Trying to decide where to volunteer next year? The Junior League of Washington (JLW) has 46 placements that give back in a variety of ways – through direct work in the community, through fundraising, and through League programs that help cultivate and develop our volunteers.
In 2017-2018 – our 105th anniversary year – JLW
will have four new volunteer opportunities: 105th Celebration
Committee, Member Communications, Washington School for Girls, and The Reading
Connection.
Read on to learn about what each of these committees will
do, and don’t forget to participate in this year’s placement fair – running
from May 1-26.
105th Celebration Committee
The Junior League of Washington is getting ready to thrive
in 105! 2017-2018 marks our 105th anniversary, and we will celebrate throughout
the League year. The Celebration Committee is a special anniversary year
committee that will be responsible for coordinating a year of celebration and
recognition of JLW, our members today, and our bright future. The
committee will be managing communications campaigns throughout the year, as
well as a birthday party in the fall and a day of service in the spring – so members
involved with specific events will be busier around those dates. If you
are dedicated to JLW and passionate about celebrating the fantastic work we do,
don’t miss out on this placement – because it probably won't be available again
until our 110th. If you have additional questions, please
contact Erin Buechel Wieczorek.
Member Communications Committee
Be a connector and join the Member Communications Committee!
New for the 2017-2018 year, this in-League placement addresses how JLW
communicates with its members to share news of events, Membership Credit
opportunities, League information, and other important news. It's perfect for
someone who wants a smaller, more intimate committee (4-6 women, plus the chair)
and the flexibility to do work on your own time. You'll also get to know JLW
well because you'll work with all committees and councils to help communicate
their opportunities and activities to members. Potential volunteers should
have solid communications skills, flexibility, and creativity. The monthly time
commitment is around 4-8 hours with monthly meetings. Additional questions
can be direct to Jennifer Lim.
The Reading Connection Committee
JLW is pleased to
announce our newest partnership with The Reading Connection (TRC). In the
2017-2018 League year, we will be volunteering with TRC’s Read-Aloud program,
which inspires children (and volunteers) through the power of reading aloud and
a love of great books. This program trains and deploys community volunteers to
serve children living in shelters and other housing complexes – situations
where parents are likely to be too stressed to read for the fun of it. At each
Read-Aloud, JLW volunteers will read quality, age-appropriate books to the
children, encouraging engagement and interest, then coordinate activities and
conversations based on the theme of the books. Every child selects a book to
keep after every weekly session – because when kids enjoy a book, they’ll want
more. Volunteers will be expected to plan and attend one Read-Aloud session per
month with a team of four to five of your JLW peers. For more information about
this placement, contact Christina Prevalsky.
Washington School for
Girls Committee
Let’s hear it for the girls! Another new community placement
for the upcoming year is at the Washington School for Girls – which is
currently the recipient of a multi-year, targeted grant. This committee will
work on literacy skills with girls grades 3-8 during their Saturday School
Program (9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.). Volunteers will have the opportunity to help
improve literacy in the DC ward that needs the most help. The girls are bright
and eager to learn, and many don’t have much opportunity to work with an adult
one-on-one regularly. Potential volunteers should be comfortable around kids of
all ages and different socioeconomic levels as well as have the ability to
generate excitement and motivate children to learn. WSG is in Anacostia; the
location is easy to find and offers free parking. If you have additional questions,
please contact Jennie Kronthal.
