As ARC celebrates its 40th anniversary, our employees will complete 1,985 hours of volunteer service to organizations in need as part of ARC’s “Giving 1985” initiative.

This National Volunteer Month, we invited our employees to share the impact of their volunteer work — how they give back, why it matters, and the moments that inspire them.

Samantha Gonzalez — Instructional Designer

I chose to volunteer at Meals on Wheels after my friend encouraged me to be a part of an ambassador program. I delivered food with her and saw the impact that the deliveries made to those who received them. The mission goes beyond delivering food. It’s also about providing a sense of connection. The mission goes beyond delivering food. It’s also about providing a sense of connection. For some of the recipients, our conversation with them might be the only social interaction they had that week. Talking with them showed me the positive impact of a simple visit.

Tanya Nass — Vice President and Chief People Officer

My daughter was exploring volunteer opportunities and came across Operation Gratitude, which provides Americans with opportunities to express their gratitude through care packages for the U.S. military and first responders.

The organization offers a variety of flexible ways to contribute, including making gifts. She opted to make paracord lanyards from parachute cords, which can serve a variety of purposes in an emergency. I thought this was a great opportunity for us to volunteer together so I joined her in making a lot of lanyards.  It was great that we could spend time together while also volunteering to help a great organization.

Chris Huber — Manager, Enterprise Program Management Office

My volunteer efforts typically support organizations that are directly related to my children. It gives me time for my kids and to serve our community together. As an added bonus, my son tracks his volunteer hours for both school and his scouting requirements.   

My son and I volunteered at an archery tournament hosted by his high school. I was responsible for logging the archers scores into an online scoring portal.

We also volunteered at our church during the annual Lenten Fish Fry, joining more than 90 other volunteers to serve our neighbors by helping with traffic control and through our fish fry carryout service. 

Betty Chaparro — Director, Total Rewards

I began volunteering with Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA) in 2017 after seeing an online ad for people to foster homeless animals. Since FOHA is a local organization, I thought it would be a great opportunity.

I started fostering kittens and am now in my eighth year volunteering with this organization. My first set of foster kittens were so sick that I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into, but I was able to successfully nurse them back to health. After that, I continued to foster kittens and cats of all ages. Over the eight years I’ve been involved in the organization, I’ve fostered 30 kittens, served as an adoption counselor, reviewed applications for adoptions and periodically conducted pre-screens, home visits and veterinarian checks.