It’s only the beginning! Kick-start the new year by giving back.
By Alana Quarles, Branch Manager, Kings Park Library
Every year, thousands of Fairfax County residents give back to the community through volunteer opportunities across agencies. From the library to the Office of Elections to the Animal Shelter, Fairfax County benefits greatly from the helping hands of volunteers.
Don’t know where to start? Begin your volunteer journey by visiting: volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov
Finding the Perfect Volunteer Opportunity for You:
First, visit the above site and click "Find an Opportunity."
From there, you can either scroll through a list of all the opportunities available or, if you are looking for something specific, you can perform a search for listings. You can filter the list of opportunities by searching for an organization/program name, types of activities, date and time, location, type of volunteers needed or associated keywords. For example, if you wanted to find volunteer opportunities at the library, enter “library” in the Request a New Search box or select “Libraries & Education” under the Things to Do section. Click each opportunity to read more about it. Once you find the perfect opportunity for you, read the description for information on how to apply. Some opportunities may have online forms to fill out, whereas
others may require you to email or call.
Featured Opportunities
Fairfax Families4Kids is a mentoring program for adolescents and young adults ages 12-21 in foster care or kinship families. The program, run by Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services, provides community events and educational, recreational and social activities designed to help participating youth learn independent living skills as they transition into adulthood.
Community members can assist Families4Kids in a variety of ways. Specifically, the program utilizes community members as mentors and volunteers. Mentors are trusted adults who are assigned to a particular participant, provide guidance to their mentee and help connect them to others in our community. Volunteers serve as helping hands at program events and offer additional support to participating youth on a more general scale.
To learn more about Fairfax Families4Kids and apply to become a mentor or volunteer, visit:
bit.ly/FFC_Families4Kids
The BeFriend-A-Child program is provided by the Fairfax Department of Family Services – Children and Families and has served our community’s children for more than 40 years. The program aims to provide support to children who have experienced abuse or neglect or are at risk of being abused or neglected.
BeFriend-A-Child utilizes mentors to connect at-risk youth with trusted, compassionate adults. The hope is that these connections reduce the risk factors for child abuse and neglect such as social isolation, lack of support and family stress by enhancing positive factors such as self-esteem, good social skills, hobbies, interests and good peer relationships. Like Families4Kids, mentors are assigned to an individual youth and participate in monthly activities to nurture the relationship with their mentee.
Learn more about the BeFriend-A-Child program and how to become a mentor by visiting bit.ly/FFC_BefriendAChild