Welcome to Caring Community Updates 2023 news and articles about our volunteers in action!
2023 Holiday Project Brought Joy
(Posted December 2023)
Our Holiday Project brought cheer to many in our community! We couldn’t have achieved this without our volunteers, community partners, and those who donated blankets. A huge “thank you” to the Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club, Fairfax County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Northern VA Handcrafters Guild, the Young Men’s Service League- Vienna/Oakton, Girl Scout Troop 51064, Fairfax Pets on Wheels, and to our VS volunteers who contacted clients and delivered the bags! A special “thank you” to volunteers, Trinh Nguyen, and Linda Moore, and her neighbor, Sue, for gathering and donating large numbers of blankets from their communities.
Volunteer Solutions staff packed bags with various items and coordinated the deliveries. Volunteers from the Rotary Club and MRC came to assist VS staff members with the festive packing process, which was also appreciated. The Department of Family Services, and our clients, are grateful to everyone who gave their time and/or donations.
Volunteer Spotlight - Chuck Berlin
(Posted November 2023)
"I don't know how to thank you, Chuck," declared an older gentleman, “T”, who lives alone and receives Chuck Berlin’s help getting groceries and with social visits under the Volunteer Solutions program. They have a collaborative, alternating arrangement, which entails Chuck picking up groceries at Food for Others and bringing them to T once per month. Two weeks later, he drives T to select his own items at Western Fairfax Christian Ministries’ food pantry. These visits help to provide T much needed socialization and meet his nutritional needs.
Chuck also volunteers as a Trip Chaperone (monthly) and General Assistant (weekly) at Sully Community Center’s Senior Program via Volunteer Solutions’ partnership with Fairfax County’s Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. He engages participants in conversation and uses empathic listening. He focuses on their abilities versus their challenges. He tells stories, plays games, and assists with crafts as needed. He shared, “Volunteering continues my sense of purpose. After retirement there was a void and I’m helping others help themselves.”
A hearty “congratulations” to Chuck for his retirement in February 2023 after an impressive 40-year career working for Fairfax County! Learn more about who Chuck Berlin is and his journey.
2023 Venture into Volunteering Fair Was a Success!
(posted October 2023)
Volunteer Solutions (VS) coordinated our annual Venture into Volunteering Fair, and we were pleased with the turnout. This year, we had the wonderful opportunity to partner with the Beacon 50+ Expo, and both events were held at Springfield Town Center on Sunday, October 15 from 12-4pm. Our volunteer fair had 40 county and non-profit organizations as exhibitors. There was a steady stream of people stopping at tables, and several new volunteer connections were established. VS supervisor, Emily Swenson, was also interviewed by Channel 16.
Weren’t able to make it? Visit our webpage with links to each of the featured agencies to learn more about their organization and volunteer needs.
We deeply appreciate our Volunteer Solutions volunteers for their help at the event, in various ways! Thank you, Kay Croll, for staffing our table (at this fair and many others). Thank you to Kathleen and Ivan Wun, Mary Williams, Sandhya Sreevatsva, and Dana and Gordon Lu for providing support at the registration table, or helping exhibitors get situated at their tables. Your support was invaluable!
Digital Inclusion Initiatives
(posted October 2023)
Digital Inclusion Week was Oct. 2-6, 2023, and Volunteer Solutions highlighted our IT On-Call Program. This service provides free IT assistance to Fairfax area residents aged 60 or older.
We celebrate and appreciate all our IT On-Call volunteers who keep individuals connected by helping them navigate various phone apps, shop online, join/use social media platforms, play music or games, use video call capabilities on a smartphone, stream entertainment, access Fairfax County Library’s Digital Programs and activities, and much more! Need help with an IT need? Have IT skills you’d like to offer others as a volunteer? Contact VolunteerSolutions@FairfaxCounty.gov or call (703) 324-5406.
Pictured left-to-right at the Digital Summit: Emily Swenson (Volunteer Solutions Supervisor), Hari Acharya (IT volunteer), Carol Wright (Volunteer Solutions), Jeff Rogers (IT volunteer), Trina Mayhan-Webb (Director- Adult and Aging Services), Bryan Hill (Fairfax County Executive).
Explore Volunteer Opportunities & Learn About Resources – Sunday, Oct 15
(Posted September 2023)
Our annual Venture into Volunteering Fair is back in-person in 2023! Come to the Springfield Town Center on the lower level, Sunday, October 15, 2023, 12 - 4p.m.! Representatives from county and nonprofit organizations will be there to share information about a wide variety of volunteer opportunities throughout the region. Whether you have 1-2 hours to give, or want a bigger commitment, there’s something for everyone! Go to bit.ly/VOLFAIR for more information.
The Beacon 50+ Expo will be happening simultaneously on the upper level. The 50+ Expo offers a wide array of information on local resources for older adults, as well as health screenings, flu shots, and vaccines. Both events are free and there will be door prizes!
Companion Pets Program in Golden Gazette & Mature Living
(Posted August 2023)
We are pleased to share that Volunteer Solutions’ Companion Pets program was highlighted in this Golden Gazette article. The author, Volunteer Solutions’ staffer Jodi Smith, was also interviewed for “Mature Living,” where she discussed the increasing popularity of robotic pets and the joy they bring to their owners. You can catch the interview on Channel 16 or 1016, or on your computer. Get more information and the full listing of times on Mature Living.
Volunteers Attended Summer Trainings
(Posted August 2023)
On July 18, 2023, several VS volunteers completed the in-person, all-day Mental Health First Aid for Older Adults training. For several years, the Fairfax County Community Services Board has been generously providing this valuable training to our staff and volunteers.
Group self-care sessions were held during the mornings of June 27 and August 1, for any active Department of Family Services volunteers who wished to attend. It was an opportunity to discuss volunteer experiences, compassion fatigue, and more, as open topics of discussion arose. These virtual, confidential sessions were led by trained facilitators.
Volunteer Solutions’ volunteers expressed their appreciation for these opportunities to learn, grow, and practice self-care.
Volunteer Spotlight - Yousef Alrajhi
(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. Learn more.
Helping Hands and Grateful Hearts in 2023
(Posted June 2023)
Helping Hands and volunteers of all ages were hard-at-work with various spring clean-up projects, indoors and outdoors! Our volunteers were decluttering, sorting, organizing, scrubbing thick layers of pollen and sticky residue off sliding glass doors, cleaning out storage units, taking items to donation centers, pulling weeds, mowing lawns, trimming hedges, mulching, patching holes, fixing deck balusters, repairing screen doors, and more.
Volunteer Solutions received messages of gratitude from homeowners. Accolades like, "demonstrated very good organizing skills...were polite and patient... with enthusiasm... a superior work ethic and a high degree of integrity... provided exceptional customer service."
A huge “thank you” to all our Helping Hands volunteers, and a special “shout out” to Yousef Alrajhi, Bob Fahl, and Conrad Mehan, who put in extra hours at multiple projects!
Linda Moore Receives County Award
(Posted May 2023)
A hearty "congratulations" to Linda Moore! She received the 2022 Citation of Merit from the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations on May 7, 2023, at the Springfield Golf and Country Club. Our VS supervisor, Emily Swenson, had the honor of recounting Linda’s lengthy community accomplishments to the award banquet’s audience. Linda has volunteered with several Fairfax County agencies over the years, including Volunteer Solutions (in the Department of Family Services, Adult & Aging division), Department of Emergency Management, Neighborhood and Community Services, and Domestic and Sexual Violence Services. She has been with Volunteer Solutions for more than seven years and has taken on multiple tasks, including being a part of our companion pet program, and helping clients with organizing, power-washing, and yardwork. In June 2022, Linda logged over 50 hours in one month helping a client pack up and move! She’s devoted to volunteering while working full-time and being a long-distance caregiver for her mother.
Thank you for your years of service to our community, Linda!
Meet the 2023 Star Award Recipients
(posted April 2023)
April is Volunteer Appreciation Month! Join us as we celebrate the 2023 Star Award recipients, Sam Lee, Hannah Van Hook, and Tucker Maney. Learn about the many ways Sam and Hannah have served others in the community and why they choose to volunteer in the April issue of the Golden Gazette. Learn about Tucker's passion for volunteering here.
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2023 National Volunteer Week Highlights
(posted April 2023)
We engaged in a memorable and meaningful series of in-person and virtual activities during our celebration of National Volunteer Week! Volunteer Solutions staff held drive-by, outdoor gatherings in Fairfax, Annandale and Alexandria on April 18 and 19, 2023. There was a virtual Zoom gathering on April 20, which included a message of gratitude to our volunteers from our Area Agency on Aging Director, Tara Turner, trivia games, Star Award recipient spotlights, giveaways, and more.
We deeply appreciate our volunteers’ time, compassion, and dedication to providing support to others!
Volunteer Drivers Delivered Sunshine
(posted March 2023)
During a time of year when late winter weather can be dreary, several Fairfax Area Agency on Aging clients received yellow "Sunshine" bags, thanks to our volunteer drivers. The bags held items donated by the Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club and packed by families at the Volunteer Fairfax - Give Together event in January. One woman told us that her mother was a recipient and, “She was so happy to show me what she got.”
A volunteer driver shared, “They may have been intended as bags of sunshine for the clients, but I’ll tell you that speaking with several of them certainly brought sunshine into my day.” Thank you to all involved in helping others in our community feel more connected and acknowledged!
Intergenerational Kindness on Valentine’s Day
(posted February 2023)
Volunteer Solutions volunteers took the time to create caring Valentine’s Day cards for Providence senior program participants in Fairfax. Thank you, Young Men’s Service League- Vienna/Oakton! Simple acts of kindness can mean more and have greater ripple effects than we know. The participants’ smiles are an indication that these were well-received and appreciated during their festivities.
Volunteers Delivered Flowers and Cheer
(posted February 2023)
The Garden Club of Waynewood generously created thoughtful floral arrangements for older adult participants in the Fairfax Area Agency on Aging's (AAA) home-delivered nutrition program! A big "thank you" to them and to Trader Joe's for donating the flowers. We are grateful for our volunteer drivers who delivered these cheerful bouquets in the Alexandria region on February 9, 2023! These added welcome splashes of color to participants’ homes during winter and were a lovely reminder to our more isolated community members that others care.
One of our volunteer drivers shared, “Yesterday's flower delivery was simply amazing. The clients were very appreciative of the thoughtfulness displayed from the county, the Garden Club of Waynewood, and Trader Joe's, too.”
Free, Virtual Trainings on Dementia
(posted January 2023)
Dementia Friends Information Session (open to anyone in the community)- Will be offered 6 times in 2023. First session will be Wednesday, February 8, 2023, 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Learn about dementia, the most common type, and approaches to communicating effectively. Your new understanding can turn into practical action to help someone in your community. Register here.
Dementia 101 for Volunteer Solutions Volunteers (hosted by Insight Memory Care Center) Wednesday, February 15, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Register here. Learn how to define dementia, distinguish the different types, and gain an understanding of the typical path of disease progression.