V2V 2024 Venture to Volunteer Sites

Venture to Volunteer Service Projects

In our inaugural year of Venture to Volunteer, we worked with 6 incredible non-profits to host our service projects.

Our students volunteered with: Alliance of Concerned Men, Bread for the City, Following Francis, Horton's Kids, IONA Senior Services, and Washington English Center.

Future Venture to Volunteer participants will learn about their service projects when they check-in and learn about their group.

ACM staff and volunteers mentor at-risk youth and their families, providing a comprehensive network of services to more than 7,000 youth and their families monthly. ACM creates positive impacts to these communities by implementing trusted leadership, counseling, mentoring, youth violence and gang intervention, and social uplift programs.

Embracing our belief that the most effective solutions to community problems usually come from people from those communities, ACM believes that a critical part of the solution to gun violence can be found in the District鈥檚 substantial population of formerly incarcerated men and women. Those individuals who have experienced a spiritual transformation while in prison have returned to their communities ready and willing to do what they can make a positive difference in the lives of DC鈥檚 economically, educationally, and socially underprivileged youth and young adults鈥攖he population that is statistically most at risk of becoming perpetrators and/or victims of gun violence.

The mission of Bread for the City is to help Washington, DC residents living with low income to develop their power to determine the future of their own communities. We provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty. We seek justice through community organizing and public advocacy. We work to uproot racism, a major cause of poverty. We are committed to treating our clients with the dignity and respect that all people deserve.

At Bread for the City, we share a vision of Washington, DC as a nurturing community, where all residents have access to the basic material resources they need for survival and growth, and the prosperity of their social, emotional, and spiritual lives.

Following Francis,听founded in 2011 as听Francis in the Schools, began as a free educational field trip program for school-aged children living in areas impacted by unemployment, poverty, deportation, drugs and crime. We wanted to create inspirational programs and activities for children facing the challenges of ethnic and social blending and a below-average standard of living.

Following Francis听is an educational, not a religious organization. We celebrate听Francis of Assisias a famous historic figure known around the world for his humanity. People of all ages resonate with his universal message of compassion and respect. As our programs are seated in service, his name is the unifying theme for each of them.

Founded in 1989, Horton鈥檚 Kids was built on the idea that dedicated service can change lives. We began as an all-volunteer operation, established by Former Capitol Hill staffer Karin Walser. Over the years, our efforts have shifted to work in tandem with families in Southeast DC, to co-create programs that remove barriers to success, and help every member of the family thrive.

Horton鈥檚 Kids leveraged its Capitol Hill roots to build strong partnerships with federal agencies that provide spaces for programs free of charge and help recruit volunteers. While our ties to Capitol Hill remain strong, the bulk of our programs now operate at our Community Resource Centers in Anacostia, improving ease of access for the children and families we serve.

As a trusted community partner, Horton鈥檚 Kids relies heavily on the community to guide the strategic direction of the organization. We promote inclusive, community-led guidance on programming and actively work to increase the number of community members at all levels including staff, board members, and volunteers.

Iona is a leading aging services nonprofit in Washington, DC. Care has been the heart of our work since the day we first opened our doors over 45 years ago. With two adult day health centers and a variety of virtual and in-person programs, Iona provides unparalleled care and support for older adults and caregivers in the Washington, DC area and beyond.

Iona supports people as they experience the challenges and opportunities of aging. We educate, advocate, and provide community-based services to help people age well and live well.

We envision a community where every older adult is cared for, connected, and nourished in mind, body, and spirit.

In 1993-- at the request of Our Lady Queen of the Americas Catholic Church-- a handful of volunteers began teaching evening and Sunday classes to 200 parishioners from Central America. With access to just a single computer, the program focused on English as a Second Language (ESL), Graduate Equivalency Degrees (GED), and 猫咪社区app Citizenship classes. Job openings were posted on a bulletin board in the hallway.

From these humble beginnings, Washington English Center has expanded its English literacy education and workforce preparation programs to adult immigrants from across the greater Washington area. Today, students representing over 100 countries are supported by 350 volunteers each term. These committed, well-trained volunteers act as teachers, tutors, computer lab assistants, librarians, job coaches and mentors.

WEC partners with community organizations to ensure that our students have access to all the services they need - not just English classes. Whether it's health, career, legal, or other services, we offer numerous partner tabling events and info sessions to connect learners with life-changing resources. WEC also offers special-interest field trips, club, and social activities.. These extracurriculars build a sense of community and contribute to our vision that all immigrants have access to the support they need to achieve their goals.