WASHINGTON, DC – On Saturday, May 6, 2017, the Junior League of Washington (JLW) held its inaugural Day of Service – a volunteer event engaging League members and their friends, spouses, and children in meaningful projects in all four quadrants of DC and in Maryland.

Day of Service sites included 826DC; A Wider Circle; Calvary Women’s Services; Capital Area Food Bank; DC Department of Parks and Recreation; DC Public Library; Horton’s Kids; Iona Senior Services; National Museum of Women in the Arts; and Washington School for Girls.

“Junior League of Washington members are more than just willing hands – they are trained to be committed and effective volunteers,” said JLW President Elizabeth Keys. “Our members and friends showed strength in numbers on Saturday, logging nearly 600 service hours worth more than $21,800, and living out our mission to build a better Washington, DC, through trained volunteer service.”

Day of Service participants supported a range of projects, demonstrating the agility of League members to serve in nearly any volunteer capacity:

• 826DC’s Reading All-Stars – Led one-on-one reading sessions with elementary school-aged children at Harriet Tubman Elementary School, supporting RAS’s goal to help students read at grade level.
• A Wider Circle – Organized basic needs items, including furniture, linens, kitchen supplies, and toys, for AWC’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor program, fully furnishing 20-30 homes.
• Calvary Women’s Services – Hosted computer literacy trainings to educate and empower homeless women for independent living.
• Capital Area Food Bank – Sorted food and packed boxes to send to DC residents lacking good, healthy food.
• Capital Area Food Bank L Street Mobile Marketplace – Provided high-need communities in the Mt. Vernon and NOMA neighborhoods with seasonal, fresh produce and nutrition education.
• DC Department of Parks and Recreation – Helped prepare Francis Pool and Randall Pool for the summer swimming season.
• DC Public Library – Prepared and delivered goodie bags for more than 100 DC students who participated in the Library of Congress’s Letters about Literature contest.
• Horton’s Kids – Worked alongside Horton’s Kids staff and Wellington Park residents to clean up the neighborhood’s Community Resource Center.
• Iona Senior Services – Delivered meals to senior citizens in Northwest Washington, DC, who otherwise might not be able to prepare meals for themselves or be able to afford private, in-home services.
• National Museum of Women in the Arts – Manned the information desk at the museum, including greeting visitors and answering questions.
• Washington School for Girls – Worked with students in grades 3-8 who need extra help building literacy and study skills as part o fthe school’s interactive Saturday School program.

“We look forward to building upon the success of this year’s Day of Service in 2018 as we celebrate our 105th anniversary,” Keys said. “Our Day of Service is just one of the many ways we honor the Junior League of Washington’s legacy of providing trained volunteers into our community to impact change.”

The date of the JLW’s 2018 Day of Service will be announced in the coming months. Partner sites will be selected through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process, which will begin in late 2017 or early 2018. To receive alerts about applying – or to get further information – please email dayofservice@jlw.org.

To see more photos of Junior League of Washington volunteers in action at the first annual Day of Service, please click here.