JLW Expands Volunteer Support for 2015 National Book Festival

Junior League of Washington Expands Volunteer Support for 2015 National Book Festival

400 Volunteers to Promote Literacy, Donate Time to the Library of Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 2, 2015 -- The Junior League of Washington will expand its support of the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival (NBF) this year by providing 400 volunteers, up from 300 in 2014, to assist with the event. This is the 13th year the JLW has provided volunteers to help with various day-of tasks pertaining to the free festival, which is set to attract tens of thousands of attendees on Saturday, Sept. 5.

“The Junior League of Washington is proud of our extended history with the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival. We value the opportunity the festival provides for us to promote the importance of volunteerism while supporting an initiative that highlights the positive impact of books and literacy,” said Junior League of Washington President Cameron Gilreath.

From 2003 to 2014, almost 5,000 JLW volunteers have provided more than 31,000 volunteer hours to the NBF.

“We are committed to using our resources where we can have the largest community impact, which is why we focus on illiteracy, one of the greatest challenges facing the D.C. metro area. Our volunteers look forward to supporting this vibrant, influential event each year, and we are excited to increase our commitment to the Library of Congress and the festival,” Gilreath continued.

Gilreath also notes that the NBF occurs during National Literacy Month.

For the first time in its 13-year partnership, the NBF will highlight the JLW’s role as an important partner on the official festival poster. This is a tremendous opportunity to reflect the significant contributions provided by JLW volunteers. This year, more than 2,500 hours of volunteer service will be provided.

“We are thrilled our partnership with the Library of Congress and the National Book Festival has resulted in an even greater role for the Junior League of Washington,” said Gilreath.

The JLW, along with the Library of Congress, will welcome book enthusiasts and 175 authors to the NBF on Sept. 5. League volunteers are integral to the success of the event, helping attendees navigate the Washington Convention Center, directing patrons through the author and illustrator signing lines, managing traffic flow and answering questions.

“We appreciate the opportunity to grow and evolve alongside the festival, and look forward to once again providing the Library of Congress with an enthusiastic and committed volunteer force,” said Gilreath.

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ABOUT THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF WASHINGTON
Our Mission: The Junior League of Washington is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

Our Focus: Our nearly 2,400 members volunteer at community agencies throughout the Washington Metro area, providing aid where their expertise is needed most. You can find us tutoring a child, mentoring parents at a daycare center for homeless children, serving on community boards, or delivering life skills seminars to community members in recovery programs. Since 1999, the JLW has focused our volunteer resources on literacy issues: adult, child, and cultural.

For more information, please visit www.jlw.org.

How the JLW Got ‘Kids in the Kitchen’

On Saturday, January 10 the Junior League of Washington’s (JLW) Community Events Planning
Committee held the first of two Kids in the Kitchen events for 2015. Over 100 DC-area children
– more than double last year’s attendance – visited the Children’s National Medical Center’s
Washington National Diabetes Care Complex for a day of energetic exercise, wholesome
cooking lessons, fun activities, and crafts.

 Highlights of the day included Zumba, which got kids on their feet for some moving and 
shaking. Cooking lessons with local chefs let kids put on their chef’s hats for the day: Black Restaurant Group showed them how to prepare delicious but healthful quesadillas, and
Lindamood-Bell helped kids make tasty fruit and yogurt snacks.

One of the biggest hits of the day was the Build-a-Bug activity: FRESHFARM Markets brought
fresh fruits and veggies for guests to decorate like caterpillars, puppy dogs, and scary monsters –
a souvenir to remind kids that healthy foods can be fun.

Kids also had the opportunity to get creative and hands on, making pasta necklaces with
children’s author Joy Papini, getting their faces painted by talented JLW volunteers, and sampling banana bread from the chefs at the Mayflower Hotel. Other activities taught kids how to “dress up” water to get your 8 glasses a day, and how to make smart decisions about food –
“eat this, not that.”

Thanks to all of our wonderful guests, generous sponsors, and welcoming host, the Children’s
National Medical Center, for helping make Kids in the Kitchen the success that it was. And a big
thank you to our nearly 70 JLW volunteers who braved the cold weather to provide more than
240 volunteer hours in service of this great event.