2024 Governor’s Volunteerism & Community Service Award honoree Alisa Thornton is currently the Chair of the Virginia Department of Social Services’ Parent Advisory Council and owner of Another Touch Solutions. She is a kinship provider, parent advocate, and realtor. Alisa is also a former Family Support Partner and Peer Recovery Specialist with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), where she was the 2023 recipient of the NAMI Virginia Hope Award. Through her service, she has helped hundreds of families navigate available services and resources, getting them the help they need. She is also currently certified as a trainer to conduct support groups and parent training for various organizations within the state and nationally. Her work has helped empower individuals with disabilities and mental health challenges to find their voice and place in society. Alisa’s passion for mental health comes from seeing multiple family members and friends go untreated for years with no help or support. She decided to help break the cycle. 

As a domestic violence survivor, Alisa is also a well-known speaker sharing her experiences to offer hope and strength to families facing domestic violence, mental health issues, and homelessness. She also spoke at a Congressional Caucus on Homelessness briefing.  

Further, Alisa is the Vice President of the Oxon Hill Shining Stars Lions Club.  She is also active in her community and supports organizations like VOICE, Generations United, Casey Family Programs, Foundations First, Formed Families Forward, Poverty Ending Poverty, Stars Performing Arts, and Tavares Charities, to name a few. Alisa takes pride working with the Prince William County CIT team that trains law enforcement to work with people in crisis by sharing her story. She has also worked hard advocating for the needs of the Crisis Receiving Center in Prince William County with VOICE.