SOAR365 Children and Youth Support VolunteerAs a first-year student at VCU majoring in pre-radiation science, Sydney Weisfeld's days are filled with challenging science and math classes including biology, anatomy, physiology, and algebra. So she was initially attracted to the positive and fun environment she saw on the SOAR365 website. "In high-school, I...

SOAR365 Adult Program Support VolunteerFor some people, volunteering with SOAR365 is just a no-brainer. Liz Scher is one of those people. As a recently retired Special Education teacher with the Richmond Public School System, Liz continues to be "guided by the idea that all people should have the fullest life possible. SOAR365 endeavors to give people with...

SOAR365 Children & Youth Program Support VolunteerAs a Bonner Scholar, University of Richmond student Nehal Asif is required to engage in 6-8 hours of service each week with the organization of her choice for the duration of her college career. For Nehal, who eventually wants to become a pediatrician, the choice was pretty easy. “My baby cousin was born...

SOAR365 Weekend Respite Program Support Volunteer"Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone" is the advice that Caroline McKenna has to offer to potential SOAR365 volunteers. Her experience growing up with her brother Michael, who was born with Down Syndrome, taught her about "the importance of having a community who cares" and Caroline was thrilled...

SOAR365 Adult Program Research VolunteerLauren Pelfry, a native of Dallas TX, moved to the Richmond area just as the pandemic was unfolding, so settling in to her new home was a bit of a challenge. Although she found plenty of ways to indulge her passions for hiking and fitness, she wanted to connect to the community in a deeper, more meaningful way. After...

SOAR365 Administrative & Direct Service InternsSOAR365 is very excited to introduce our spring line-up of student interns, who will be supporting our administrative teams and direct services this semester in a variety of ways! Aljane Caragos – Aljane (pictured), a Brightpoint student majoring in Mass Communications, will be creating this year’s...

SOAR365 Next Generation Council Young Professional GroupKellie Mattingly currently works for the State of Virginia and has been a member of the Next Generation Council (NGC) since spring of 2021. In this Q & A, Kellie reflects on her motivations to get involved with the NGC and her experience so far: How did you hear about SOAR365’s Next Generation...

SOAR365 Project-Based Skilled VolunteerRetired professional Steve Marzolf has been working with SOAR365 since late last year to create a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan that would resolve current gaps and address a variety of scenarios. In a recent interview, Steve shared his motivations to get involved with SOAR365: Q: What attracted you to SOAR365?...

SOAR365 Adult Program Support VolunteerGrace Keller is a busy woman. In addition to being the mom of a young child, she is employed as a nurse with VCU Health Systems AND is in the final stages of qualifying for medical school. But, with all of this going on, she was still motivated to apply as a SOAR365 volunteer. “I took my son [to PARK365] and he loved...

SOAR365 Spring Social Media InternIn the fall of 2022, interning at a human services non-profit was not necessarily a part of Janani Sathish’s career plans. As a VCU sophomore pursuing degrees in marketing and finance, her ambitions leaned more toward somehow combining her majors with her passions – dance, lifestyle, fashion, and travel. Then she ran across...