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.

Katie Thomas-Canfield, 2013 Meg Graham Scholarship Recipient

The Junior League of Washington is pleased to announce Katherine Thomas-Canfield as the recipient of the 2013 Meg Graham Scholarship...Celebrating Service and Leadership.

Katie Thomas- Canfield is pictured here at the JLW 2013 Awards ceremony with JLW's 2013- 2013 President Wendy Cumberland.

Katie is a senior at School Without Walls and will be matriculating in the fall to the University of California-Berkeley. She plans to major in international development, and one day hopes to work in the Peace Corps, at the State Department, or with USAID. She currently serves the Class President and is a member of the National Honor Society. She serves as the student representative to the Local School Advisory Team, working with principals, teachers, and parents to better the School Without Walls environment; with the Team, she is currently working to facilitate a merger of a middle school with School Without Walls and help plan the 2013-2014 School Without Walls budget.

Katie has over 540 documented hours of volunteer service. The past two summers, Katie has volunteered with AMIGOS de Las Americas, first in Nicaragua and last year in the Dominican Republic. She has interned with Save the Children International and the Library of Congress. She is passionate about art, having taken classes at the Corcoran College of Art and having had work displayed at George Washington University and American University; she won first place in the 2012 citywide DCPS Arts Exhibition. Katie said her first volunteer experience was when she was two-years-old and went to N Street Village, one of the JLW’s current community partners, with her church.

Bill Graham, husband of the late Meg Graham, says about Katie: “If one looked at Meg's achievements at a comparable point in her youth, the parallels would be striking.”

The JLW is thrilled to support Katie in her higher education pursuits over the next four years and looks forward to her accomplishments.

For more information about the JLW's 2014 application for the Meg Graham Scholarship, including the availability of and deadline for submission, please email grantsandvolunteers@jlw.org or visit our website at http://www.jlw.org/?nd=grants_scholars.