The Arlington County Board honored six individuals and one team on May 19 for their outstanding volunteer service to our community.
Patricia Bailey is a shelving support volunteer at the Cherrydale Branch Library with Arlington County Libraries. She assists library staff with sorting and re-shelving books, and helps to make the children’s space a welcoming and comfortable place with easy access to materials.
Howard Elitzak is a volunteer at the Harvey Hall Community Center through the Community Outreach Program and the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP). He is a model ESOL teacher, teacher trainer and special projects assistant.
Caroline Haynes is a volunteer with Parks and Natural Resources within the Department of Parks and Recreation. By promoting active community collaboration, she has helped make many key Arlington environmental stewardship activities and natural resource projects successful.
Insight on the Inside (IOI) volunteers provide guided meditation and simple yoga classes to inmates incarcerated at the Arlington Detention Facility. They seek to change negative thoughts and behaviors to heal and transform lives, while reducing recidivism and improving community safety and wellbeing.
Alena Palevitz is a circulation support and front desk volunteer at the Columbia Pike Branch Library. She works behind the scenes to maximize workflow and face-to-face with the community to ensure library resources are easily available and that patron requests are quickly processed.
Laura Sells is a volunteer Medicare counselor with the Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program through the Department of Human Services. Her expertise with the federal workforce helps the County efficiently and effectively serve a large population of retirees with Medicare needs.
Gabrielle Sorresso is a teen volunteer with Arlington Gymnastics, specifically Barcroft Summer Camp, and the Adapted Gymnastics classes. Her unwavering commitment to youth with special needs has helped the adapted gymnastics program expand, allowing more gymnasts to participate each year.