Article by Gwen Jones, Department of Family Services
(Posted 2025 April)
Fairfax County offers many services and resources for people living in our community to reduce social isolation and help them “age in place.” But sometimes, the demand for help exceeds what county staff can provide for clients who receive case management services. That’s where volunteers come in! Volunteer Solutions, a program within the Adult and Aging Division of the Department of Family Services (DFS), in partnership with Neighborhood and Community Services, connects volunteers with meaningful opportunities to improve the lives of older adults, adults with disabilities, and family caregivers.
How Volunteer Solutions Helps
Volunteer Solutions finds and trains volunteers. These volunteers do many things, including but not limited to:
- Grocery shopping
- Driving people to doctor’s appointments and errands
- Social visits
- Helping with computers and technology devices
Tech support services are open to anyone in Fairfax County aged 60 and older, while the other services are provided specifically to DFS clients.
Volunteer Solutions also offers ways to help from home, such as:
- Virtual social visits
- Home Delivered Meals virtual check-ins
Volunteers also help at senior centers and adult day health care centers by leading various activities like art and fitness classes, and providing other program support, too.
Other special volunteer roles include:
- Community Ambassadors: Volunteers are educated about services and resources for older adults, adults with disabilities and family caregivers and are trained to leverage their networks within our community to educate others about these services and resources.
- Fairfax Pets on Wheels: Volunteers and their pets provide companionship and compassion through pet therapy by visiting people in nursing and assisted living facilities.
- The Pet Companion Program: Volunteers give robotic pets to Adult and Aging clients to decrease their social isolation and loneliness.
- The Helping Hands Program: Teams of volunteers help DFS clients with organizing their homes and yard clean-ups.
Making Volunteering Fun and Rewarding
Volunteer Solutions wants volunteers to have a good experience. In a 2024 survey, 94% of volunteers felt they made a positive impact on the people or program they serve.
Volunteer Solutions supports volunteers by offering optional trainings and opportunities to connect with each other. Some of these include:
- The Connection Corner: A monthly virtual meeting for volunteers to network, share ideas, get staff guidance, and learn about new opportunities.
- Mental Health First Aid for Older Adults: Training to help volunteers support people’s mental health, provided in partnership with the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board.
- Bi-Annual Volunteer Self Care Group Sessions: Meetings to discuss and process volunteer experiences.
- Volunteer Recognition party every April.
The Impact of Volunteer Solutions
In Fiscal Year 2024, 1,192 volunteers helped 14,709 people and spent 26,990 hours volunteering. According to the Independent Sector’s formula, the value of this volunteer work is estimated to be $900,926.
More important than the numbers are the stories of people helped by volunteers:
- A family caregiver said a volunteer was “magnificent” and felt like they had known the volunteer for years.
- An older adult who got help with computer problems said, “Thank you for sending Giovanni. He is very knowledgeable, efficient, and patient. He spent over three hours diagnosing the problem and suggested I might need a newer computer. You are very fortunate to have him available to help those of us who are not technologically literate. Thank you again for easing my stress.”
- Chuck, a volunteer at a senior center, said, “The participants are grateful for my listening, talking, taking lunch trays to the trash, occasional jokes, help with crafts, chaperoning field trips, and more support. Volunteering here is very valuable and enjoyable for me.”
If you want to learn more about Volunteer Solutions and the opportunities they offer, visit bit.ly/DFS-VS. If you have questions, you may email VolunteerSolutions@FairfaxCounty.gov or call 703-324-5406, TTY 711.
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).