SOAR365 Children and Youth Support Volunteer
For SOAR365, successful volunteer engagement begins with passion – passion for the important work we do in the community and passion for serving in ways that support our program participants in their efforts to reach their goals and live their best lives. For Children and Youth Program Support volunteer Kaeli Jarvis, these two passions have been growing within her since high school. Her involvement with various service clubs as well as her experiences as a camp counselor for two summers strengthened her desire to pursue a career working with children. Her growing awareness about the experiences of marginalized communities helped her to “understand how many institutions in our society are not built to be inclusive.”

Now a first-year VCU student enrolled in the School of Social Work, Kaeli is committed to removing institutional barriers and sees her service with SOAR365 as an important step in that process. “I had very little experience working with people with disabilities, so I hoped that SOAR365 could give me experience with a population I wanted to know more about. I hope to be able to enrich the lives of others in this position while also learning as both a person and advocate.”

Despite the demands of her first college semester, Kaeli thoroughly enjoys dedicating every Friday afternoon to the Children & Youth program participants. “I volunteer on Fun Fridays, so I get to spend my time playing games and bonding with participants. I am very close in age to many of them, so having fun and cracking jokes together comes easy. The environment in the youth program is filled with positive energy and fun-loving attitudes that anyone would find delightful.”

But for Kaeli, this commitment is about more than just having fun – it’s about developing her skills and becoming the best social work professional that she can be. “I’m learning how to navigate an individual’s boundaries, discovering who appreciates things like physical touch or silly faces and who does not. I think that this is a valuable skill that expands one’s empathy and respect for others. Each time I go back I get to understand more about these participants and grow a connection with them.”