times.
“It’s sad because I remember how amazing this sisterhood was, and I know so many women who formed lasting relationships through the Service League. It was a sight to see when all these women came together. They were unstoppable,” Hall said.
Former member Paula Argo remembered saying, “My being a member of PSL gave us the opportunity to serve our community as a family. I was even pregnant with my son Joshua the last year I served! So, to say I was a little hot and a little swollen would be an understatement, but it was all so worth it to continue a legacy of service and instill in our children the importance of giving back.”
In 2022, the need to cancel the Annual Labor Day Barbecue, especially its 70th Anniversary BBQ, broke many hearts. “We just didn’t have the manpower this year to pull it off. We only have five active members and we just couldn’t do it,” Hall said.
The local Lions Club offered to help but it wasn’t enough to proceed with the amount of work needed to pull off the festivities of the Labor Day Event. The group feels like they’ve disappointed the community, but when there are no new members joining, one can only do so much. The group still plans to help with a scholarship they developed, but other than that, they don’t see a way to do more right now.
However, this is where the community can come in to help. There will be a new member tea coming up in October and this is where the current PSL Leadership hopes to draw in new members to begin anew, to regroup, rebrand, and restart.
If you are interested in joining this wonderful organization and helping save a local institution, please reach out to Leigh Hall via the Prattville Service League Facebook Page. They would love a diverse group of women with servants’ hearts to join – no matter your age, if you’ve served before, if you don’t have children, if you work full time, or if you are retired.
They want your help! Be sure to keep up with some upcoming announcements for sustainers as well.
Editors Note – Photos over the years, courtesy of the Prattville Service League Facebook Page
