Volunteer Fairfax registered a record number of participants in September's VolunteerFest event with over 1000 volunteers serving in-person or working at home to make donation kits and projects for area nonprofits. This year’s event also included a special kick-off ceremony held at the Fairfax County Government Center. This event was focused around a Remembrance Ceremony presided over by Volunteer Fairfax’s CEO, Steve Mutty, and included remarks by public safety officials and dignitaries including Assistant Fire Chief Jason Jenkins, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, US Congressman Gerry Connolly, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graces and Garrett McGuire, Regional Director AT&T, VolunteerFest’s Presenting Supporter. Additional activities at the kick-off included Chalk4Peace, an arts-based youth project to celebrate messages of peace, a gratitude station for public safety officials, and a food drive to benefit Food for Others (part of FC Stuff the Bus campaign).

At-home projects were again a big hit this year, appealing primarily to students looking for ways to give back even when sports, family, and school commitments sometimes cause conflicts for attending in-person events on a Saturday morning. We received some very positive initial results from our nonprofit partners on the quality and quantity of donations received as a result of VolunteerFest.

VolunteerFest was one of 20 organizations who received a Mini Grant from the Virginia Service Foundation this year. 

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