Welcome to Caring Community Updates 2018 news and articles about our volunteers in action!
Annual Survey Results
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A hearty “thank you” to all our volunteers who participated in the annual survey. We were pleased to see an increase in respondents and positive satisfaction rates. Here’s the breakdown:
- 92% of volunteers feel a stronger connection to their community through their volunteer service.
- 95% are satisfied with their volunteer opportunity.
- 98% feel their volunteering has made a positive impact on the people or program they serve.
- 99% would recommend volunteering to others.
We’ll have more stats to share with you in January. Thank you for taking the time to respond. It helps us to serve you and our clients better.
Venture into Volunteering Fair, Thursday, Sept. 13
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If you are 50+ and interested in volunteering but not sure where, this event is for you. Meet representatives from local volunteer organizations including the county’s Volunteer Solutions at the United Baptist Church, 7100 Columbia Pike, Annandale, 10 a.m.–Noon. No RSVP needed.
Questions? Email Volunteer Solutions.
The 50+ Employment Expo Drew Hundreds
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On Monday, April 30, 2018, over 500 participants came out to the Jewish Council for the Aging (JCA)'s 50+ Employment Expo at the Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks. They were welcomed by Fairfax County Springfield District Supervisor, Pat Herrity. The former, popular Washington Post columnist, Bob Levey, was the dynamic keynote speaker.
Event participants met potential employers, learned about community resources, listened to workshop speakers, had their resumes reviewed, had their photos taken for Linked In, and more. Several community partners supported this venture (including Volunteer Solutions and RSVP-Northern Virginia).
This annual event is largely successful due to the invaluable support of large numbers of volunteers! Thank you to all who contributed to this endeavor.
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Since Jona began with VS nearly 4 years ago, she has logged 140 hours and hundreds of miles delivering Meals on Wheels and providing medical transportation. Her consistent medical transportation efforts have enabled numerous clients to attend crucial appointments that they otherwise could not have kept. She is committed to serving older adults and is delighted to have the time and ability to make a difference. We treasure Jona’s efforts and appreciate her greatly!/south-county-region-star-volunteer-dean-rust.png)
In an average year, Dean serves approximately 200 hours with VS, or about 4 hours a week. Having volunteered with VS for 10 years, he has experience helping with a wide variety of tasks, including, but not limited to: community outreach, medical and general transportation, Meals on Wheels, grocery shopping, and social visiting. We greatly appreciate Dean’s thoroughness and how he does not hesitate to call a VS staff member if a well-check is needed. When Dean serves as an outreach volunteer, he is always willing to learn more about the work of VS, the Area Agency on Aging and Fairfax County Department of Family Services. Dean is willing to do whatever is needed for the client or situation, even when last minute needs arise. Thank you, Dean!/appreciation-luncheon-star-award-recipients-nancy-wood.jpg)
Nancy contributes her “free time, tirelessly,” as said by one of the clients Nancy serves. Nancy is currently serving four clients consistently with grocery shopping, errands, and medical transportation. She is also quick to assist with one-time opportunities. When a client goes into an assisted living facility, that is not the end of the relationship for Nancy. She will continue to visit the client while picking up new tasks. Nancy has been volunteering with VS since 2015 and easily gives 20+ hours per month of her time to our clients. They, and we, are grateful for the positivity and joy she brings to staff and clients./appreciation-luncheon-star-award-recipients-lance-beets.jpg)
Lance has been consistently volunteering for VS for 6 years, giving more than 1000 hours of his time to multiple clients. Primarily focused on nutrition and medical needs, Lance drives for Meals on Wheels, delivers Ensure, and provides medical and non-medical transportation to clients, assisting with a wide range of needs. He is extremely patient and accommodating to each person he serves and is willing to help out with urgent, last minute requests. We greatly appreciate Lance’s dedication to his community and are fortunate to have him on our team./vicap-star-volunteer-stan-severance.png)
Stan Severance was publicly recognized by Mari de Leon (and Volunteer Solutions) for his 22 years of volunteering with the Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (VICAP)! Not only does he spend hours on the phone or in person counseling people on Medicare and insurance issues, but he even has to take and pass a challenging State Certification exam, annually. Thank you very much, Stan, for giving so much of your time, imparting your invaluable knowledge and for your dedication to the residents of Fairfax County! We are very lucky to have you and your fellow VICAP volunteers./cabot-cheese.JPG)
If you thought the fun ended on Tuesday, think again! On Thursday, April 19, Cabot Cheese treated Fairfax County volunteers to a delicious meal of macaroni and cheese with all the fixings. It was just the warmth we needed in our bellies to stave off the sudden chilly and windy weather./appreciation-luncheon-patti.jpg)
Nearly 300 attended and we learned a lot about areas in which Fairfax County volunteers make a difference: as emergency responders, in libraries, with Parks and Recreation, just to name a few. We enjoyed hearing your stories and appreciated hearing from Patricia Stevens, director, Office of Public Private Partnerships, who spoke on the importance of our partnerships throughout the county – and beyond – with organizations and citizens alike./logos-of-event-sponsors.png)