The 2023 VolunteerFest, the signature event of Volunteer Fairfax, took place on Saturday, Oct. 21, and drew an impressive turnout of more than 400 dedicated volunteers completing 26 projects with community support. The event showcased a diverse range of projects aimed at assisting various local nonprofit partners. The volunteers contributed their time and efforts, from grounds beautification and litter collection to food collection, packing, distribution, card making, and care projects.

Volunteers participated in-person and extended support from their homes. Their efforts were directed toward fulfilling the donation requirements of various nonprofit partners. One such initiative involved making homemade dog treats for the Homeward Trails Adoption Center in Fairfax Station.

VolunteerFest seeks to introduce volunteers to local nonprofits and their work and to unite as a community to support the work of local organizations and government agencies working to make a difference each day. Volunteer Fairfax extends a special thank you to AT&T, its presenting supporter, and M&T Bank, the silver supporter, for their generous contributions to VolunteerFest. See additional photos in Volunteer Fairfax’s Facebook album at https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=728332105995299&set=a.728340042661172. 

Photo by Mike Mixon

Clean-up Day Supervisor Anthony Leon (3rd from right) and nine of the 13 volunteers who supported the Towers Park clean-up. A wonderful community-minded group of thirteen volunteers-parents, children, adults, and students earning service hours, joined Clean-up Day under the direction of Anthony Leon, supervisor. They collected litter, filling over 25 bags in total from Towers Park. The bags in the photo represent less than half of those retrieved on this clean-up day. Towers Park is located at 9350 Arlington Blvd., Fairfax.

Photo by Hollie Gordon, communications and public engagement for Volunteer Fairfax

Volunteers (from left) Bob Jacobs and Tony Almond serve lentil and rice soup to volunteers after the food packing project at United Methodist Church on Saturday 

Photo by Hollie Gordon, communications and public engagement for Volunteer Fairfax

Volunteers at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park remove invasive plants to protect native species. John Callow, natural resource manager at the park, led the volunteers. 

Photo by Tina Luebke, Volunteer Fairfax

Ellen Perkin from Homeward Trails Adoption Center collects homemade dog treats as volunteers like Quinn drop them off. 

Photo by Jennifer Williamson, CEO Volunteer Fairfax

Kurt Moser, president of the Four Mile Run Conservancy, helps volunteers get into kayaks for a river clean-up project as part of VolunteerFest on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.

Photo contributed

Jennifer Williamson, CEO of Volunteer Fairfax, and Deborah March, educator at John R. Lewis High School, support an art initiative community project at the school on Saturday as part of VolunteerFest