National Volunteer Week runs from April 20 to April 26 this year, which provides an opportunity to celebrate the importance of the role of volunteers in our community. Let me highlight one story, which seems simple on its face: it starts with a high school student who volunteered with a reading program for children, but it reveals a thread of connections over many decades, within the local community, and beyond.  

Aliyah Majeed-Hall is a high school student who began her volunteering journey based on her love of reading. This journey highlights a connection to numerous organizations — Affordable Homes & Communities (AHC), Volunteer Arlington, and the Points of Light Foundation — and to numerous individuals, from Ellen Bozman to President George H.W. Bush to Jenna Bush Hager.  

Aliyah started by volunteering with an after-school reading program at one of the affordable-housing communities owned by AHC. This effort inspired her to then create an organization in 2023 called the One Word Reading Initiative. Aliyah had noticed a need for the children to have access to more books at home, and she found a way to help. Her efforts started with gathering books from friends and family, and it blossomed into a volunteer organization that has provided over 1,400 families with over 3,500 books.  

How many other organizations in Arlington rely on volunteer assistance? That is an unanswerable question, though the short answer might be “all of them,” both public and private organizations. The County government relies on volunteers for all types of endeavors, from A to Z (from the Arlington Commission for the Arts, to the Zoning Appeals Board). Private groups often are completely volunteer-driven, with no paid staff.  

How can one figure out how to even get started with volunteering? That takes us back to the 1970’s, and the influence of Ellen Bozman, a County Board member for a record 24 years. Bozman helped to create a volunteer office within the Department of Human Resources, with a simple title of Volunteer Arlington, and with a goal of connecting individuals with civic groups and organizations.  

By 2016, Volunteer Arlington became a program of the Leadership Center of Arlington, based on an innovative public-private partnership model. Volunteer Arlington connects interested volunteers with a range of opportunities. It also is a go-to resource to help the County respond to emergencies, supporting volunteer and donation management. Among other projects, Volunteer Arlington has established the MLK Day of Service, providing volunteer service opportunities and training each year. Another event is called “Arlington Cares,” honoring local volunteers each year.  

Aliyah has been honored with the “Arlington Cares” Youth Service Award for her work with the One Word Reading Initiative. This led to her being selected as a “Daily Point of Light” by the Points of Light Foundation. This now-global organization was created in response to President George H.W Bush’s Points of Light initiative back in 1989.  

Aliyah went to New York in March to be interviewed on the Today Show, hosted by Jenna Bush Hager. At the end of an engaging interview about the Points of Light award, the hosts announced a wonderful surprise for Aliyah: Scholastic Books was donating $10,000 worth of books to her One Word Reading Initiative!  

The reading guide for her Initiative includes a book-mark with simple “one-word” questions that families can discuss. I especially love the following question, which I hope to use in reading books with my grandchildren: “What ONE WORD did you learn while reading?”  

As we honor all the volunteers in our community this week, my one word to highlight is “gratitude.” We are fortunate to have a strong volunteer base in Arlington. It is fitting to end this column with some words from Aliyah: “I encourage both high school students and adults to go out, find something they’re passionate about and come up with one little way they can make a difference.”