At the Oct. 13 Arlington Cares celebration, organizers honored 477 individuals who each completed at least 100 hours of service over the past year, ARLnow reported. The event also presented its 2026 awards to volunteers and groups, including two young people behind a tennis program for autistic youth, a sorority chapter working with a middle school and a business recognized for service to a free clinic.
Volunteer Arlington’s event page confirms that the tenth annual celebration took place at George Mason University’s Mason Square. The 5:00–6:30 p.m. ceremony was organized by Volunteer Arlington, which describes Arlington Cares as an annual recognition for individuals and groups who make a difference through volunteering. It also recognizes people who completed 100 hours or more of service with an organization during the previous year. The published 2026 service period ran from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.
The award roster reflects a range of service. Leah Williams and Michael Kuoh received the Youth Service Award for establishing a local chapter of ACEing Autism. ARLnow reported that the initiative uses tennis to support young people with autism spectrum disorder. “Small impacts can really make a big difference,” Williams told the outlet.
Peter Olivere and Randy Randall received Lifetime of Service Awards. Olivere helped found Arlington Neighborhood Village, which provides services intended to help older neighbors continue living in their homes. The organization says its volunteer services also include social and educational programs and that it works with county and senior-serving partners to support aging in place. Randall, an Arlington native, began volunteering with the Arlington Food Assistance Center after retiring. He told ARLnow he wanted “to be part of that group, be able to give back.”
Other awardees included Laura Cooke of Arlington Thrive, who received the Distinguished County Service Award; Winking Fish, recognized for service to Arlington Free Clinic; and the Alpha Delta Tau Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, honored with Gunston Middle School for the Group Service Award. The Volunteer Arlington Award went to Kimberly Roehl of AFAC and Peter Fleckenstein of Aspire Afterschool Learning.
The organizer says its county-service award recognizes outstanding commitment and care for Arlington residents, while the corporate category recognizes a local business or employee volunteer group. Its group category celebrates families or teams whose work includes people of all ages; this year, the group award went to the sorority chapter and Gunston Middle School.
The total service hours give a sense of the scale behind the recognition. ARLnow reported that the 477 volunteers associated with Volunteer Arlington partners had provided nearly 50,000 hours over the year. Lisa Fikes, president and chief executive of the Leadership Center of Arlington, told the outlet that the hours represented $1.76 million in services. That figure is the valuation reported by the event host, while the hour count describes time contributed across the partner organizations.
Volunteer Arlington is a collaboration between Arlington County government and the Leadership Center of Arlington, according to ARLnow. The organizer’s award descriptions include county service, corporate contributions, group projects and youth who go beyond required service hours. Its separate 100-hour list recognizes volunteers who meet the annual service threshold through individual partner organizations.
The evening connected individual recognition with collective work. A group honor went to a sorority chapter and a middle school, while the corporate award recognized a business supporting a free clinic. The youth award recognized two people whose project brought tennis into a local program for autistic young people. The categories show the variety of ways service is organized across the community.
The recipients’ work includes helping older residents stay in their homes, supporting food assistance and creating activities for young people. Volunteer Arlington’s description of the Lifetime of Service Award recognizes people for whom helping others has become a sustained part of their lives. The youth category, by contrast, highlights initiative and service beyond service-hour requirements.
Volunteer Arlington’s website lists this year’s award recipients and explains its annual recognition program. It also directs residents to service opportunities and group-volunteering resources, giving people who were inspired by the ceremony a starting point to explore ways to contribute.
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