Part of a story series about AHC’s 50-Year History
Every year, Ty dresses up and heads to AHC’s College and Career Readiness (CCR) program graduation dinner — not as a guest, but as a waiter.
“One of the highlights [of volunteering] is putting on a jacket and going to the CCR graduate recognition event and pretending to wait tables,” Ty said. “I’m just dealing with sodas and ginger ales, but I’m trying to make these kids feel in front of their family and friends like they’re little rock stars for the night.”
Ty has been volunteering with AHC for over 10 years. He’s one of thousands of volunteers who have shown up — in tutoring sessions, at food distributions, and at community events — since AHC’s Resident Services program was founded in 1993 with volunteers as a core part of its model.
Building the Foundation
When Resident Services launched, coordinating volunteers fell to onsite staff, and later the Assistant Director, as part of their broader responsibilities. The first formal recruitment effort began in the 1990s, focused on tutors for AHC’s education program. The Afterschool program and Summer Camp followed in the early 2000s, and the volunteer base grew alongside them.
In 2018, AHC hired its first full-time staff member dedicated to the volunteer program: Laura Jackson, who still serves as Volunteer Manager today.
“Having a role solely focused on volunteers changed everything,” Laura said. “It meant we could be more intentional: recruiting more people, matching them to the right opportunities, and giving them the training and recognition they deserve.”
“We were able to grow the program in ways that simply weren’t possible before, and our residents feel that every day.”
– Laura Jackson, AHC Volunteer Manager
Showing Up for Students
AHC’s Resident Services began with a focus on education. Since those early days, AHC has expanded its programs to reach students during every part of their school journeys.
Ty began volunteering with AHC in the fall of 2015, starting with teen tutoring and food service at events.
“I think it’s a lot less about tutoring and [more about] being an adult that looks a kid in the eye and takes them and treats them seriously,” Ty said.
Volunteer Tracie joined the Teen program about a year ago, tutoring during the school year and helping with summer camp activities, including financial literacy.
“I know that I’m changing the life story for these kids,” Tracie said. “What happens to them now makes a huge difference.”
In 2016, AHC launched its College and Career Readiness program for high school students. Volunteers support CCR through mentorship and events like the annual graduation dinner.
With AHC’s program offerings for students from kindergarten through 12th grade, volunteers have the opportunity to grow with their students.
“I’d love to follow these kids,” Tracie said. “I just think about how many years I might have to see them grow.”
Meeting Residents Where They Are
In the 2000s, AHC began partnering with local food security organizations like Capital Area Food Bank and Arlington Food Assistance Center to bring groceries directly to residents. Volunteers help with weekly distributions across AHC’s communities and, for residents who have difficulty leaving home, deliver food directly to their doors.
Cloe and her son Alex have volunteered with food distribution and home deliveries for about two years.
“For me, it’s been a very meaningful experience getting to know all the residents.”
– Alex, AHC volunteer
Cloe and Alex became food volunteers because food insecurity is rooted in their family history.
“Both of our ancestors came from places where they didn’t have food at some point, and so food has always been a very important part of our lives,” Cloe said. “We tend to gravitate to doing our community service work in that arena.”
Over time, they’ve built connections with residents at the communities where they volunteer.
“In that little moment of interacting with the residents, we formed a bond with them and got to know them a little bit,” Cloe said. “I like that we made our connections even though they were small. They seemed meaningful on both sides.”
For Cloe, volunteering has given her a closer connection with her community and her son.
“I was really proud of Alex because with high school students, a lot of them are getting their hours filled. While Alex did some of that, he actually continued doing it when it didn’t count,” Cloe said. “It’s been a special experience — especially us doing it together.”
Pushing the Needle
Now, as AHC celebrates 50 years, its volunteer program is the biggest it’s ever been, with 2,400 volunteers serving more than 12,000 hours in 2025, and it now includes two dedicated full-time staff members.
“Volunteers are AHC’s secret sauce,” Jennifer Endo, AHC Vice President of Community Relations, said. “We’re so grateful for all they do to help make our programs as impactful as they can be.”
Ty said he’s humbled to be a small part of what AHC does.
“[AHC] makes it so easy for a volunteer to just plug in and do their thing. So many of us, it adds up, but we’re just these little pieces, doing that little thing as part of this monstrous safety net.”
– Ty, AHC volunteer
Ty takes comfort in knowing that the connections between residents and volunteers have ripple effects for years to come.
“Somewhere, some place, some situation — and I’ll never know — there might be a situation where a kid is making a decision that has some impact on them or somebody else’s lives,” Ty said. “And the needle … flipped from bad to good, or wrong to right, or a dumber decision to a smarter decision, and you just helped push the needle a little bit.”
Tracie summed up what it means to her to be an AHC volunteer.
“All in all, I can tell you this is the best job I’ve never had,” she said.
Learn more about AHC’s history and how we’re celebrating 50 years of transforming lives: ahcommunities.org/50years.
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