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Making a Difference: How Capstone Empowers Young Adults Through Volunteer Work

For young adults transitioning into the next chapter of their lives, building independence, gaining confidence, and developing real-world career skills are critical steps. That is precisely where Capstone comes in.

As a post-secondary education program, Capstone focuses on helping young adults develop vital life and workplace skills to improve their overall quality of life. One of the most powerful ways the program achieves this is by stepping outside of the classroom and heading straight into the community.

As Michael Faeth, Director of Adult Programming and Employment Services, puts it: "If our goal were simply to keep young adults busy, then yes, we could do more inside our four walls... But our goal is to help young adults build lives that are real. Lives that include work. Responsibility. Relationships. Confidence. Contribution. Belonging."

 

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Building Skills Through Service

Through weekly volunteer shifts, Capstone participants give back to their community while simultaneously developing the tools for future success, preparing for competitive employment and refining essential interpersonal skills.

Some young adults initially feel hesitant about customer-facing roles, but the reality of the workforce is that we all have to work with people. Volunteering offers a supportive environment to practice communication, collaboration, and adaptability.

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Each week, participants practice completing tasks, connecting with a variety of people, and receiving feedback. And repetition is essential, as Mike shares. It's how a young adult moves from being overwhelmed to being capable and taking initiative.

Ahead of each shift, participants set individual goals alongside shared group goals. On a recent outing, the collective goal was simple yet powerful: try new things. Every participant took on a task they had never done before, pushing past comfort zones to build new capabilities.

 

What builds confidence is doing something again. And again. And then in a slightly different context. With support. With coaching. With some mistakes. With better judgment the next time. – Mike Faeth

Capstone’s Partner Sites

Capstone partners with five impactful local organizations, ensuring that participants engage in diverse, meaningful tasks. The core volunteering sites are:

  • PRISM: A local food shelf and social service agency where volunteers tackle everything from stocking food shelves to sorting clothing donations.
  • Second Harvest Heartland: Every Tuesday morning, the Capstone team arrives ready to support hunger relief efforts. They take on a variety of tasks including data cleanup.
  • The DoubleTree Hotel: Participants work in the laundry room: folding linens and towels, and operating the laundry machines.
  • YMCA: The crew helps out with a variety of cleaning tasks, ensuring this community facility remains spick-and-span for visitors. 
  • Shalom Home: A local nursing home where participants connect across generations, including hosting bingo games with the residents.

Whether they are shelving food, handling data cleanup, or organizing inventory, Capstone volunteers have become an indispensable workforce. As one partner organization shared, "We couldn't do the work without them."

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A Foundation for the Future

The growth seen in Capstone participants is undeniable. Over time, coordinators and site supervisors have witnessed incredible transformations. Participants jumping into work on their own, following multi-step directions with ease, cooperating seamlessly with peers, and successfully moving towards employment.

Ultimately, no two volunteering shifts are ever the same, and the experience is filled with joy, exciting challenges, and plenty of rewards (including a legendary popcorn machine at Second Harvest Heartland!) By investing in their community, Capstone participants aren't just helping others, they are building the foundations for their own independent futures.

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Watch This Work in Action

Want to see the incredible work these young adults are doing? Check out the full video to hear from the participants and program partners themselves.

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