Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Micah Sawyer. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Content Warning: Points of Light is proud to share the following uplifting and inspiring story. However, we acknowledge that portions of this story may be difficult for some readers. We encourage you to please care for your own well-being above all.
The transition from a quiet life running a construction business to the front lines of a public health crisis wasn’t a choice Micah Sawyer ever expected to make. It was born from the silence left behind after losing his 22-year-old son to a fentanyl overdose. In the wake of that devastating grief, Micah chose to build something that could help hold the weight of his pain: a nonprofit called Micah’s Hugs. While still managing his business, he and his partner have embraced the work as a secondary full-time career, each dedicating over 100 hours every month to the cause.
As the founder and lead volunteer, he is on the ground in Sonoma County, leading school presentations and coordinating distribution efforts. This is a fully hands-on endeavor, and Micah has personally invested over $100,000 of his own funds to keep the mission growing. In 2025 alone, Micah’s Hugs distributed 15,835 doses of naloxone (Narcan) and reached over 4,100 students with vital education on substance use and mental health. Since its inception, the organization has put more than 43,000 doses of the life-saving medication into the hands of the public.
Beyond immediate intervention, Micah is focused on the long road to wellness, having funded over $106,000 in sober living scholarships. He navigates the complexities of grant management, community partnerships and administrative duties with the same attention he offers to families currently walking the dark path of substance use. By engaging more than 8,300 community members last year, he is successfully shifting the narrative around the fentanyl crisis from one of shame to one of proactive response. Read on to hear more of Micah’s inspiring story.
A repurposed newspaper box is now stocked with Narcan and fentanyl test strips.
Tell us about your volunteer role and organization.
I’m the president of Micah’s Hugs, a nonprofit organization. We help people, both people that are struggling with substance use issues, and also educating the general public around the issues of substances, especially fentanyl. These days, fentanyl has become the most dangerous substance out there that people are struggling with. We do a lot of work with schools, and we’ve been working primarily with the high schools lately.
We started doing this after we lost my son, Micah Jr., who the organization is named after. We lost him to fentanyl overdose, via fentanyl poisoning. It’s been almost seven years now, so we thought, after dealing with what we had to deal with and going through the grief and the struggle and the trauma of losing a child, we wanted to try to help other people not have to go through that struggle and trauma. So we started this organization to try to help anybody we could help, especially young people and families.
What are some things people should be aware of about fentanyl?
Fentanyl has unfortunately made its way into so many different places where we’re even finding some instances of it in cannabis, in marijuana, where people would never really expect it to be. It’s not super common—but we’ve had a handful of stories of people that have gotten fentanyl overdoses from smoking cannabis. The main thing we want to tell people is just that it’s gotten into everything.
We do a lot of harm reduction, which is trying to help people not become harmed while they’re doing anything they want to do. We understand that, in a perfect world, nobody would experiment with anything, and we’d all be safe. But unfortunately, that doesn’t happen. We often say the harm reduction that we try to teach is indeed reduction; it’s not harm elimination. We compare it to wearing a seat belt in a car. There’s still danger when you drive that car, but it can help you be a lot safer than if you weren’t wearing a seat belt.
Fentanyl is everywhere. It’s in pills. A lot of people, especially kids, are experimenting with pills—things like Xanax, Adderall, Oxycontin—and a lot of times they think that because those pills look pressed and look like they come from a pharmacy, that they must be safe. Unfortunately, over 85% of the pills that are bought off the streets these days actually contain fentanyl. We try to teach people a lot about the risks and what it looks like to have an overdose on fentanyl. We do a lot of training on Narcan. We’ve distributed about 43,000 doses of Narcan into our local communities to try to help people recognize an overdose and what you can do if you see an overdose.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
The work that we do has really been what’s helped me deal with my grief the best way possible. We help a lot of people try to not get into that situation of fentanyl poisoning. We also work with a lot of people who have lost children—especially those who are newer to the situation—to help them navigate it.
The rewards that come to me have really helped me a lot in dealing with my own grief. I’m rewarded every time we can help somebody. We said when we first started this, if we could save one person’s life, that would be worthwhile enough. We’ve now had many stories of people coming back to us and saying that, in one way or another, they feel like we’ve saved their lives, either through Narcan and harm reduction, or helping them get into programs to get clean and sober.
We had a young girl who we ran into a year after we first met her, and she said that we had saved her life. We realized she was actually formerly unhoused and addicted to heroin. We had met her on the streets and gave her a scholarship to get into sober living a year earlier. She looked so different and so cleaned up that we didn’t even realize it was the same woman. That was the first situation where somebody said we had saved their lives, and now that has happened numerous times. That just gives us the incentive to keep doing what we’re doing.
We had a 16-year-old kid this year from our local high school whose mom got Narcan from the school that we worked with to help supply them. He came across a pregnant woman that was overdosing in a parking lot at a shopping center. He remembered that his mom had Narcan in her car, and he ran and got the Narcan out and helped save this pregnant woman. Every time we get one of those stories, it makes us want to keep doing what we’re doing.
What’s your advice for someone who finds out that a loved one, a friend or a family member is experimenting with substances?
That’s a really tough one, because everybody wants to jump in and completely save somebody or just end the situation altogether. But it’s not as simple as what people might hope it would be. There are no perfect answers. I usually tell people to be open and honest and meet people where they’re at with love, empathy and compassion.
When I first realized my son was struggling, the first thing you want to do is just sort of grab them and shake them and knock some sense into them. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really work. If people feel like you’re judging them, it actually makes them turn away and not want to be open and honest with you. So again, it’s empathy and compassion and love and understanding that can help in these situations. Tell people that you’re there for them and see if they can open up to you and ask for some help. If you’re too judgmental, they’re not going to ask for that help.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
We’ve learned a lot. We started out just trying to help people who were reaching out and asking for help, or people that would call us and ask us to come talk in front of their groups. We never started out with the concept of trying to run a nonprofit; that just sort of came along the way. We had some people who were donating a little bit of money to try to help us out, and they asked if they could write it off on their taxes. That’s originally why we decided we’d better become official and start a 501(c)(3) so people can get a tax deduction when they’re donating. Since then, it’s just kind of snowballed and became larger and larger. It’s not completely full-time yet, but we put a lot of time into this.
What are your long-term plans or goals with volunteer work?
We certainly like to get more funding so we can expand some of these programs. We have a sober living scholarship program that we put into place, and we’ve done over $100,000 in scholarships now that will help pay for somebody’s first two months to go into sober living. We really found there’s a hole in the system where you can get your health insurance or Medi-Cal to pay for residential treatment, and then when people get out of that, they’re often at a loss. They don’t know where to go or where to live. Many people are coming from situations where there’s a lot of drug use or alcohol use around them, and they’re trying to stay clean, and they wind up having to go right back to where they came from. It’s very hard to stay clean when you’re with a lot of other people who are using.
Statistically, people are about two to four times as likely to be successful if they go into sober living after treatment, instead of just being released straight out of treatment. So we’d like to expand that program and expand our schools program. We worked with a high school and actually broke the Guinness Book of World Records’ record for the largest Narcan training in the world. It was a half-hour training during their homecoming rally with the entire student body, and we gave out 1,400 boxes of Narcan and 1,400 fentanyl test strips to every student in the school.
We’d really like to expand these programs to more schools. Years back, we had a lot more resistance from schools, but in the last couple of years, that mentality is changing. Our specialty has always been trying to find a place where something is lacking and jump in and help where we can. If what we’re doing becomes unnecessary at some point, we’ll switch to something else.
Micah volunteering at the Oakland Street Fair raising awareness, providing Narcan training and distributing Narcan and test strips.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
It’s pretty amazing just the way it makes you feel about yourself and how you can do things to help your community. Sometimes people say volunteering can be selfish—not really, but it sort of feels that way, because of how much it makes you feel better about yourself when you see how you help somebody else out or you change someone else’s life for the better. It affects your own life in such a positive way at the same time.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
I would say to just reach out to some other organizations in your area if you find something that means a lot to you. We’ve done a lot of work with unhoused populations as well. Sometimes we go down to encampments and we’ll take people with us who have never done anything like that before, and it’s really eye-opening. The day before Christmas, we went down to the Tenderloin in San Francisco. We bought 100 Burger King hamburgers and scarves and socks and hats. We brought some people who had never done anything like that before, and they were really blown away. It just really changed their opinion about how they thought about the Tenderloin residents, or unhoused people in general, once they realized that these are just people. They all have a story, and so many of them want to tell their story—how they wound up there and what their life’s been like and their struggles. We often look at those people sleeping in a doorway and we’re scared of them, or we step across the street, but you realize if you just sit down and talk to them on their level and speak to them as a person, they’re some really interesting people who have had some really unfortunate struggles in their lives.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
Have empathy, compassion and an open mind. Educate yourself. The drug overdose and substance deaths numbers are coming down, and I think the biggest reason for that is that people are becoming more open-minded and more educated. They’re learning more about what the risks are. I have not yet heard anybody say they’re having a hard time finding drugs—the drugs aren’t disappearing—but I think people are becoming more educated about what the risks are and how they can protect themselves and their kids.
The numbers, of course, are still outrageously too high. It’s not like the problem is solved, but it’s at least headed in a better direction.
We’re somewhere around 80,000 people a year dying from substance overdose, and at one point it was up to almost 130,000. Even though 80,000 is a massive number, it’s a lot fewer people than what it was at its peak. I think that’s good, and I think it’s also really interesting how much we’ve seen society’s opinion changing. When we first started this, there was a lot more negativity. We had people pushing back and saying what we were doing was wrong, that we were telling people it’s okay to use drugs. That opinion has really changed, and we don’t get near as much of that as we did when we first started doing this.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree William Kwok. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, William Kwok wanted to help his community. While the world was still shut down, many members of his New York neighborhood, particularly Asian-American women, felt rather unsafe in public spaces. William started hosting free online safety workshops to teach community members important situational awareness skills. When the world opened up again, he started hosting live workshops through his organization, the Martial Arts Education Society, which aims to promote the positive values and cultures of martial arts education that allow positive role-modeling, moral leadership and caring relationships to the general public. Designed to teach practical safety skills, the workshops also help participants build awareness, confidence, empathy and a stronger community connection. The groups also discuss topics such as stereotypes, bias, psychological self-defense and how actions and interactions can influence how communities see one another.
Each month, William spends five to 10 hours researching, preparing, coordinating with community partners and facilitating workshops. Thus far, he has hosted over 30 workshops, each serving 60 to 120 participants, including seniors, immigrants and other vulnerable residents. But the impact has also been proven: After the first three workshops, an independent evaluation found that attendees’ confidence in personal safety rose from 36% to 60%, while their confidence in helping others rose from 32% to 77%. Every time an attendee leaves one of William’s workshops, they feel safer in their community.
William says he doesn’t need to save the whole world. Instead, he hopes to do one small thing that will plant a seed and create a positive change within his community. His powerful ability to recognize a need and subsequently take action is a strong example of being a force for good through volunteerism.
MARTIAL ARTS EDUCATION SOCIETY VOLUNTEER WILLIAM KWOK (BACK) GUIDES PARTICIPANTS THROUGH A COMMUNITY SAFETY EXERCISE AT UMASS AMHERST. /COURTESY WILLIAM KWOK
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
During the early months of the COVID pandemic in New York, I saw many Asian American community members, especially women, feel unsafe in public spaces. At the same time, I was also dealing with severe Bell’s Palsy during the city-wide shutdown. Because the city was shut down, access to regular treatment was very difficult. My recovery is actually still ongoing, but that period gave me a deeper understanding of vulnerability. I began to see that safety was not only a physical issue, but also an emotional and a psychological one. I realized people know they should stay calm, set boundaries and seek help, but under fear and pressure, they often freeze.
Tell us about your volunteer role with the Martial Arts Education Society.
I do community workshops. Each group is different. I do research about the group, and I will adapt my presentation to the needs of the group. The workshops are mainly on situational awareness and teach people how to set boundaries, about de-escalation and also bystander responses. Of course, it’s also about how to use their voice and posture when something is not right, and how to support other people without escalating the situation. The goal is not to turn these people into fighters, but instead to help them feel safer and more prepared.
What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?
I want to continue the work, because I’m a researcher and martial arts educator. I just want to continue spending more time working with others, but the long-term goal is to encourage more people to do the work I do, because I’m only one person, and the New York City Asian community is not the only group that should have access to this kind of public education. So I’d like to expand the work.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
When I can see an older participant realize that she does not have to fight or freeze, but can also use a voice or a posture and learn to step back and be able to be seen for help, or help other people to be safe. To me, that’s very meaningful, because the workshop may be only a few minutes. I always encourage them to share with their family members and friends. I’m planting a seed. They are spreading the words, and they might change their mentality in life. They might want to help someone who will change the community. If everyone does a little bit extra, the whole community will be very different.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
Every group is different. When I teach the workshops, I always tell them, I’m not here to tell you what to do. I’m here to listen to what you need to tell me. It helps me. This experience helped me read and understand the community first before I go through the process of facilitating these workshops every time. It helps me understand myself and how I interact with people.
WILLIAM KWOK (CENTER) A VOLUNTEER WITH MARTIAL ARTS EDUCATION SOCIETY, LEADS A YOUTH WORKSHOP ON BIAS, STEREOTYPES AND SHARED COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY AT HOEMCREST COMMUNITY SERVICES. /COURTESY WILLIAM KWOK
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
We will always have problems in our society, so everyone should just start with what they can see in their own community. If they’re willing to begin with one skill or one relationship, or just one group of people who need support, I think that makes society a lot more beautiful.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
As I said, we all have different skills. I do this professionally, but I want to serve people who may never walk into a martial arts school. They should have access to the tools and support. People can just begin with what they like or enjoy doing. Just do something you like.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
I hope people understand that martial arts can be a form of service. It’s not only about fighting. People have a misconception of it. But traditional martial arts can help people’s awareness, self-regulation, confidence and reasonable responses in difficult situations. I hope my work helps people move from fear to clarity and helps them know what to do and be able to respond when it matters.
Leading With Purpose: A Student’s Journey to Empower Communities Through Service
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Aditya Jain. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Aditya Jain is founder and president of Hotels for Humanity, a student-led nonprofit turning discarded hotel linens and toiletries into resources for underserved communities across southeast Virginia. After noticing usable items being thrown away during a hotel internship, Aditya built partnerships with 11 hotels and eight nonprofits, helping donate more than 20,000 items worth $31,000 while creating hands-on service opportunities for more than 100 student volunteers.
Aditya believes meaningful change starts with paying attention to the needs around you. Through founding Hotels for Humanity, he has learned that leadership is built through trust, persistence and community partnerships. Aditya encourages other young people to start small, take initiative and not let age limit their impact. By connecting students with hands-on service opportunities, he hopes to inspire the next generation of changemakers to lead with empathy and action.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Shourya Pabba. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Shourya Pabba’s journey with People For Urban and Rural Education (PURE) began as the contribution of a shy, 7-year-old volunteer. But since his quiet beginnings, Shourya’s service has blossomed into a prolific record of over 70 projects, each supporting PURE’s mission to connect individuals, groups and organizations with the urgent needs of the world’s children. Whether organizing local food drives and bake sales or coordinating expansive library setups and blanket drives for wildfire victims, the now-16-year-old Shourya helps provide essential support to veterans, foster youth and students in rural areas.
As Shourya moved from the sidelines to the center of his chapter’s operations, he proved that leadership is not a matter of age, but of initiative. His personal growth catalyzed growth throughout his entire chapter, and he led them through their most active year to date. This evolution from a participant to a leader brought a big transition – moving into the role of chapter director, where he learned to rally an entire community behind collective goals.
Now, Shourya serves as an assistant national student director. His influence spans the country as he mentors the next generation of student leaders. In a single year, he personally guided more than ten new ambassadors, empowering them to lead with the same compassion that defined his early days. With time and dedication, Shourya is ensuring that chapters nationwide have the communication tools and strategic planning necessary to thrive and keep passing on PURE’s mission to those who need it most. Read on to hear more of his inspiring story.
Shourya cooking to support the Chaat Night fundraiser, which supported Abhyasa schools through food sales and donations.
Tell us a little bit about the organization you volunteer with PURE.
PURE is a student-led nonprofit dedicated to promoting education equality, with another main focus of community development. PURE goes about this specifically through service projects, fundraisers and global initiatives where we, as volunteers, support disadvantaged communities in developing countries. This applies both locally and worldwide; it’s not restricted to a specific area. PURE also focuses on youth leadership. PURE Youth, specifically, is led by youth leaders, and the focus is on taking initiative and making sure that every action we take uplifts another community. That can be through bringing sustainable growth, raising funds, or raising goods that help people get what they need – especially in a world where so many people don’t have what they need to survive. Our focus is to provide people with these necessities.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
I joined PURE in 2018 when I was around 7 years old. I joined at a very young age because I saw my brother doing it, and I was interested because it seemed like my brother was doing something he cared about. From that point onwards, I’ve participated in over 70 projects. Rather than focusing on the quantity of the projects, I think the most important thing as an ambassador and volunteer was just my growth along the way.
When I first joined PURE, my big interest was actually connected to my birthday. My parents donated money on my behalf, and as a result, we were able to fund a dinner and a movie night for children at PURE Pabba schools, which is another program within PURE. I remember that moment specifically. When I saw photos of how those children had fun on my mom’s phone on Facebook, it made me realize that every small thing I can do is shaping the lives of other people.
Over time, I continued to grow more involved because I started to see how everything I do can help a community, especially communities that don’t have the opportunities I have. As I saw the impact of my initiatives firsthand – whether through talking to people who were donating or through photos – I was able to push my commitment further and tie myself to PURE’s mission to create change and support my communities.
Tell us about your volunteer role.
This year, I’m an ANSD (assistant national student director), and I work with a team of around seven other ANSDs and a few national student directors. We support multiple chapters nationwide. We have around 35 to 50 chapters in the U.S. I assist the admin team and the NSDs to help develop projects, reach our global initiatives and make sure that our communication is smooth. As a whole, we are essentially completing projects in the right way and making sure that we’re aligning ourselves with PURE’s goals and with the UN Sustainability Development Goals.
We meet with the directors of several chapters to see how they’re doing and make sure we’re all in unison. Our tasks vary from creating ideas for fundraisers or food drives to focusing on the other side of it, which is to bring awareness and outreach through our initiatives with providing global education.
Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about.
One of the things I’ve been focusing on recently is a new initiative I started with one of my fellow ambassadors. This initiative is focused on civic engagement. We are strong believers that civic engagement is a skill every student should have because people need to be confident and effective communicators. When we talk about providing people with education and opportunities, that’s more than just giving them tangible resources; it’s also about teaching people the skills and ideas they need to develop.
With this initiative, we want to create a global civic engagement campaign. We want to spread it to a large scale, where students have the access to work with other students, improve their public speaking skills and build off their own ideas so they are more confident in themselves and are more effective communicators. With this platform, we want people to have these opportunities. They shouldn’t feel left behind or that they don’t have access to things that kids in more resourced areas have. We want to make sure everybody has the same access and can learn and use these skills in their everyday life.
What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?
This is a very important part of my life. I’ve been a volunteer for over half of my life, so I will definitely continue to volunteer as I get older. I don’t think it’s something that comes and goes; it’s more like a skill, to have the mindset that you can help other people. With PURE, there are no limits. If you strongly believe in something, PURE encourages you to go for it.
As I get older, I continue to believe that volunteering is the way to help people get what they need. My long-term goal is to maintain that same mindset – to make sure that with whatever action I take, I can help other people. To me, the most important thing is helping others. I know that sounds simple, but I’ve been given the chance and the framework to grow, and I now have a way to pay it forward to those who don’t have those same chances. I hope that they will come to realize that being helpful is not just something you do when you are in your “dream state,” or when you are happiest, or when you feel like you’ve completed your life. Getting involved in your community and helping people should be something that’s with you each step of your journey. My plan is to maintain this mindset, support other people and stress the importance of civic engagement and accessibility as a whole.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
The most rewarding part is being able to see the impact that I get to make firsthand. I mentioned the chance I had in third grade to raise funds so that kids in a rural India school were able to watch a movie and have a nice dinner. That moment still shapes me to this day because I remember how mesmerized I was to see that the action I did allowed other people to have a moment to themselves and a chance to celebrate.
The most rewarding thing is hearing firsthand about the experiences of others and witnessing how grateful I am to be in this position where I can give back. I remember a conversation with members of the Red Cross who were raising funds for people during the Los Angeles wildfires. One of the directors was telling us about his experiences, and he said that the thing he remembered most wasn’t about the money or the logistics, but the individual conversations with people. Every handshake, every hug and every thank you reminded him why he serves to help others. That ties into my rewards – the ability to see the impact firsthand makes it important to stay connected to the people you help and truly get the chance to bond with them. When I have an opportunity to help, I feel the most important thing is to make the most of it.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
If you’re passionate about something, no matter what it is, you should express that passion because then you’re putting so much more of yourself into that scenario. Make the most out of every opportunity. If everyone is able to get involved with the causes they care about, society as a whole will be so much better because people are going to be happy and motivated, and have genuine passion.
As a youth leader, we’re shaping the future. You are tomorrow’s leader.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
The best advice I would give is, honestly, just don’t think twice about it. Just do it and don’t look back. When I started volunteering, I wasn’t really the one making the decision. I saw my brother doing it and saw my mom involved, and I just decided to join. That’s one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made because it taught me that there’s so much more to life than just looking at your own experience. As a volunteer, you get the chance to view things from other people’s perspectives and put yourself in their shoes.
Volunteering doesn’t feel like a commitment or something you’re doing out of force. Instead, it’s something you can grow from. You feel rewarded, you develop with each step you take and you never regret it. It’s just something you see as a way to get involved in the community, which is the most important thing.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Aaron Hudgins. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Content Warning: Points of Light is proud to share the following uplifting and inspiring story. However, we acknowledge that portions of this story may be difficult for some readers. We encourage you to please care for your own well-being above all.
For retired U.S. Army First Sergeant Aaron Hudgins, the call to serve didn’t end with his retirement after 26 years of military duty. Having completed combat tours in Iraq and Bosnia, as well as critical domestic missions during Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey, Aaron’s life has been defined by his commitment to others. However, it was a profound personal tragedy—the loss of his wife, Staff Sergeant Jari Hudgins, to suicide in 2018—that fueled his resolve for service. As a Gold Star spouse, Aaron has channeled his experiences into a leadership role within the Travis Manion Foundation’s Central Oklahoma Chapter. Here, he ensures that the sacrifice of the fallen is never forgotten.
Through his work as a volunteer leader, Aaron orchestrates “Operation Legacy” projects that mobilize hundreds of people across the state to serve foster children, veterans and underserved communities. He organizes the assembly of care packages and leads cemetery flag placements to honor his fellow service members. His “Honor Project” and “Letters of Legacy” initiatives create a living tribute to heroism through tangible community action. Dedicating an average of 60 to 80 hours per month to volunteer service, he has successfully led dozens of projects that have resulted in thousands of volunteer hours contributed to Oklahoma. He is a constant presence in local schools, delivering “Character Does Matter” presentations that mentor students and student-athletes.
Aaron and his wife at the Oklahoma State Capital where he was recognized as the Veteran of the Week for Oklahoma.
Aaron’s journey is an inspiring story of turning grief and tragedy to hope and action. Through volunteering, he continues to prove that while heroes may fall, their spirit lives on through the selfless acts of those they inspired. Read on to hear more of his inspiring story.
What inspired you to get started with the Travis Manion Foundation?
To understand why I even do what I do, you have to understand where I came from. I did 26 years in the United States Army, and about six years before my retirement, I was married to another fellow soldier. Her name was Jari. She was a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army. She had two combat tours herself. She’d been in 10 years, and she was getting ready for her third deployment when she broke her hip. At the time, it was an injury to the point where the Army was going to medical her out. When that happened, she rapidly started to deteriorate. We lost a lot of who she was. Her identity was wrapped up in her career, and that made it extremely difficult. She was also a star athlete in high school. And she wasn’t able to walk correctly anymore. With those things factored in, on April 29, 2018, she took her own life, leaving back a very large, blended, beautiful family that had to figure out why, and how do we move forward?
I was in that boat. I spent the first two or three years after her death, still in the Army, trying to figure out where I go and what I do. I felt lost; I needed something. Out of nowhere, I got an email from an organization called the Travis Manion Foundation. It wasn’t on my radar. It’s based around Lieutenant Travis Manion, who was killed on April 29, 2007, in Iraq while saving his fellow soldiers. When I learned that, I immediately wondered why that date, April 29, coincided with one that meant so much to me. That’s what led me to read about the organization. They take veterans and Gold Star families and they develop character in future generations. We teach kids and adults about character—what it means to have character and what it looks like—but we do it through service. We do a lot where we get involved in the community, all in honor of a fallen hero.
All these things spoke to me because I’m a veteran myself now, and I’m a gold star spouse. Those two elements were very vital to me because when I lost my wife, I found myself in a weird position. I wasn’t connected to the Army anymore, but I wasn’t connected to civilians either. It was hard to find that perfect medium. This organization sent me a random email, and that email has now cascaded to what I’m doing now. They’ve given me the opportunity to run a chapter in the state of Oklahoma, and that is exactly what I did when given the opportunity. All the people in the organization are either veterans or families of the fallen. It has been life-changing because I’m able to get involved in the community. Service is the most vital part. Jari’s legacy continues to live on. I get to share her story at many of the different events that we do. I always share a couple of things about her. But I also share other veterans and other fallen heroes as well. We’re constantly making sure legacy is continued forward.
Tell us about your volunteer role.
Some of the things we do include cleanups and organizing Meals on Wheels for seniors. We bring the kids in. For example, I’ll bring a soccer team in to do Meals on Wheels. Meeting with senior citizens, a high percentage of whom don’t get a lot of people coming to their house, is impactful. One time, when we brought the kids in to deliver their food, I wish you could have seen it. A lot of the seniors put their Sunday best on when they came to the door. They brought the whole team in, shared their families, their pictures, their history and the things they like to do now. The kids responded very well to it. We did it in the neighborhoods they are from; a woman might live three houses down from them and they had no idea. Now, when they see them, they stop and socialize. Now, they’re starting to pick up after them and offer to do yard work. Why is an 86-year-old woman trying to mow the lawn? We just cleaned up an senior man’s yard; he had about three years’ worth of leaves. It cost us nothing. It took an entire weightlifting team about an hour, and we cleaned up almost 80 bags of leaves so you could see his lawn again. That’s the service aspect. It’s so simple, yet so effective because it doesn’t cost anything to do it. Thirty kids knocked out an entire front and backyard in an hour.
We also honor a fallen hero; we share their story, where they’re from, what they did and if they played the same sports as the kids. I try to tie it into something so they can connect with them. I find someone from their city or town so that their legacy continues on. That’s what we really want to bring—that legacy that continues to go long after they’ve paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Aaron teaching a class to the Edmond Santa Fe Football Team, approximately 130 student athletes.
Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about.
TMF is a national nonprofit organization. They have approximately 54 chapters nationwide. Texas has five of them. Oklahoma is just now coming on board. We have national events like the Honor Project coming up on Memorial Day, Veterans Day and a 9/11 Heroes Run that we do in September. We have regular national events on key days like Martin Luther King Day and Earth Day.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
Community changes when a group of people decide to show up and do something about it. The more action people see you taking, the more they realize it is not just talk. They drive by a corner one day and all of a sudden the trash is all picked up, and they wonder when that happened. The more people see you doing it, the more they will decide they need to do something about it as well. It becomes this “reaction to action.”
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
The work that matters is legacy. We’re not just honoring those who serve; we’re making sure their stories, sacrifices and values influence how we lead and serve today. I’ve seen firsthand what happens when people feel disconnected from purpose, and I have also seen what happens when they find it. Bridging that gap between veterans and civilians through shared values, service, responsibility and community is crucial. That connection is where it’s at.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
The biggest reason is that volunteering is taking ownership. When people get involved in something they care about, they stop being bystanders and start becoming part of the solution. Communities don’t change because of one person; they change because people decide to show up. We all have something to give, whether it is time, skills or simply effort. When people step up, the collective impact becomes powerful.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
Start small. Find something as simple as a need in your community—perhaps something that needs to be cleaned up—then organize it and do it. It doesn’t require money or networking. It requires action. Action is what defines us. You just have to start.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
After the death of my wife, I struggled for several years to figure out my direction. Then this took off. Service became an outlet to help myself get through the times I was struggling because I was helping other people who were in the same boat. Now my life has taken an amazing turn.
I live by a quote: “I’ve learned to love the very thing I wish never happened.” If it wasn’t for my wife’s death, I wouldn’t be having this conversation. I wouldn’t be talking about community service, legacy or how we’re going to help other people. That was not on my radar. It was not in the cards. Now here I am, and I wouldn’t change a thing. The reason it got to where it’s at is because it started with a tragedy I never would have wished for.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Jesse Hicks. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
For Jesse Hicks, the oath taken upon entering military service in 2007 was never a temporary commitment. As a U.S. Disabled Combat Navy Veteran, Jesse spent eight years on active duty, including deployments aboard the USS George H.W. Bush in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Then, after transitioning to civilian life, he channeled that same dedication into federal service at the Indianapolis Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). There, his guidance supported thousands of incoming service members, earning him multiple Army Civilian Service Achievement Medals and Employee of the Year honors.
At the local level, Jesse dedicates between 25 and 40 hours every month to community care in Johnson County, working directly on the front lines of crisis intervention. His efforts help find emergency shelter, food and long-term stability for unhoused veterans, while bridging the gap to employment for those struggling to find work. Through his local leadership, he has driven 3,243 volunteer hours, $26,967 in donations and $136,377 in direct community support, strengthening the safety net for vulnerable families.
Jesse also specializes in structural excellence and institutional revitalization. His exceptional management earned him the highest honors the Veterans of Foreign Wars can bestow at the local level: All American and All State Post Commander, alongside All American and All State Quartermaster. As the Senior Vice Commander for VFW District 7, his strategic oversight helps guide multiple posts across Central Indiana. This collaborative district-level mobilization has yielded 22,951 volunteer hours, over $285,000 in donations and more than $1 million in total regional community support.
Jesse actively serves as the Captain of the Guard in the Scottish Rite Lodge, backing children’s medical programs, educational scholarships and emergency family relief across the state through the Scottish Rite, Shrine, and Widow Sons. His appointment as a VFW National Aide-de-Camp allows him to represent Indiana’s veterans at the highest levels. Across every tier of service, Jesse continues to build systems that help ensure no veteran, family or youth is left behind.
Tell us about your volunteer role.
I currently serve as the Senior Vice Commander for VFW District 7, where I help lead and support multiple VFW posts across Central Indiana. My role includes mentoring post officers, coordinating district‑wide service projects, strengthening compliance and operations, and ensuring that veterans and their families receive consistent, high‑quality support across the district. District leadership means I’m responsible for the health, performance and impact of an entire region of veteran organizations — not just one post.
Before stepping into district leadership, I served as Post Commander of VFW Post 6978, where I led the post through major growth in community service, financial accountability and veteran outreach. I also served as Senior Vice Commander, House Committee Chairman and in multiple operational roles that strengthened the post’s long‑term stability.
Beyond the VFW, I serve as an officer in both the Scottish Rite and Jubilee Lodge #746, where I support statewide charitable programs, youth initiatives and fraternal service projects. My work in these organizations includes supporting children’s medical care, statewide charitable outreach and community‑building efforts that reach far beyond a single town or county. Across all organizations, my volunteer work is hands‑on, leadership‑driven and focused on building strong, sustainable institutions that serve people with dignity, purpose and compassion.
Why is getting involved so important to you?
As a disabled U.S. Navy veteran, service is not something I left behind when I took off the uniform — it’s something that continues to define my life. I served eight years as an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate, deploying aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, supporting flight operations, training junior sailors and contributing to missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.
I’ve seen the challenges veterans face — from navigating benefits to finding community after service. I’ve also seen how much families sacrifice alongside them. Supporting veterans and strengthening the organizations that serve them is deeply personal to me. It’s a way to honor those who served before me, stand beside those who serve now and help those who will serve in the future.
What inspires you to volunteer?
My inspiration comes from the leaders, mentors, and volunteers who shaped my life — the people who stepped in when I needed guidance, direction or support. When I joined the VFW and the Masonic fraternity, I saw firsthand how powerful it is when people unite around service.
My federal civilian career at the Indianapolis MEPS also shaped my commitment. Supporting the enlistment and readiness of thousands of new service members each year reminded me how important strong veteran organizations are — not just for those who served decades ago, but for the young men and women stepping forward today. I didn’t want to just be a member. I wanted to be someone who builds, strengthens and leads these organizations so they can continue serving long after I’m gone.
What are your long-term plans or goals?
My long‑term goal for VFW District 7 is to build a district where every post is strong, active and deeply connected to its community. That means developing future leaders, strengthening training and communication, expanding community service programs, improving accountability and operational readiness, and ensuring every veteran who walks through our doors finds support, purpose and belonging.
In my Masonic roles, my goal is to continue supporting statewide charitable work, youth programs and the fraternal values that strengthen families and communities. I want to leave behind organizations that are stronger, more resilient and more impactful than when I stepped into leadership.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
The most rewarding moments are the ones where you see the impact directly — a veteran getting connected to resources they didn’t know existed, a family receiving support during a difficult time or a community event bringing people together who might never have met otherwise. Seeing the numbers is meaningful. But seeing the faces behind those numbers is what stays with me.
Those moments remind me why service matters. They’re the reason I put in the hours, the travel, the meetings and the behind‑the‑scenes work that most people never see.
What have you learned through your experiences volunteering?
I’ve learned that leadership is about consistency, humility and doing the work even when no one is watching. I’ve learned that small actions — a phone call, a ride, a conversation, a meal — can change someone’s entire day or even their life.
I’ve also learned that no organization succeeds because of one person. Success comes from teams, partnerships and a willingness to collaborate. When people work together, the impact multiplies. And I’ve learned that service is not a job — it’s a way of life.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
Communities thrive when people step forward. When individuals get involved, they bring new energy, new ideas and new strengths that make organizations better. Volunteering also gives people a sense of purpose and connection that’s hard to find anywhere else. When more people engage, the entire community becomes stronger, more resilient and more compassionate.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
Start small, start local, and start with something you genuinely care about. You don’t need a title or a big commitment; just show up once. Be reliable, be willing to learn and don’t be afraid to ask where help is needed. Volunteering isn’t about perfection — it’s about presence. If you bring heart and consistency, you’ll make a difference.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Ahmed Hajj. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Ahmed Hajj channels his passion for service into leadership with the Perception Foundation, where he serves on the executive board overseeing partnerships and fundraising efforts. Over the past several years, he has helped expand the organization’s reach through sensory rooms, classroom reading programs and donations of sensory items that support children with neurodivergence and families. Inspired by his cousin’s experience navigating limited autism resources as part of an immigrant family, Ahmed became determined to make support more accessible for others. He is helping drive the foundation toward its goal of reaching 1 million people impacted.
For Ahmed, volunteering is about proving that young people belong at the center of change. He encourages students to reject the idea that they are “too young” to lead and instead use voices and energy to strengthen their communities. Whether joining an existing nonprofit or starting something entirely new, Ahmed believes action begins when people stop waiting for someone else to solve a problem. Through his leadership, he is showing a new generation that service is not defined by age, but by commitment, compassion and persistence.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Danya Levin. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Danya Levin, a 16-year-old high school junior, founded Ads4Impact after stumbling upon a bright idea. What if there was an organization that could repurpose unused digital advertising space for social good? Many nonprofits operate with limited marketing budgets, making it difficult to recruit volunteers or attract donors. Danya solves this by identifying “remnant” or unused ad inventory on television, websites and apps, and securing it as a donation for these organizations. By connecting media companies with causes in need, she helps provide visibility to nonprofits that would otherwise be priced out of the digital advertising market.
Danya leads outreach, handles day-to-day operations and manages all corporate partnerships. She spends approximately 20 hours per month contacting media firms to negotiate donated space and helping nonprofits adapt their creative content to meet specific platform requirements. Beyond securing the placements, she also teaches organizations how to use audience targeting and messaging to maximize the effectiveness of their campaigns.
To date, Ads 4 Impact has facilitated more than $125,000 in donated digital advertising. These campaigns have allowed nonprofits to reach over 1 million people, resulting in increased awareness, more volunteers and a stronger donor base. Danya enables these organizations to redirect their funds toward their core missions and direct services by removing the overhead costs associated with professional marketing. Read on to hear more about how she got started on her journey.
Tell us about your volunteer role and organization.
I’m a 16-year-old high school student and the founder of Ads4Impact. In my volunteer role, I help connect nonprofit organizations with unused digital advertising space that would otherwise go to waste. I spend a large portion of my time reaching out to media companies, streaming platforms, websites and apps to find ad space that isn’t going to be used. I explain how donating that space can support nonprofits while also giving companies a meaningful way to make an impact.
Once I can secure the ad space, I work directly with nonprofits to understand their goals. Some want to raise money, others want more volunteers and some want to spread awareness about their mission. I match them with the right opportunities and help them make the most of the advertising opportunity. I also help nonprofits actually run their campaigns. Many of them don’t have experience with digital advertising, so I help to guide them through things like creating ads, choosing the right audience and deciding how often ads should run. I explain everything in simple terms so they can learn and use these skills again in the future.
Over time, my role has grown beyond just connecting nonprofits with ad space. I now help them think more strategically about how they communicate and reach people. My goal is not just to help with one campaign, but to help organizations grow and become more effective long-term.
Why is this issue so important to you?
So many nonprofits are doing important work for our communities, but not enough people know about them. Many of these organizations don’t have the money to spend on advertising, so they have trouble reaching donors, volunteers or people who need their services. At the same time, there’s a lot of unused advertising space. When I realized both of these things, it felt like there was an opportunity. Instead of letting that space go to waste, it could be used to help organizations that are trying to make a difference.
What I really care about is the impact this can have on many different communities. Ads4Impact doesn’t just help one group, it helps multiple nonprofits, and each one serves a different population. That means the impact spreads across many causes, like education, health and social services. I also like that this idea improves a system instead of just solving one problem at a time. By reusing something that already exists, we can help nonprofits grow without taking money away from their programs. Plus, by teaching nonprofits how to use digital advertising, we’re helping them build skills they can use in the future.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
The idea for Ads4Impact came to me during the summer of 2023. I was on vacation with my family, and we were watching HGTV on a streaming service. During the commercial breaks, there were no ads. Instead, there was a message displayed on the screen that said, “Commercial break in progress. Your live stream will resume shortly.” That caught my attention because it meant there was ad space available, but no commercial was being shown. I started wondering why that space was empty and whether it could be used for something better.
That question led me to learn more about digital advertising. I found out that unused ad space exists on many platforms, not just streaming TV but also websites and apps. At the same time, I knew that many nonprofits struggle to afford advertising. That’s when the idea came to me: what if that unused space could be given to nonprofits? I started reaching out, testing the idea and eventually launching Ads4Impact. Over the last few years, we have facilitated the donation of over $125,000 in advertising that has reached more than one million people. It’s been really exciting to see something that started as a simple idea turn into something that has supported eight national organizations so far, including Pencils of Promise, Half the Story, Vote16USA and Sandy Hook Promise, with more planned for this year.
What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?
My long-term goal is to grow Ads4Impact so that it becomes a reliable system that nonprofits across the country can use. I want to build more partnerships with media companies so we can access more unused ad space and help more organizations. In addition, I want nonprofits to be able to come back and keep using the platform as they grow. To me, this is a way to provide impact at scale by supporting a variety of nonprofits. Another goal is to continue teaching these organizations how to use digital advertising so they can become more independent and effective over time.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
I’ve learned that big ideas can come from small observations. Ads4Impact started by noticing something simple and then asking a question. I’ve also learned a lot about communication and persistence. Building partnerships takes time, and it’s important to be clear, patient and willing to keep trying. And I’ve learned how important it is to listen and understand what different organizations need.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
Seeing nonprofits reach people they wouldn’t have been able to reach otherwise. Knowing that something that would have gone to waste can instead go to help organizations grow is incredibly meaningful.
It’s also been especially rewarding to see organizations I have personally worked with benefit from Ads4Impact. For example, our very first client was Girls With Impact, whose Business and Leadership Academy played a big role in encouraging me to pursue social entrepreneurship. They not only inspired the name Ads4Impact, but also trusted us early on while we were still learning how to work with media companies and nonprofits together. Being recognized in their 2025 annual report was a full-circle moment and something I am really proud of.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
Change happens when people take action. Even small contributions can make a difference, especially when a lot of people get involved. Getting involved also helps people feel more connected to their community and gives them a chance to use their skills to help others.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
Start simply by finding something that interests you. It doesn’t need to be anything big or complicated; you just need to take the first step and begin by helping one person or organization. In addition, I would also say something my dad often says to me, “Be curious.” Ads4Impact started because I noticed something small and asked a question. Opportunities to make a difference are everywhere if you’re paying attention.
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Ria Rajesh. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
When Ria Rajesh started volunteering at 6 years old, she had no idea it would kick off a life of service. It started with simple food donations and sandwich assembly projects, taking on small tasks to benefit those in her community. By the time she was in the fourth and fifth grades, she was engaging with her peers through writing notes of kindness, bringing smiles to their faces while using her sense of creativity. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ria’s service work went into high gear. Currently a high school junior, she’s the Maryland Youth Lead for NEST4US, an organization whose mission is to make the world better through kindness by mobilizing volunteers worldwide to advance progress on societal issues and spark equitable solutions for the greater good.
In this leadership role, Ria coordinates and supervises over 20 volunteers for large community service projects across Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, whether it’s food rescues across the region or book donation collections. She also leads the NEST4US Club at Clarksburg High School, spearheading service projects while helping mobilize fellow students to take action and be of service in their own community. While balancing additional volunteer roles, a busy calendar of extra-curricular activities and college preparatory classes, Ria is utterly dedicated to a life of service. In fact, she has contributed more than 650 hours of volunteer service across multiple organizations.
Ria’s service work has also informed her future career. Inspired by the community service she’s participated in thus far, she aspires to pursue a career in gynecology, deeply inspired to join the medical field by her community service participation. Hoping to show up for underrepresented communities like the ones she already volunteers in, Ria is a shining example of how volunteerism can serve as a launchpad that catapults young people into a triumphant adulthood. No matter one’s age, we could all learn from her desire to help others through volunteer work.
RIA RAJESH (RIGHT) SERVES THANKSGIVING MEALS TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT GEORGETOWN MINISTRY CENTER DURING THE NEST4US THANKSGIVING LUNCHEON. /COURTESY RIA RAJESH
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
Growing up, I saw a lot of families, especially in my community, struggling with food insecurity, and it’s a hard thing to watch. I’ve always loved helping people and seeing how prevalent it was throughout my local community, I knew that I had to do something about it. Nest4Us and other nonprofits gave me a way to take action on those issues and helped me channel that passion and those feelings that I had. Once you start showing up for your community, and you get to interact and see how your actions have such a positive impact on others, it’s an amazing feeling. I never really wanted to stop after that.
What inspires you to volunteer?
When I look at it from a larger picture, at the end of the day, we are all human. All we have is each other. We need to be there for one another to uplift each other and to be a community. That’s so important to me, community, because a support system can really help a person. It can take them so far in life, and I want to be there, to be that support system for others. And if it’s in my capability to help others, I want to do the most I can, because we have to be there for each other.
Tell us about your volunteer role with Nest4Us.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I took on the role of the youth leader for Nest4Us for the Maryland chapter. I mainly focused on publicizing these initiatives to students at local middle schools, elementary schools and high schools. I also serve as the Panera Food Rescue lead, and we collect excess goods and pastries that are produced by the company and redistribute them to local shelters and food banks. Currently, as a Maryland youth lead, I do a lot of book donations and pick-ups. I aid in supervising the food rescues and meal packing events in Maryland, while engaging in DC and Virginia service projects.
I also founded and am the president of the Nest4Us club at Clarksburg High School, where I lead a team of five members and supervise and organize projects for 40 club members. We do a multitude of projects, ranging from notes of encouragement and kindness to motivation posters for students during testing season to assembling mealtime inspiration kits. We have also hosted various drives through the school club.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
I’ve always loved the in-person kinds of community service, like luncheons and hands-on distributions of the packages that we assemble and the meals that we cook, because being able to see someone’s face light up from an action that you’ve done is such an unforgettable moment and feeling. The conversations that I’ve had with the people that I’ve served are most notable to me. At the end of the day, when you finish your community service, and you’re sitting down, it’s that feeling of warmth and those genuine connections and moments that you’ve created that really last beyond the hours that you may have logged or the quantity of meals that you cooked or packed. It really emphasizes why community is so important.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
A real impact doesn’t have to be grand gestures. It can be something as simple as giving someone a smile in the hallway or writing a note filled with words of kindness and encouragement, and it’s brought me back to this point that community is just so important, and building relationships can really go far. We all think about empathy in a certain light, but being at the forefront of volunteering and community service has taught me that it can go so much deeper than just a word or an action. It can have a ripple effect.
NEST4US VOLUNTEER RIA RAJESH LEADS A MEALTIME INSPIRATION KITS AND KINDNESS NOTE-WRITING SERVICE PROJECT AS HER SCHOOL’S CLUB PRESIDENT. /COURTESY RIA RAJESH
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
I honestly believe that waiting for someone else to address issues that you’re passionate about just won’t work. If we all waited for others to take action on the things that we’re passionate about, then we wouldn’t be moving forward as quickly as we do. When I think about my experience, I started volunteering at the age of 6, but I knew that I wanted to be a person who was there for those around me, and that was all I needed to take action to the best of my ability. I feel like experience or age shouldn’t restrict someone from wanting to make a difference.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
It can be just as simple as giving someone a smile in the hallway. Starting small really makes a big impact. We do a lot of notes of kindness projects and small packing projects. I feel like slowly integrating yourself into community service-related groups in your community. If you’re a student, slowly joining clubs that align with your volunteer goals and being exposed to those different communities and initiatives can help you see what type of impact you want to make. Maybe you want to start your own nonprofit and branch off from there, or maybe you want to continue volunteering with certain organizations or certain groups of people. But starting small really helps, because all it takes is one second.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
If they want to make a change, don’t be afraid of barriers. I mentioned earlier that my age, or not having a title, might seem like a barrier. But if you really want to make an impact on your community, every single person can do it. You just have to want it enough.
Remote but Far-Reaching: Empowering Volunteer Leaders Nationwide
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Tonya Ackley. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
While most people think of volunteering as an in-person activity, remote activities can be equally impactful and convenient to participate in. Forty-eight-year-old Tonya Ackley has been a remote administrative volunteer with the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE) since February 2025. AL!VE supports volunteer engagement professionals across the US with professional development, peer connection, advocacy and shared resources needed to succeed.
Tonya’s dedication to research has uncovered funding sources, nearly 100 chances for the executive director to speak and more than 95 recognition opportunities for volunteers. She has been instrumental in getting the word out about the organization and a vital part of building out the organization’s infrastructure and helping the new executive director transition into her role.
Prior to her work with AL!VE, Tonya served as a community-engaged learning assistant at Buffalo State University for three and a half years. She was also the director of community engagement at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford for a decade and has always had a passion for working with college students. Her other roles have been in career services, residence life and academic advising. When she’s not researching, Tonya finds peaceful hobbies to enjoy like gardening and listening to audiobooks with her 19-year-old cat Linus or spending time with her husband of nearly 20 years.
What inspires you to volunteer?
It’s knowing that even small impacts can make a larger impact. It strengthens your purpose to feel useful and contribute positively to your community. I’m currently volunteering with AL!VE, but I’ve been on a regional board of directors for the American Red Cross for five years. And, since my freshman year of college, I’ve been involved with organizations that support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Most recently, I was on the YWCA victims’ resource advisory board. And I was an advisor for the Pitt Bradford chapter of Habitat for Humanity. As a big cat-lover, I’ve also fostered cats to keep them out of the shelters. Now my focus is AL!VE.
Tonya Ackley, longtime volunteer for AL!VE, provides pivotal research and coordinates projects for the organization.
Tell us about your volunteer role with the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement.
I work on a variety of research projects to help them meet their strategic goals. I’ve researched colleges and universities that offer nonprofit management graduate programs as a way to promote internships and volunteer opportunities with the organization. I’ve researched nonprofit podcasts centered around volunteer engagement so that AL!VE might connect and spread awareness of the organization. And I looked into potential sponsors for the annual national conference that was just held in March. The focus varies.
It can be a challenge trying to find different ways to search for information. You have to dig a little deeper and find creative ways to see if you can discover something new. I’ve also started training on how to manage the general email account for the organization.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
They put the call out for volunteers. I thought it was interesting that you can volunteer for a professional development organization. It aligned with my career interests. I’ve valued those who work in volunteer engagement throughout my time in community engagement, and working with nonprofit community partners has always been important to me. The fact that they provide professional development, resources and support while advocating for people who work in the field impressed me.
What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?
I got a certificate in human resources in December 2023 and I haven’t worked in that area yet. Our executive director was able to get me connected to the HR and Policy Committee, so I’m hoping to contribute in that capacity as well.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
It’s been Nicole Smith, our executive director. She’s been very positive and a supportive mentor. I’m really grateful to serve as a volunteer with AL!VE, and I feel like they’ve helped me more than I’ve helped them. It means a lot to me to be a part of something bigger and have the capacity to positively impact other volunteer engagement professionals across the country.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
From a practical perspective, I learned to use Excel. That has been important. AL!VE is unique in that there are not a lot of professional organizations designed to support volunteer engagement professionals.
Do you have any tips for organizations looking to attract and keep volunteers by giving them a good experience?
Marketing and communication are important, especially through social media. Promoting opportunities far and wide increases the chance of connecting with those who are a good fit. From my perspective working in higher education, getting to know your community partners and having conversations about shared priorities and how you might be able to work with them are also key. And lastly, recognize your volunteers. Make sure they feel appreciated and see the impact of their service.
Tonya and her husband, Ryan, visit Chincoteague, VA.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
It’s important to have a sense of the broader community and your place in that. From working with college students, I’ve seen it help them recognize their passions and talents and show them how they can use those to make a positive impact.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
I started with something small. My family decided to participate in a walk for multiple sclerosis. That was my first exposure to volunteering. Pick something–maybe a one-time experience–to get your feet wet before committing to something for longer. Then, think about other opportunities available that align with your passion and interests.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
AL!VE is a great way to get involved for volunteer engagement professionals, but there are also internships available to college students and community members who just want to expand their skill set. Whether you want to intern or volunteer, there are opportunities. Join us!
