By: Adeyinka Oyesile Ogunlegan

Editor: Lacy

LW Volunteers show their love for the National Book Festival. Nearly 350 JLW volunteers staffed book-signing lines, distributed goodies along the Roadmap to Reading, and directed festival goers in the Politics & Prose booksellers areas.

On August 24th, Junior League of Washington (JLW) Volunteers turned out in full force to volunteer at the annual Library of Congress National Book Festival (NBF) for the 22nd year. This year, the annual celebration of reading centered on the joy and transformative power of reading under the inspiring theme “Books Build Us Up.” At its core, this theme reflects how reading fosters connections, not only between readers and stories but also between people. But these connections go beyond the pages of a book—they manifest in real-life interactions, such as those seen among the dedicated members of JLW who volunteer yearly to help bring this event to life.
The 2024 theme “Books Build Us Up” is not just about the individual reader’s growth—it’s about how reading can knit communities together. Through shared stories, people find common ground, spark conversations, and form lasting relationships.
In much the same way that books foster connections, so does volunteering for NBF. The NBF requires months of careful planning, collaboration, and teamwork, which brings volunteers closer together. Led by the JLW Literacy Events Planning Committee (LEP), approximately 350 JLW volunteers staffed book-signing lines, distributed goodies along the Roadmap to Reading, and directed festival goers in the Politics & Prose booksellers areas. This is an increase from the 130 volunteers in 2023. Overall, JLW volunteers contributed more than 2,000 hours in service to the 2024 celebration.

Kariba Tillman, Emily Ancinec; Caroline Bruckner, LEP Committee Chair; and Amanda Claire Hoover

JLW volunteers embodied the festival’s theme through their own connections and friendships as they built lasting bonds while planning for this year’s event. Caroline Bruckner, LEP Committee Chair and 13 year NBF volunteer, reflected on the connections she made during planning for this year’s festival:
“I make new JLW friends every year through this [planning] process. This year, I worked so closely with Gale Nemoc, the former Sustainer Chair, to recruit sustainers to volunteer. Gale and I worked closely together on our volunteer recruiting strategy and she worked a full day shift at NBF. She’s been in JLW for more than 50 years—and I hadn’t met her until June,” noted Bruckner.
Caroline’s experience highlights a beautiful example of how teamwork and collaboration within JLW extends far beyond simply organizing logistics. These connections among volunteers reflect the festival’s theme by demonstrating how working together on a shared mission—whether it’s promoting literacy or supporting an event—brings people closer and helps to build something bigger than themselves.
“Books Build Us Up” is a fitting theme for the 2024 NBF, reminding us of the unique ways stories create bonds between people. Whether it’s through the act of reading or the teamwork that makes such an event possible, books and community go hand in hand. As Emily Bowman, LEP Committee Vice Chair, noted after the event, “when people talk about the books, authors, and stories they love, it’s something we all can relate to and want to share. You see it every year – volunteers get talking to each other, to festival-goers, and staff about the books they love, and the excitement and interest spreads. It’s special to see and experience first-hand.” JLW’s volunteers bring this theme to life, not just by supporting literacy, but by strengthening their own community ties in the process.
In the end, both reading and volunteering offer us the same reward: the chance to connect with others, learn from new experiences, and be part of something larger than ourselves. And that’s what truly builds us up.