Where We Volunteer
As an organization of active, involved, educated women, the Junior League of Washington (JLW) feels strongly about using its resources where we can have the largest impact. From 1999 to 2019, we devoted our resources – volunteer and financial – to combat a great challenge our community faces, illiteracy.
In 2022, the Junior League of Washington expanded our focus to supporting pathways to opportunity across the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. We have adopted a broad approach in response to evolving challenges facing our community, in order to produce real change. Supporting Pathways to Opportunity includes supporting educational, professional, and financial programming and resources for children, adolescents, young adults, adults, as well as capacity building for community organizations.
We are honored to partner with over 20 organizations throughout the area as Community Partners and upwards of 50 organizations through our Done In A Day committee. See below to find out where we are positively impacting our community.
Community Affairs
For Love of Children: For Love of Children (FLOC) provides out-of-classroom educational services to DC’s under-resourced youth to help students succeed from second grade to college and beyond. They serve over 250 students annually with the support of our dedicated volunteers. FLOC brings together students, volunteers, families, educators, and partners to teach, empower, and transform our community through education. 100% of our City Leaders Program Scholars graduated high school. JLW volunteers provide tutoring for numerous students in the DMV.
Jubilee Jumpstart: Jubilee JumpStart provides high-quality early childhood education with a focus on children and families with the least access. We engage parents and support teachers in their own development to ensure children are school‐ready, setting them up for lifelong success. JLW volunteers support by providing early childhood care and education for 48 children (ages 6 weeks old to 5 years old).
Library of Congress: JLW has partnered with the Library of Congress for over 20 years to support their annual National Book Festival. More details below under Other Partnerships
New Futures: New Futures is unique in our approach to ending generational poverty in the Washington, DC region. We propel underserved young people into the in-demand careers that lead to financial security, by way of quick and affordable shorter-term credentials.
Community Education
JLW members volunteer on Saturday mornings with the Reading All-Stars program, a major in-school partnership between 826DC and the Harriet Tubman Elementary School, located in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington DC. Our volunteers provide weekly, intensive, one-on-one reading and literacy support to students — with the goal of helping all students read at or above their grade level as determined by the school’s administration — and serve as caring and reliable informal mentors and models for a lifelong love of reading.
JLW volunteers assist A Wider Circle in their mission to help individuals and families rise out of poverty. Started in 2001 by Dr. Mark Bergel, A Wider Circle has grown from a nonprofit run out of his home to now furnishing the homes of more than 16,000 children and adults each year delivering educational programs to thousands of men, women, and children. Since 2016, JLW volunteers contribute in a variety of ways, including leading professional training events for job seekers, acting as mock interviewers during professional “boot camps,” and sorting children’s books and professional clothing in the A Wider Circle warehouse.
Calvary Women’s Services is a nonprofit organization that offers housing, health, education, and employment programs that empower homeless women in DC. JLW volunteers offer these women tools and support through Calvary’s Life Skills, Education and Arts Program (LEAP). Through LEAP, JLW promotes literacy with film nights, conversation, and discussion. These activities support women in their path to a new life with confidence building, independent thoughts, and critical thinking.
Community Family Life Services
JLW volunteers plan and facilitate bimonthly life skills training for the Community Family Life Services (CFLS) parents, as well as educational activities for the children, all of whom are residents of a transitional housing center run by CFLS. CFLS is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help low-income and homeless individuals and families returning home from a period of incarceration achieve personal growth, social and economic self-sufficiency, and independence through a web of integrated care, regardless of their faith.
Late one night in 1989, Karin Walser stopped at a gas station in Anacostia where several young children offered to pump her gas for some change. Over the ensuing years, Karin enlisted friends to join her in working with these and other children in their Ward 8 neighborhood by taking them on weekly Sunday outings, and in 1991, Horton’s Kids was formally established. In 1993, the organization began offering Tuesday night tutoring sessions. Horton’s Kids began Monday night tutoring sessions in the U.S. Capitol in 2001 and added Wednesday afternoon tutoring sessions in 2004. After nearly 18 years, Horton’s Kids has become a second family to hundreds of children and families in Anacostia. Horton’s Kids has 125 regularly attending children, with a waiting list about one year long.
Langley Residential Support Services
For more than 25 years, JLW has partnered with Langley Residential Support Services (LRSS), a Northern Virginia-based nonprofit offering a variety of quality comprehensive residential and community services for intellectually disabled adults. JLW initially became involved with Langley through a joint project with the Junior League of Northern Virginia to fund the purchase of a new group home, later named “The Junior League House.” Nearly 30 JLW volunteers support Langley with weekly programs focused on improving literacy and life skills. Several times a year, the committee also plans weekend activities with Langley residents.
JLW volunteers provide regular one-on-one help to students of the Washington School for Girls (WSG) on Saturday mornings. Special academic activities, designed to improve literacy skills and academic performance, are available to all students, but frequented by those needing extra help. WSG is an independent, financial-scholarship-only, year-round school located in Anacostia (Ward 8) serving grades three through eight. WSG’s mission is to close the education gap and broaden educational opportunities – to help each girl find her potential and succeed. WSG received JLW’s first multi-year grant starting in 2015 and became a full community partner starting this year.
Community Impact
- Woodley House
- New Endeavors for Women
JLW volunteers established in 1990 and continue to support Bright Beginnings, a nationally accredited child and family development center for over 150 homeless infants, toddlers, and preschoolers every day. Throughout the year, volunteers provide childcare while parents receive literacy and life skills training, plan literacy events for the children and their families, and organize a holiday party with wish list items donated by the community. JLW volunteers also organize the Bright Beginnings 5K Race held annually in April.
For more than 20 years in partnership with IONA Senior Services, JLW volunteers have delivered meals to 100+ Washington, DC, seniors each Saturday who are unable to afford private in-home service. Over 80 percent of the deliveries are to food insecure individuals and over 60 percent live alone. In addition to the Weekend Meal Delivery Program, JLW members also participate in other IONA programs including the quarterly Senior Art Installation receptions, toiletry and food bank drives, and Friendly Visitor/Grocery Shopping Programs.
Community Training Committee
Community Training Committee members provide training to community organizations to help their clients achieve personal goals as they process through recovery programs. Most clients are working toward staying clean, finding permanent housing and becoming a better parent. The CTC brings the clients closer to reaching their goals by training on topics that involve life skills (i.e., financial literacy, budgeting, borrowing basics, resume writing, etc.) and personal development (i.e., goal setting, stress management, conflict management, and nutrition). Some current partners are New Endeavors for Women and Woodley House.
Each year, JLW volunteers provide much needed support to the Folger Shakespeare Library, home to the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, by staffing events and educational programs. JLW is involved with the Folger Shakespeare Library to help educate and guide theatre and library visitors, and to ensure the continued knowledge of this valuable Washington institution.
Historic Alexandria Docents
JLW supports our American historic, cultural, and artistic history by volunteering at different historic Alexandria properties, working with the Mount Vernon Ladies Association (George Washington’s Mount Vernon), NOVA Parks (Carlyle House Historic Park), the Office of Historic Alexandria (Gadsby’s Tavern Museum and the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary), and the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation (Lee-Fendall House Museum). Today, more than 30 JLW volunteers serve these partners as docents.
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National Museum of Women in the Arts
JLW has partnered with the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) since 1982. NMWA is the only major museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts. With its collections, exhibitions, programs and online content, the museum seeks to inspire dynamic exchanges about art and ideas. NMWA advocates for better representation of women artists and serves as a vital center for thought leadership, community engagement, and social change, addressing the gender imbalance in the presentation of art by bringing to light important women artists of the past while promoting great women artists working today. More than 20 JLW volunteers help educate NMWA patrons, members, and friends on the collection and exhibits, staff the information desk, and support the museum’s public programs.
National Rehabilitation Hospital
JLW volunteers have volunteered with the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) for more than 20 years, providing support and assistance to NRH patients and hospital staff. NRH is dedicated to the treatment and education of patients who have suffered strokes and traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries. Volunteers support NRH at weekly meetings where volunteers play interactive games, such as bingo, with the patients and their families. The games help with the patients’ motor skills and provide an enjoyable escape from the normal hospital routine.
Other Literacy Partnerships and Initiatives
More than 300 JLW volunteers join the Library of Congress to promote literacy at the annual National Book Festival in Washington, DC. JLW volunteers manage the book-signing lines and staff other locations throughout the festival, including the Roadmap to Reading and the book sales tent. JLW has served as the library’s primary partner for volunteer support since 2003. Follow the National Book Festival online here.
Done-in-a-Day Committee
The Done-in-a-Day Committee provides trained volunteers for short-term service in response to requests from community organizations. Our volunteers assist with a wide variety of events including charity 5Ks, sorting donations at the Capital Area Food Bank, and book fairs at local libraries. The DIAD committee also supports other JLW committees by assisting at the major JLW fundraisers and helping fill community partner shifts. To request volunteers through this committee, please click here.
Resolution Read
Resolution Read is a JLW initiative that puts new books in the hands of children who might not otherwise have access to them. Resolution Read concentrates JLW’s focus on literacy into three key areas: the importance of reading aloud to children; placing age-appropriate books in the homes of children; and providing more books to schools and libraries, with a large emphasis on children in Wards 5, 7, and 8 and children from birth through fifth grade. JLW partners with local nonprofit organizations across the community to select and distribute age-appropriate books. In addition to providing books to existing JLW Community Partners, JLW is working with organizations like Everybody Wins! DC and the DC Public Library to facilitate book distributions to targeted communities. Please click here for additional details on the Resolution Read program.
Previous Partnerships
Higher Achievement Program (partnership concluded in 2023)
Each year, JLW volunteers support the important mission of the Higher Achievement Program (HAP): to develop academic skills, behaviors, and attitudes in academically motivated and under-served middle school children to improve their grades, standardized test scores, attendance, and educational opportunities.
The Literacy Lab (partnership concluded in 2023)
JLW members volunteer with The Literacy Lab’s Ready to Read program at DC General Family Emergency Shelter, the largest of Washington, DC’s government-run family shelters, and work with children through weekly Child Literacy Development Workshops. Ready to Read is a critical reading readiness program for families with toddlers and young children ages three to seven, providing a consistent amount of read-aloud and print exposure to high-risk homeless children. By providing individualized reading instruction, which targets fundamental skills, The Literacy Lab’s trained volunteers lead students to higher reading levels and increased confidence.
N Street Village (partnership concluded in 2023)
JLW has partnered with N Street Village, a center that offers a spectrum of services for homeless and low-income women in the Washington metro area, for nearly 30 years. Due to ongoing renovations at the N Street Village property, the Committee will work with Miriam’s House, a sister facility of N Street Village, for the 2017-2018 JLW year. Founded by Luther Place Memorial Church, the mission of Miriam’s House is to provide a dynamic residential community for homeless women living with HIV that empowers recovery from homelessness, disease, and addictions in an environment of compassion, integrity, and accountability. JLW volunteers plan two Sunday evening dinners each month, as well as special social events that allow the women time to socialize with the volunteers and other women outside of their specific programs. JLW volunteers strive to bring a dynamic and engaging presence to the women by encouraging community, celebrating milestones, and supporting the mission of Miriam’s House.