(Posted July 2023)
During this volunteer spotlight interview, Yousef Alrajhi’s face lit up as he kindly praised Volunteer Solutions, “In all my volunteer experiences throughout my life, this is the best volunteering I’ve ever done! Everything is clear and very organized. I give Volunteer Solutions five stars.” Volunteer Solutions is honored and feels just as lucky to count Yousef as one of our volunteers. We learned more about how his life’s journey brought him to us.
After volunteering with a local food pantry, Yousef registered with Volunteer Solutions in early 2021. His first role was as a Meals on Wheels runner for several months, while the pandemic was happening and as volunteer roles shifted to accommodate changing needs. He then moved on to Ensure delivery, which he is still doing monthly. He’s also a medical transport driver, taking a client to doctor’s appointments. Yousef has also been active with various indoor and outdoor projects. With the assistance of other volunteers, he helped move equipment for DFS clients. He moved a regular bed out to make room for a medical one, and helped transfer a bed from a storage unit to a subsidized apartment for a formerly homeless client who was moving in. He has also decluttered and emptied a storage unit and worked on mowing, trimming bushes, cutting back ivy, and other yardwork for thankful homeowners.
Yousef grew up in Saudi Arabia, where schoolchildren are encouraged to help their neighbors and community. He explained that while not mandatory, helping others has been a part of his life since he was young. He’s been learning a lot about yardwork here that he’d never been exposed to back home, since Saudi Arabia is a desert. He enjoys the physical aspect of it and moving his body. He volunteers because it keeps him active. He shared, “this is the time when I have energy and I’m healthy. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”
Prior to moving to Virginia in 2012, he lived in New York City, where he went to Wagner College in Staten Island, and completed his master’s degree. He volunteered there for a charitable organization. At the end of the night, he’d go to a restaurant, pick up leftover food, and deliver it to a homeless shelter, so it wouldn’t go to waste.
He also regularly donates blood here to the American Red Cross and has given more than 15 times so far! He has done this while working on and recently obtaining his PhD in Microbiology. He and his wife are parents to one boy and two girls, ranging in age from 3 to 10.
Yousef reminds us, “I know that time is valuable for all people, but if you invest your time in volunteering, you will benefit in many ways. You will feel better internally and it’s beneficial to the community.”
This article is part of the Department of Family Services Older Adults Volunteer Solutions Caring Community Updates e-news – providing a variety of updates and articles about our volunteers in action. Learn more about Volunteer Solutions.