Library of Congress Interview with JLW President Cameron Gilreath

The following post is a Q&A with Junior League of Washington President Cameron Gilreath.

Many people are familiar with Junior Leagues in their hometowns, but for those who aren’t, can you share with us in brief the mission of the Junior League of Washington?

The Junior League of Washington (JLW) is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. At its core, the purpose of the JLW is educational and charitable, and we really strive to make a tangible difference in the lives of women and children in the D.C. area. We currently have more than 2,300 women who are a part of the JLW, and throughout our history have provided more than 5 million volunteer hours and more than $5.4 million to organizations in our community that reflect our mission.

Why is the National Book Festival and literacy a focus for JLW?

The JLW is committed to using its resources where we can have the largest impact, which is why for over fifteen years, we have focused on one of the greatest challenges facing our region, illiteracy. The ability to read, write, and communicate plays an important role in everyday life and impacts a person’s ability to provide for themselves and their family. We currently work with more than 20 leading, local nonprofits. By improving reading and comprehension skills and educational opportunities, we can help give people a dramatically improved chance for success. Our focus and dedication to literacy has also produced a long and valued history with the National Book Festival–spanning 13 years and nearly 5,000 JLW volunteers giving more than 23,000 volunteer hours. The National Book Festival provides a great opportunity for the JLW to live out its mission– it provides us with a platform to promote the importance of voluntarism while supporting an initiative that highlights the positive impact of books and literacy.

To read more of Cameron's interview please click here

This blog post was originally published on July 24, 2015 by the Library of Congress and features the Junior League of Washington. JLW thanks the LOC for our partnership and allowing us to share this information with you.