Throughout his career, Gary Hoffman has met “a lot of really good kids who had just gotten off the right path.”
He’s a longtime YouthQuest Foundation volunteer because he’s seen how the programs we support put at-risk teens back on the path to a better life.
Gary has volunteered at our annual fundraising golf event since 2008. (This year’s Challenge at Trump National Golf Club is on Aug. 12. Click here for details and registration information.)
“I got involved with the golf tournament as a volunteer to support the cause because I knew what great things they did for at-risk youth in the community,” he says.
Gary is an account manager with Temporary Solutions, an Employment Enterprises company based in Manassas, Va. Previously, he worked in higher education business development and the Job Corps, which introduced him to the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Academy program. In the process, he learned about our Foundation’s partnership with the ChalleNGe program and became an enthusiastic YouthQuest supporter.
He praises the Foundation’s dedication to providing high school dropouts with opportunities to resume their education, and to learn the life skills and values they need to become “healthy, productive adults in the community.”
At-risk kids see the world as “being against them,” Gary explains. “But when they see there is a community out there that supports them and wants to see them succeed, then it gives them a broader view of society and lets them know there is a possibility that they can succeed in life if they just apply themselves and surround themselves with the right people.”
YouthQuest helps them do that not only by making financial contributions, he says, but by “showing them there are people in the community that stand behind them and support their positive growth and development.”
“YouthQuest opens their eyes and gives them a glimpse of what’s possible,” says Gary. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to become a part of it and gladly volunteer my time.”
If you would like to become a volunteer, contact us at info@youthquestfoundation.org or call (703) 234-4633.