April 17, 2024
April is National Volunteer Month. AHC volunteers give thousands of hours of their time every year to support residents through food distribution, mentorship, tutoring, and more. We thank them for joining us in keeping residents at the heart of all we do. Help us celebrate our volunteers this month!
Individual Volunteers
We asked our 5- and 10-year volunteers about their favorite part of volunteering with AHC. Read their responses below and join us in recognizing them for generously giving their time to support our residents.
Laurie
5-Year Volunteer
“I love the kids! While it can be challenging at times with a group of children ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade, I derive so much joy from working with them and helping them learn. It's lots of fun and very rewarding.”
Liz
5-Year Volunteer
“My favorite part of volunteering with AHC is the students' energy and their pride when they master difficult tasks. I love AHC's support and holiday celebrations.”
Coral
5-Year Volunteer
“The kids are amazing and so is the staff. The kids always greet me with hellos and hugs, and I've gotten to meet some of their parents. The kids are energetic and always curious.”
Marna
5-Year Volunteer
“It is awesome when a student is able to understand something they had been confused about. Sometimes it's because I've explained something to them, and sometimes they figure it out while talking through the problem with me.”
John
5-Year Volunteer
“My favorite part of volunteering is how easy it is to be a volunteer. The staff are so supportive.”
Bruce
10-Year Volunteer
“I enjoy getting to know the students and seeing them grow over the years. Plus, they have a ton of energy, which is both fun and a little difficult when you are trying to get them to focus.”
Mimi
5-Year Volunteer
“I enjoy interacting with the students the most. They're fun kids. I like building relationships with them. I like listening to how their perspective on school, certain topics, and life changes over time.”
Riley
5-Year Volunteer
“My favorite part of volunteering with AHC is being able to interact with the kids. I enjoy helping them with struggles but also getting to have fun playing games.”
Elizabeth
10-Year Volunteer
“I enjoy seeing the students grow over time. The teenage years are such a formative part of their identity. It's such a gift to work with them and see their self-awareness and maturity develop year to year.”
Ami
5-Year Volunteer
“My favorite moment is the follow-up when these wonderful young adults are in college, we connect again, and I get to see how they are thriving. I think it is only in these years after graduating from high school that many of the students realize how incredibly fortunate they were to have a program like the College and Career Readiness program, and what a rare gift it is.”
McKenna
5-Year Volunteer
“My favorite part about volunteering with AHC has been getting to see the kids' progression throughout the years. When I first started, the students that were in kindergarten and 1st grade couldn't even read, but now, being able to see the impact of my work and their confidence now makes me so happy.”
Volunteer Groups
Many groups volunteer with us, and their support makes a huge difference in the lives of AHC residents. Read below about the work our 5- and 10-year volunteer groups do in our communities.
Amazon
Amazonians have been volunteering in groups and individually with AHC for more than five years. They’ve supported our community-building holiday events with residents, career exploration opportunities with our teens, snack bag assembly for our education programs, and back-to-school shopping for our young residents.
The affinity group Asians at Amazon has supported the Thanksgiving feast and toy giveaway at Gates of Ballston, an AHC community in Arlington, for the last five years. Another affinity group, Latinos at Amazon, hosted our College & Career Readiness program students at Amazon’s new headquarters for a career-focused event last year and organized virtual career events in previous summers.
The Potomac School
The Potomac School has supported AHC's programs for more than five years. Students from the school volunteer by making literacy kits and STEM kits for kids in our education programs.
The school also donates books and Lego robotics supplies. Students from The Potomac School have led robotics classes for our young residents. The students also volunteer as reading buddies and pen pals for AHC's young residents.
Arlington Rotary Club
The Arlington Rotary Club has participated in every DIY (do-it-yourself) project AHC has, like donating graduation gift bags for high school seniors finishing AHC’s College & Career Readiness program, holiday gift bags for the teens in AHC’s education programs, and summer fun kits for the elementary school students attending AHC Summer Camp.
The club also organized a huge project with hundreds of volunteers to make fleece blankets for AHC students as part of Arlington’s MLK Day of Service.
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
St. Peter's Episcopal Church has supported AHC communities for more than 10 years. The church donates Christmas trees to residents at one of our Arlington communities and collects toys for all of the students in our Arlington Afterschool programs each year.
Full Circle Montessori School
Full Circle Montessori School has volunteered with AHC for more than ten years. Students from the school help at food distributions weekly with our partner Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC).
The school also does an Adopt-a-Family program to support AHC's families during the holidays. Many school staff members have served as tutors for students in our Teen program.