The Junior League of Washington (JLW) is an organization of 2,400 women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Our purpose, which is exclusively educational and charitable, has aided the Washington DC community for over 100 years. Our current focus is literacy and to celebrate our Centennial, JLW provided 100,000 books to children in the Washington area through our “Resolution Read” program. Throughout our history, JLW’s focus has evolved to match the changing needs of the women, children, and families we serve. For example, during the Depression we ran an employment bureau and during the War Years our volunteers were serving in the Red Cross. In the 50s and 60s JLW focused on mental illness and became the first trained volunteer docents in any Washington museum, beginning with National Gallery and the Smithsonian. During the last quarter of the 20th century JLW volunteers have sponsored shelters for battered women, launched initiatives for youth at risk, backed programs for pediatric AIDS treatment, conducted a symposium on breast cancer and focused on the needs of homeless children and families
