In Northern Virginia and all across the state, volunteers play an integral role in supporting robust community life and ensuring access to vital programs and resources. Since 1974, National Volunteer Week has provided an opportunity to recognize these volunteers and the impact their volunteerism can make by tackling society’s greatest challenges, building stronger communities, and transforming the world. This year, National Volunteer Week takes place April 20–26, providing an opportunity for us to celebrate the volunteers who make our community better every day.
As a local Fairfax resident and member of the Governor’s Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism, I am passionate about service and committed to supporting community-based initiatives to build stronger communities and engage volunteers from all walks of life. I’ve witnessed first-hand how volunteers show up every day to provide their time and energy to support our schools and out-of-school programs, parks and other public spaces, disaster preparedness initiatives and food banks, and organizations serving our senior or unhoused neighbors, to name just a few of the ways that volunteers make a difference. According to the Volunteering and Civic Life in America research collected by AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau every two years, more than 2.1 million formal volunteers in Virginia contributed 156.8 million hours of service through organizations. The estimated worth of this volunteer time is a staggering $5.2 billion per year in the Commonwealth.
Next month, Serve Virginia and the Virginia Service Foundation will add to this data when they share the findings of the 2025 Virginia Community Engagement Index (VCEI), a bi-annual study that seeks to understand the state of service, volunteerism, and civic action in Virginia. These findings will offer insights at local and regional levels, identifying ways that Virginian volunteers get involved in their communities, exploring how volunteerism responds to community priorities, and helping shape initiatives for a more connected and engaged Virginia.
However, data can only convey certain aspects of the incredible impact that we can make when we leverage our time and talent for the greater good. As significant as that impact may be in numbers, it’s the stories of service from volunteers and groups across Virginia that humanize these statistics and inspire others to give back. For example, take the story of Martin Novak, a retired professional who became a dedicated Americorps Seniors RSVP member through Volunteer Fairfax. Martin unselfishly offers his time and talent to provide financial literacy counsel to Fairfax County Public School middle schoolers participating in Junior Achievement of Greater Washington’s Finance Park. Or consider Kids Give Back, where youth ages 6-12, undertake family and group-based service experiences that build work and life skills while inspiring a lifetime ethic of service. And don’t forget the many corporate volunteers like the talented bankers, technologists, marketers, and other financial professionals at PNC Bank who help ensure children “Grow Up Great” by volunteering thousands of hours in our local communities every year.
I am grateful for the dedication and service of everyday heroes like these. This National Volunteer Week, I invite you to join me in celebrating the volunteers in our community and across the state. Let’s join together to show our appreciation but let us also pledge to do our part to strengthen Fairfax by giving our time and energy to the causes that matter most in our lives. Together, we make a difference!
[Clifford Yee serves on the Governor’s Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism and the Virginia Service Foundation. He is a Past Chair of both organizations.]
