Welcome to Caring Community Updates where Volunteer Solutions shares the latest news and articles about our volunteers in action!
Venture into Volunteering 2025
(posted October 2025)
There was a great turnout for our annual Venture into Volunteering Fair held on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at the Springfield Town Center! The event connected local area residents with nonprofit and government representatives seeking volunteers to support their missions, and Channel 16 featured an interview with our Volunteer Solutions supervisor, Emily Swenson. Check out the list of participating organizations who need volunteer support.
Now in its third year of collaboration with the Beacon 50+ Expo, the fair also featured dozens of exhibitors sharing information on services for older adults. It was a lively and inspiring day of community connection.
Thank you to our Volunteer Solutions volunteers who helped make it a successful event by helping vendors check-in, staffing the registration table, orienting fair participants, taking photos, and more!
Burke-Springfield Center Visit – September Connection Corner
(posted September 2025)
Volunteer Solutions staff and volunteers had the wonderful opportunity to tour the new Burke-Springfield Center for Active Adults (BSCAA) for our September Connection Corner meeting. The center’s director shared an overview of the space and the variety of programs offered to support older adults. As we walked through the facility, we saw classes in action, giving us a clear sense of the engagement the center fosters. We learned BSCAA programs and activities are open to adults age 50 and older with an NCS community center membership. Membership is free for Fairfax County residents; some instructor-led classes may require a fee. If you’re eligible, here is a link to sign up for an NCS community center membership. It was great to meet some of our VS volunteers in person, learn more about the resources available through this and other senior centers, and to explore the ways volunteers can get involved.
Kindness in Full Bloom
(posted August 2025)
A huge thank you to our volunteers for helping bring a little extra joy to our home-delivered meals clients! Thanks to the beautiful floral arrangements crafted by the Reston Garden Club—and delivered with care by our compassionate volunteer drivers—many of our older adult clients received a heartwarming surprise. We’re also grateful to Blooms Reston Floral for their contributions to this special project.
These meaningful arrangements sparked gratitude and smiles. One recipient joyfully remarked that it was the first time in her life she had ever received flowers.
Thank you for helping us spread beauty, kindness, and connection throughout the community!
Volunteer Spotlight – Chris Jiang
(posted June 2025)
Introducing Chris Jiang, one of our dedicated behind-the-scenes volunteers who plays a meaningful role in supporting the Department of Family Services’ mission to serve our community. A Northern Virginia native, Chris has been providing much-needed volunteer support to the Guardianship Unit since August 2024. Lori Jones, his supervisor in the unit, shared, “Chris is an asset to the Guardianship Team. His willingness to learn, proficiency, and efficiency are extremely important, and he is a gem. We are happy and lucky to have Chris on our team.” Learn more about Chris and the important work of the Guardianship Unit here.
Helping Hands 2025
(posted May 2025)
Each May, in celebration of Older Americans Month, our Helping Hands volunteers, VS staff, and partners, come together to support older adults across our community through a variety of service projects. These efforts include everything from decluttering and organizing homes to donating gently used items, performing yard work, trimming bushes, and making outdoor spaces more accessible. Team sizes vary based on the needs of each project.
Helping Hands supports clients of the Fairfax County Department of Family Services who qualify based on income and functional criteria and who receive ongoing case management support.
A heartfelt thank-you to all our Helping Hands volunteers! Your work has made a meaningful difference, both inside and outside the homes of those we serve—and the recipients deeply appreciate your help.
We're very grateful for the Northern Virginia Handcrafters Guild (NVHG), a wonderful group of local artisans who, in various ways, have been supporting the Department of Family Services' older adult clients for many years. In the past few years specifically, their unique handmade crafts have brought extra joy to our annual Adult and Aging Services holiday bag project. These thoughtful creations, included alongside practical hygiene items, remind recipients that someone cares about them. Thank you, NVHG, for the unwavering kindness you bring to our community!
Irena Williams’ commitment to volunteering is deeply personal. After serving in the military and being deployed to Iraq in 2005, she returned home with a strong desire to give back to others. For the past 8 years, she has been a dedicated Volunteer Solutions volunteer, supporting older adults by driving them on errands, to medical appointments and via social visits—in person and over the phone. Her consistent presence and compassionate nature have made a meaningful difference in the lives of those she serves. 
Huntington “Hunt” Mason exemplifies the mission of Volunteer Solutions through his dedicated and long-standing service to older adults in Fairfax County, during the past 11 years. Thanks to his efforts, many community members are able to maintain their independence by accessing food, attending medical appointments, and completing essential errands. 
For Hunt, volunteering is a meaningful way to give back directly to the community. During retirement, Hunt shares that he appreciates the flexibility to do more and has gained a deeper understanding of the challenges many older adults face, especially those with limited income or transportation. Along the way, he’s built connections across cultures and learned from clients’ life stories—experiences that have enriched his life and enhanced his awareness of the broader community.
Mia Watts is a devoted mother and pediatrician who will soon celebrate her 8th anniversary as a Volunteer Solutions volunteer. For nearly all of that time, she has worked consistently and compassionately with one client—offering transportation, companionship, and unwavering support for errands, medical appointments, and more.
Volunteer Solutions extends heartfelt appreciation to our community partner, The Garden Club of Waynewood in Alexandria, and to our dedicated volunteer drivers! This thoughtful and generous group of garden enthusiasts again created stunning flower arrangements for our Department of Family Services' clients, using both their own supplies and donated blooms from Trader Joe's. Our Volunteer Solutions drivers then delivered these beautiful bouquets to 100 older adults, spreading joy throughout the community. We’ve since received numerous uplifting messages from drivers, sharing how the recipients were beaming with gratitude and delight. 
Daniel Hoyle has had a diverse and impactful career, both professionally and as a dedicated volunteer in Fairfax County. How many people can say they helped put the first person on the moon? After a distinguished career, Daniel retired in 2010 and immediately began giving back to the community as a volunteer. He joined the Virginia Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), where he played a vital role in assisting individuals with their taxes through the Fairfax County Department of Family Services. In 2011, he also registered with Volunteer Solutions and devoted the next 14 years to helping our local community, including at county senior centers. As he retires from this chapter of volunteer work, we are deeply grateful for his unwavering commitment and the lasting positive impact he has had on so many lives. 
On Saturday, January 25, 2025, Volunteer Solutions had the privilege of being in the Volunteer Fairfax Give Together Event, honoring the legacy of service of Martin Luther King, Jr, at James Lee community center in Falls Church. Families participated in service projects, while learning about the important work of our Department of Family Services (DFS), and local nonprofits. There was also a session for teens. The projects addressed environmental stewardship, food insecurity, elder care, animal welfare, and more. Volunteer Solutions contributed by organizing a project to assemble winter care bags filled with essential items and handmade cards to uplift older adults in our community.