The Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services is pleased to announce it will assume administrative and programming responsibilities for GrandInvolve, a non-profit organization that places older adults as volunteers in Title I schools, effective Nov. 1, 2023.

GrandInvolve was founded by Dorothy Keenan in 2014, originating from Fairfax County’s 50+ Initiatives. The program’s pilot at Crestwood Elementary School in Springfield proved to be a success; the pilot program has since expanded to 24 Title I elementary schools in Fairfax County. The program fosters intergenerational relationships, providing support to students and teachers, and improving the quality of life for older adult volunteers.

“We are honored that GrandInvolve has been designated as a program of Neighborhood and Community Services,” Keenan said. “This has been a long-held goal of GrandInvolve. By transitioning the GrandInvolve volunteer program into Neighborhood and Community Services, the program will benefit from the agency’s strong community connections and volunteer recruitment and coordination experience needed to train and manage hundreds of volunteers. Through the leveraging of NCS resources, the GrandInvolve program will get the much-needed infrastructure to expand to all 41 Title I schools in Fairfax County.”

Said NCS Director Lloyd Tucker: “We are excited to continue the award-winning work begun by Dorothy and look forward to expanding the GrandInvolve volunteer program to all Title I schools in the county. By continuing and expanding the program, we will honor GrandInvolve’s mission of supporting the education of our most vulnerable populations and reducing ageism by fostering intergenerational relationships."

Acting GrandInvolve Director Michele Duell said she is proud of the volunteers and humbled by the collaboration with county partners.

“We sincerely thank all of them for helping us to change the world, one child at a time,” she said.

For more information about the GrandInvolve program, please email NCS-Volunteers@fairfaxcounty.gov