ANV Honored with Arlington Cares Award!
We are thrilled and honored to announce that Arlington Neighborhood Village volunteers have won the Arlington Cares Distinguished County Service Award!
This award is given annually to “an individual or group who, through volunteerism, have shown outstanding commitment and care to the citizens of Arlington.”
Volunteers Bob and Mary Stump will represent us and speak briefly about the services our volunteers provide.
ANV is proud that our volunteers are being recognized for their exceptional work, especially as the pandemic changed the world around us.
When Covid restrictions hit, it quickly became apparent that our usual volunteer services—like transportation, errands, and daily check in calls—were well-suited to this unprecedented time. Seniors needed food, prescriptions, and household supplies delivered. Many had medical appointments that could not be missed. Knowing that the need was especially challenging to lower-income seniors, ANV waived its membership fee in order to serve more seniors who needed help.
The need for ANV was clear, but there was one huge question: Would we have volunteers willing to risk their safety to help others?
We didn’t have to wonder for long. During the most challenging early days of the pandemic and continuing to this day, ANV volunteers have stepped up and supported seniors throughout the County to get food delivered, deliver masks, give members a ride to a medical appointment or get their vaccine shot, and be a friendly reminder that someone cares.
In 2021, ANV fulfilled 2,680 service requests for its members; volunteers donated 8,610+ hours and drove 30,100 miles. Through the pandemic, 97% of member requests were filled. But what is even more meaningful than these impressive metrics is the knowledge that our volunteers are making a positive impact on their neighbors’ lives.
As one ANV member wrote us, “I rely on Arlington Neighborhood Village volunteers to help me almost every week or so. I’m mostly homebound, without a car. They take me grocery shopping and deliver my prescription medicine to me. And yesterday they took me to get my COVID vaccine. In other words, they are a lifesaving organization… I’m so thankful for Arlington Neighborhood Village and their dedicated volunteers.”