Volunteer makes an impact at Richmond VA

The Department of Veterans Affairs is home to one of the largest centralized volunteer programs in the Federal government. Its Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE) began in 1946 to help our nation’s Veterans while being cared for by VA health care facilities across the nation.

At the Central Virginia VA Health Care System headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, there are more than 50 registered volunteers, all doing their part to ensure the well-being and comfort of Veterans who come to the facility for care.

Many who visit are greeted with a smile and polite assistance to ensure Veterans make it to their appointments on time. Many volunteers in Richmond don the red coats or vests as a badge of honor and service to patients coming into the facility. 

Nineteen-year-old college student Isaiah Kaiser, of Chesterfield, Virginia, has made his mark over the past few months of service at Richmond VAMC.

While making his rounds in the facility on January 14, he noticed a Veteran sleeping in a chair, which is not necessarily an uncommon sight in a VA hospital.

“The area where he was sleeping was unusual and it caught my eye,” Kaiser said. “He looked very tired.”

He passed by the Veteran a few times over a period of about two hours and started to become concerned for the patient. 

Kaiser’s keen observation alerted him that something was not right.  

Kaiser approached the Veteran and tried to wake him up, but the Veteran was unresponsive. He immediately enlisted help from a colleague, Lawrence Johnson. Johnson, who works in the CDCE office is also a certified nursing assistant. The two men engaged with the Veteran and tried to get a response from him.

“We checked his pulse, it was very faint, and he had very shallow breathing,” Kaiser said.

They immediately went to the nearest clinic for assistance and began a “code blue.” A code blue is a hospital-wide alert to call for medical help. 

Kaiser and Johnson moved the patient to the floor and then moved back as the response team arrived aid the Veteran.

The Veteran was taken to the hospital emergency department for treatment and later released.

Kaiser began volunteering at the Richmond VA Medical Center in June of 2024. 

“Isaiah is a stellar volunteer,” said Thessalonia Higgs, the chief of Richmond’s CDCE team. 

“We send all our new volunteers on a tour of the facility and then have them go on a scavenger hunt so they can learn the hospital,” Higgs said. “It normally takes most volunteers the whole first day, but within 45 minutes, Isaiah was done. He is so detail oriented.”

Although only 19, he has gained much life experience in a short time. Both of his parents are Veterans who met while on active duty. He and his family are very close, and they spent a portion of his young life traveling the country while living in an airstream trailer.

“It was fantastic,” Kaiser said. “I have been to numerous state parks and have seen things that most kids only read about in textbooks. It was a really great experience.”

Kaiser is finishing up an associate degree in science at Brightpoint Community College and has ambitions of a career in Fire and EMS work with Chesterfield County. 

When asked what he enjoyed most about volunteering at a VA hospital, Kaiser admitted it was seeing Veterans happy. 

“I love to see the smile that I put on people’s faces every day,” he said. “Even if it is just saying “hi” in the hallways. It feels good.”       

His main goal in volunteering and wanting to work in the Fire/EMS service is to give back to his community.

“I just really want to help people.”

He encourages anyone who can, to volunteer at their local VA hospital.

“It is a life-changing experience, at least for me,” he said. “It has allowed me to be part of something greater than myself.” 

If you're interested in volunteering at Central Virginia VA Health Care System, please reach out to the CDCE office at 804-675-5135 to arrange your interview.