Frustrated with the pace of change on Capitol Hill? Volunteer.

My story of coming to Washington, D.C. in search of a Capitol Hill job is nothing unique. I believed that my government was capable of changing the lives of Americans for the better. And I wanted to help. But like many of my peers, I quickly became discouraged and frustrated by the glacial pace of change.

In 1974, April 12-18 was designated as “National Volunteer Week” by presidential proclamation. This week is very personal to me because a volunteer opportunity gave me the chance to affect change directly and meaningfully. And as a hill staffer, this experience has been priceless. For the last three years, I have had the opportunity to work with six-year-old Joseph Green as a volunteer tutor with Horton’s Kids, a community-based organization that works to empower some of Washington, D.C.’s most at-risk children to stay in school, graduate, and break a multi-generational cycle of poverty. 

{mosads}Joseph Green is one of the most precocious first graders you will ever meet. His enthusiasm for Redskins football is matched only by his impressive negotiation skills when it comes to completing his homework. He and his twin brother Jacob love Lunchables, Spiderman, and Piggy and Gerald books. However, Joseph is also very much at-risk. He, like all of the children in Horton’s Kids, lives in a violent and isolated Anacostia neighborhood where the average family has an annual income of less than $10,000 and only 19 percent of adults have a high school diploma. After a Monday evening tutoring session, we walked by an ambulance with its lights on and sirens wailing, and, with no expression on his face, he remarked to me, “I guess someone died.” Many people I work with on Capitol Hill have no connection to neighborhoods like the one where Joseph lives, and the reality he faces every single day is that he may not graduate, or even see adulthood.

Volunteering with Horton’s Kids has helped me grow both personally and professionally. My understanding of the D.C. community in which I live is deeper and more profound. As a hill staffer, the issues and debates that take place around me are more meaningful because of my experiences as a Horton’s Kids volunteer. Joseph reminds me weekly that a strong education and support from a community of caring adults are truly his only hope of escaping a cycle of violence and poverty. This experience cannot be duplicated in a report or briefing memo, it must be lived.  

Horton’s Kids has a rich history with Capitol Hill staffers. In 1989, the organization’s founder, Karin Walser, was a 22-year-old hill staffer, who, after meeting some homeless children at a gas station, started a movement among her fellow Capitol Hill staffers – from both parties – to take these children and others on weekend field trips. Over the last 26 years, Horton’s Kids has evolved and grown, thanks, in large part, to deeply committed volunteers. Today, Horton’s Kids offers hundreds of Anacostia children critical academic, enrichment, and health and basic needs supports year-round so that they graduate from high school ready for success. As a result of the organization’s comprehensive model, the high school graduation rate of Horton’s Kids participants is nearly double the neighborhood average. These programs would not be possible without hundreds of dedicated volunteers, many of them fellow hill staffers.

I thank my fellow Congressional staffers who are already volunteering their time, and for those who are not, I encourage you to find an opportunity that works for you – at Horton’s Kids or another deserving organization. The ability to make an impact is as simple as giving up a few hours a week. If your experience is anything like mine, you will get more out of it than you ever imagined.

Choudhry is legislative director for Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and longtime Horton’s Kids volunteer.