04/24/2026
National Volunteer Month
Volunteers Recognized for their Outstanding Support to Veterans
The Alaska VA hosted a luncheon on Friday, April 24, 2026, to recognize the valuable contributions that volunteers have made over the past year. The event was held at the Colonel Mary Louise Rasmuson Campus in Anchorage.
Jennifer Price, Acting Director of the Alaska VA, presided over the ceremony. She described how important it is for Veterans visiting VA facilities to be greeted by positive, helpful volunteers.
“You’re the first people that the Veterans see when they walk in, and we’ve never had anything but fantastic, raving reviews about how wonderful it is to come in and see the smiling faces,” said Price.
She went on to say that, along with the warm reception, the volunteers provide vital information to Veterans so they can get the care they need. Price said that when Veterans see a volunteer in a red vest, they immediately feel comfortable and reassured.
“To know that you’re going to get assistance and help. And that people who care about you are there for you. And that’s because of you all. So, thank you for all that you do for our Veterans. We want you to know how appreciated you all are,” said Price.
Randy Erickson, Associate Director, thanked the volunteers for the enormous amount of work they performed this past year and said it would have cost the VA an exorbitant amount to have paid staff to provide this support.
“This year marks the 80th anniversary of Voluntary Services. Over the last year there were over 10,000 hours that you folks donated or volunteered to this organization. We greatly appreciate that. This provided savings to the VA of approximately three hundred thousand dollars in funds,” said Erickson.
