The Junior League of Winston-Salem (JLWS) aims to help families gain greater access to books through BookWORM, a drive to collect new and gently used children’s books from its members and the greater community. 

Did you know, 61% of low-income families do not have books in their homes? Research shows that the most successful way to improve reading achievement is to increase access to printed materials. The North Carolina Read to Achieve program, which became effective at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, set a goal to ensure every student read at or above grade level by the end of the third grade. The JLWS believes that helping our community achieve this goal is absolutely critical.

BookWORM works with community partners to distribute donated books to children in our area. Community partners are organizations in the community that receive our books based on our common goal of promoting literacy in our community. Some of our community partners include: Brenner’s Children’s Hospital, Family Services of Forsyth County, Imprints Cares, LEAD Girls of NC, Novant Health First Steps, Read Write Spell, Ronald McDonald House Downtown Health Plaza, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, and other organizations that promote early childhood development through access to books.  

We specifically need children’s books for third grade and younger, as well as bilingual books. 

We do not collect: adult books, religious books, encyclopedias, cook books, self-help books, romance novels, textbooks, used coloring books

We hold a Fall Member Drive and a Spring Community Drive every year to collect books. Please email bookworm@jlws.org if you would like to donate books outside of our drives. 

Our 2023 Spring Drive will run from April 15 through May 15. We have 4 easy ways for you to donate your new or gently used children’s books. 

Option 1: Drop off new or gently used children’s books at a collection bin around town. We have partnered with businesses in the Winston-Salem area to have collection bins easily accessible for you to drop off books during the drive. The following locations will have bins:

• 500 W 5th
• Arbor Acres
• Buie’s Market
• CycleBar Winston-Salem
• Footnote Coffee and Cocktails
• Hip Chics Boutique
• Kim Taylor & Company
• Pigtails & Crewcuts: Haircuts for Kids (Winston-Salem) 
• Pure Barre (Reynolda Village and Stratford Rd. Locations)
• Rolly’s Baby Boutique

Option 2: Drop off new or gently used children’s books at one of our spring events. 

• JLWS Tour of Fine Spaces on April 22, 2023 from 10am-4pm

The 17th Annual Tour of Fine Spaces features new and renovated homes throughout the area. Local craftsmen and builders have come together to present this showcase. Our Tour of Fine Spaces features homes throughout the Triad including everything from contemporary to traditional designs. Every ticket purchased for the Tour of Fine Spaces helps the Junior League of Winston-Salem bring literacy and health programs to the women and families of Forsyth County. Reserve your ticket now and join the Junior League of Winston-Salem for the 17th Annual Tour of Fine Spaces, featuring beautiful new and renovated homes throughout the Triad!

• Moms at the Market on April 29, 2023 at Buie’s Market from 11am-2pm.  

Presented by Mom League and Taylor Physical Therapy and Wellness. Moms at the Market is meant to bring all parenting families together to mingle, shop, and meet local businesses who can help you on your parenting journey. Whether you’re pregnant, new parents or already have a few little ones, we invite ALL families to come! This event is free to the public. Visit BookWORM’s table to drop off your book donations and create a bookmark with your little reader! 

Option 3: Buy books online through wish lists set up by Bookmarks bookstore (http://www.bookmarksnc.org/bookworm-wish-lists), which contain books that our community partners have requested. Bookmarks is a literary arts nonprofit organization that delivers experiences celebrating books and authors throughout the year with the goal of creating a community of passionate readers and connecting readers with authors and books. Over the last 17 years, Bookmarks has worked to connect people with books and authors through an annual Festival of Books & Authors, year-round events, and outreach programs including Authors In Schools and Book Build.Bookmarks has brought over 850 authors, illustrators, and storytellers to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. And it was started by the Junior League of Winston Salem in 2004! By purchasing books through Bookmarks we are supporting our local economy. 

Steps to order through Bookmarks:

Before you can complete a purchase on the Bookmarks site, you must create a free account. This is a one-time process; you can use the same account for future purchases and personal wish lists.  It will save you time during the checkout process if you create your free account before you start shopping.

To create an account, click on My Account from the blue menu at the top of the page. Click on the Create New Account tab under User Account, create a username and enter your email address. You will receive an automated email from Bookmarks with instructions on creating your password.

To shop from wish lists, start here: http://www.bookmarksnc.org/bookworm-wish-lists. Scroll down to the Junior League BookWORM section and click on the name of a Community Partner to view their wish list. Buy items from the wish lists by clicking on Add to cart next to the items you want to purchase.  Please note: at this point you should be able to add titles to your cart without being logged in, but if you receive an error or do not see the Add to cart button, please try logging into My Account with the free account you created.

When you finish shopping and are ready to check out, click on the Checkout button under the list of items in your shopping cart (main part of page) or from the Shopping Cart on the right side of the page. If you are not already logged in, you will be prompted to log in now.  Review the list of items then click through each of the checkout boxes to review your customer options and enter payment information.

Make sure to choose Curbside pickup and if required to include delivery information there should be an auto populated option for “Junior League BookWORM Donation” with our office’s address. Please include the name of the Community Partner you are shopping for in your order comments, and your order will go directly to the partner of your choosing. You do not need to pick up or ship your items – Bookmarks will handle this.

If you have any questions about using the Bookmarks website, please contact Bookmarks at info@bookmarksnc.org.

Option 4: Buy books online through our Amazon wish list (https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/64CJN0QWNX?ref_=wl_share )

Our Amazon wish list includes some of our most popular titles requested in our community. If you purchase off our Amazon list, have your books shipped to the address provided on the wish list or drop them off at a collection bin around town.

Need more options? Email bookworm@jlws.org 

Additional information about the BookWORM fall drive requirements for Junior League members is available by logging into the members only section of the website. Once you log in, click on BookWORM in the Events tab.