8 October 2008

Members Join Thousands in the UK’s Largest Annual Day of Volunteering

The Junior League of London (JLL) is pleased to announce its support for the Community Service Volunteers (CSV) Make a Difference Day.  The JLL will be supporting the UK’s largest annual day of volunteering through three community projects taking place during the two-week period surrounding Make a Difference Day, which takes place this year on 25 October 2008.

JLL projects in support of Make a Difference Day include:
• Serving meals to homeless men and women supported by the American Church Soup Kitchen
• Leading a group of teenagers through an introduction to CV writing and interview skills coaching  workshops
• Treating a group of homeless women supported by the Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields to an evening at the cinema followed by dinner

Last year, over 800 organisations and over 120,000 volunteers participated in CSV’s Make a Difference Day, donating over 720,000 hours to over 4,000 volunteer projects across the country.

Commenting on its participation in the CSV Make a Difference Day campaign, JLL President Jennifer Clarke noted, “A key part of the Junior League of London’s mission is the promotion of voluntary service.  We are pleased to support CSV in their efforts to increase participation in volunteering and to publicise the impact that volunteers make to local communities.”

JLL President-Elect Sara Niedringhaus noted, “The Junior League of London’s 400+ volunteers give 20,000 hours of their time annually in support of our vision of eliminating poverty and its effects in London.  Our contribution to CSV’s Make a Difference Day is an extension of our commitment to improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.”

About the Junior League of London

The Junior League of London is a UK registered charity comprised of women committed to promoting voluntary service, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. A member of the Association of Junior Leagues International and active in London since 1978, the JLL has over 400 volunteer members who provide more than 20,000 hours of service to the community each year through dedicated programmes that support its vision of eliminating poverty and its effects in London. The JLL raises funds through Boutique de Noel (11-12 November 2008), a book for recent arrivals to the capital called Living in London, a week-long shopping event in the Spring (6-15 March 2009) called London Spree, corporate giving, grants and members’ dues.

To learn more about the Junior League and its community projects, to buy tickets to Boutique de Noel in 2008 or a 2009 London Spree Card, to purchase a copy of Living in London, or to find out about the JLL’s next New Members’ Course for volunteers — visit www.jll.org.uk or phone the Junior League office on 020 7499 8159.

Registered Charity Number: 1103298   Registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee in England No 5045667

About Community Service Volunteers

CSV (Community Service Volunteers) creates opportunities for people to take an active part in the life of their communities through volunteering, training and community action. Last year 227,000 people gave 5 million hours of their time as volunteers through CSV. CSV trains 12,705 people of all ages. www.csv.org.uk.

CSV Make a Difference Day will take place on Saturday 25 October in 2008. Participants are aged between 2 and 105 and activities range from giving blood and knitting toys for a children’s hospice, to transforming waste land into a community garden, teaching IT skills or renovating a homeless shelter – anything that improves local communities.