Approximately four years ago, AFAC launched our backpack buddy program to serve low-income children at designated Arlington County Public Schools. The goal was to provide children who relied on free or reduced breakfast and lunch in schools with comparable food on the weekends. For many families, having extra food provides a much-needed relief for their limited budgets.  

When many of Capital Caring’s hundreds of volunteers tell people that they spend their free time helping to care for patients with life-limiting illnesses, they often get three typical reactions:   

1)           “Oh, my gosh, you are such a good person.”  This is usually said with a heavy accent on the word “good,” and sometimes paired with a facial expression of awe normally saved for visitors potentially just arrived by UFO.

Jane Franklin Dance, an Arlington based nonprofit arts organization, offers Summer Camps that explore movement, visual art and theatre. By the end of each week, campers put on show for friends and family to highlight an imagined Road Trip of camping, beach-going, exploring the artic or the ocean; or a specific adventure with a favorite feline or Fido.

RSVP-Northern Virginia volunteer Gordon Hay says he was at a loss when he retired, regarding where to find volunteer opportunities. "I will never forget my first phone call to RSVP in 2012," says Gordon, a Falls Church resident who now volunteers for two of RSVP nonprofit partners, Capital Caring in Arlington and The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia, based in Falls Church.

By Eileen Conoboy

Acting Director, CNCS, AmeriCorps VISTA

By Natalie Roisman, Co-Leader, Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom Arlington Area Chapter

How insightful is Sandra Osorio-Rojas in understanding the best way to learn about your new hometown is through volunteering?