Community of Hope volunteers are integral to making our mission a reality. This National Volunteer Month, we’re celebrating the everyday kindness, creativity, and commitment they show.  

When I found out I was pregnant, it was one of the happiest times of my life,” says Portia Quarles, a wife, mom, and champion of maternal health in DC. She wasn’t yet a patient at Community of Hope and reflected on her first prenatal appointment “I was spoken to in a way that felt belittling. It was disheartening. I cried. I felt defeated.”  

For Karema, life changed in an instant. She and her one-year-old daughter, Aleema, had been living with Aleema’s father when tensions in their relationship escalated. Realizing their living situation was no longer healthy or stable, Karema made the difficult decision to leave. With nowhere else to go, she and Aleema entered an emergency shelter, where they stayed for a couple of weeks.