Tom found APAH’s volunteer service through our partnership with  RSVP Northern Virginia, a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (if you are age 55 and over and want to volunteer in Northern VA, check them out here). He was first attracted to the volunteer opportunities we were posting through the program, so he signed up. Delightedly, he realized that APAH was already familiar to him, his daughter had once lived at one of our communities.

Now a regular and very active volunteer with us, Tom served in many different capacities. He’s helped children with homework, transported APAH materials across Arlington, advocated for affordable housing, and stuffed envelopes. He now volunteers weekly by delivering boxes of groceries from our AFAC distribution site to a few households iwith mobility limitations. A cheerleader for the APAH team, Tom is always offering words of encouragement and praise.

When he retired from his long-time career in intelligence and began his new “career” as a volunteer, Tom did so because – like many – he wanted to help others. “What I did not expect is that I would find such a welcoming group of warm and gentle people who are also volunteering and working with APAH,” he says. Tom is an avid writer and storyteller, and he would like to work with folks to hear and help them share their personal histories. In 2006, Tom shared a piece of his story through the Washington Post’s “Life is Short, Autobiographies in Haiku”.

Along with the titles of “retiree” and “volunteer,” Tom recently acquired the title of “first-time grandfather” with the birth of his beautiful grandson!

Congratulations, Tom, and many thanks to you for your continued volunteer service with APAH!