A Look Back at 100,000 Books

By Elizabeth Petrun Sayers

As the Junior League of Washington (JLW) approached its centennial in 2012, members on the Centennial Celebrations Committee knew this was the time to dream big. What could JLW accomplish in a year? What might represent who we are and what we feel passionate about? It was in this moment someone floated a novel idea: distribute 100,000 books to celebrate 100 years of service. JLW volunteers would ensure 100,000 books would make their way into the hands of children in the greater Washington, DC, community.

Casually referred to as the “100,000 Books Project,” the initiative quickly took on steam. To drive the project forward, Amber Huffman joined the Centennial Celebrations Committee as its Special Projects chair. Amy Shuart Gingrich represented the Resolution Read program and spearheaded the drive to work with Community Partners. Together, Huffman and Gingrich worked to accomplish the largest distribution of books JLW had facilitated to date.

The 100,000 Books Project embraced Resolution Read’s three tenets: supporting reading aloud, placing age-appropriate books in the homes of children, and providing more books to schools and libraries. These principles directed the Project’s approach of distributing books directly to students at schools, awarding book grants to a variety of organizations, and working with existing community partners. In addition to selecting, ordering, and distributing books, the Project included a variety of opportunities for volunteers to engage directly with the community. For example, the Project organized three different distributions to Washington, DC, schools in Wards 1, 5, 7, and 8. Partnering with Reading is Fundamental (RIF), a local nonprofit focused on improving literacy in children, JLW volunteers delivered 32,540 books directly to students. School distributions allowed children to personally select books of interest, sparking excitement in starting or adding to their very own collection of books. In addition to providing books to take home, JLW volunteers created literacy-themed activities for children to discuss with their parents and organized on-site activities, such as presentations from children’s authors.

JLW received 400 to 500 thank-you cards from local schools following the book deliveries. One principal shared the impact of the books on students:

Co-Chairs Amber Huffman and Amy Shuart Gingrich stand beside JLW Headquarters’ decorated window.

A variety of books on display for children to choose from on a distribution day.

“The Junior League and the Reading is Fundamental group have no way of knowing the value of the books and their time; it is far beyond a price tag that could be put upon those entities. My students often have no one in their homes who will take the time or who have the skills to read a book with them… I hope that Junior League realizes what a special gift they are giving my students.”

Aside from working with schools, JLW awarded book grants and created new partnerships with community organizations. Through the distribution of books, JLW connected with the Washington School for Girls, an independent Catholic day school serving girls

enrolled in third through eighth grade in Anacostia. JLW members continue to volunteer with Washington School for Girls today, supporting Saturday school, book club, and other book celebration programs. In total, JLW awarded 22 book grants to groups across the greater Washington, DC, area. Existing Community Partners—such as Bright Beginnings, Literacy Lab, Book recipients thank JLW volunteers. and Horton’s Kids—also received book donations on behalf of the Project. This meant that the 100,000 Books Project required an unprecedented amount of coordination, internally and outside of the League.

“We scheduled many ‘stuffer’ parties where women would meet at JLW Headquarters every night for a week to prepare for book distributions,” remembers Huffman. Huffman and Gingrich noted the importance of distributing the books in totes; once volunteers finished stuffing, they inserted a JLW sticker with a space for the new owner to write his or her name. This process personalized books for children and meant each book was handled by a JLW volunteer with love.

The immediate impact of the 100,000 Books Project was visible to JLW volunteers attending one of the book distributions. One memory that stood out to Huffman involved a boy who enthusiastically picked out a book on his own about snakes. After receiving the book, “[h]e went to the middle of the gymnasium we were in and sat down in the middle of the room and started reading the book right then and there.”

“The light you see in kids’ eyes, that’s why we remained motivated to make this project successful,” shared Gingrich.

Reflecting on the project five years later, Gingrich believes the 100,000 Books Project encouraged JLW to “think bigger.” She shared that, initially, the Project was conceptualized as needing several years to come to fruition, but this did not end up not being the case. As she said, “[w]e did it all in one year, and it was awesome.” Not only did the 100,000 Books Project accomplish its goal in one year, Project members surpassed the book distribution goal. The final count totaled 103,415 books placed in the hands of young readers in the greater Washington, DC, community.

To this day, JLW continues to distribute books through Resolution Read. JLW volunteers remain involved with Community Partners generated as a result of the 100,000 Books Project. Completing the 100,000 Books Project “changed the way the community looked at JLW in the literacy world,” noted Huffman. Originally conceived as a small dream during a planning meeting, the 100,000 Books Project ultimately encouraged younger readers to pursue their passion for reading in a big way. •