Volunteer Alexandria Students Give 126 Hours of Service Over Spring Break
By Katie Niersbach
Alexandria, VA – Volunteer Alexandria (VolALX) brought together 21 students over spring break to make a difference in Alexandria, providing 126 service hours to our community. Wow! Over three days, Youth Engaged in Service (YES) participants visited six area nonprofits, addressing food insecurity, community building, and environment protection. We loved introducing the youth of our community to the wonderful programs happening right where they live.
- Kurt Moser from Four Mile Run Conservancy guided us through invasive species removal, supporting a meadow to attract mosquito-eating Purple Martins.
- Kate Wiley from Community Lodgings led a discussion on the challenges facing our immigrant community as we completed projects to address food insecurity.
- Maria Mellor from St. Martin De Porres Senior Center connected us with seniors, enabling a fun morning of games and socializing.
- Janet Thomas from Meade Memorial shared the church’s role in Alexandria and put our crew to work outside, beautifying the space. She also generously provided space for sandwich making.
- Caroline Crisp and Jackie McCord from the Adult Day Services Center welcomed us when a power outage at ALIVE! necessitated a change in plans. (We’ll get to ALIVE! over the summer.) We joined their visiting opera program and sang along to an amusing and educational show.
- Jo Strand from Carpenter’s Shelter accepted our 100 sandwiches and spoke about the state of homelessness in Alexandria, including the cycles of poverty and social barriers faced by those impacted.
Thank you to our nonprofit partners for taking the time to share your missions and put a face to Alexandria’s good work. Youth participants appreciated the program – 97% stated they intend to volunteer again and shared they enjoyed feeling productive, meeting new people, and helping their community improve.
Know a student interested in our next session? YES is back in June. It is FREE and open to students in grades 6 through 12. Visit www.VolunteerAlexandria.org/yes for more information and to register.
Attend our upcoming Arts & Crafts Fair
Volunteer Alexandria and Made in ALX are partnering again to bring back our Arts & Crafts Fairs at Tavern Square in Old Town. These free, family-friendly gatherings invite you to discover a curated selection of jewelry, pottery, soaps, home décor, and unique gifts while supporting local artists. The events will be held May 31 and June 28, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tavern Square is across the street from Market Square and City Hall at 415 King Street (a parking garage is available on Cameron Street). We truly appreciate our supporters who make the fair a success each year, enabling VolALX to continue our mission to connect people with programs that change the community.
Check out current volunteer opportunities:
Assist at a Local Food Pantry – Transport and sort food and/or set up and distribute bagged lunches at Meade Memorial Episcopal Church.
Usher an Event Benefitting Children – Guide guests at the Children and Family Network Center’s spring benefit on Thursday, May 14.
Support Disaster Preparedness Outreach – Staff a table to talk about Volunteer Alexandria’s Volunteer Reception Center at the Old Town North Farmer’s Market on May 30 and 31! No experience is required. (14+ with adult)
Help Instruct the Inova Healthy Plate Club – Help kids discover the joy of healthy eating through simple cooking and fun activities at William Ramsay Elementary School on Fridays.
For more opportunities like these, visit www.volunteeralexandria.org/search
A donation to Volunteer Alexandria (https://bit.ly/VolALXgive) enables us to continue connecting caring people to needs in our community. Thank you for your support.
