Our Story
Isabella Solano, founder of Herralink, started volunteering at Gainesville Health & Rehab after learning that many of the older adults rarely had visitors.
Before long, her closest friends were in their 80s, and she fell in love with the community that became the friend group she never had.
Around the same time, she met Youna and Aadhya, freshmen at Centreville High School looking for service hours. Like Isabella, what started as volunteering quickly became the most meaningful friendships of their lives.
They knew other students needed this kind of friendship, so they built a website overnight, sent out a Google Form, crossed their fingers, and hoped people would sign up.
We created this program because it changed our life, and we hope it can change yours, too.
We held our first event with a small group of students from Centreville High School’s robotics team. From there, we began hosting weekly events and field trips, expanding across Fairfax County.
October 14, 2023 - Herralink hosted its first event at Gainesville Health & Rehab.
St. Stephen's and St. Agnes Middle School visits The View Alexandria once a month
Students from Alexandria City High School visited The View Alexandria to do an interview & resume workshop
St. Stephen's and St. Agnes started the first Herralink club! They visit our partner locations every month
Herralink hosts an annual intergenerational prom at The Jim Scott Community Center!
Herralink took residents from Potomac Falls Health & Rehab to the Kennedy Center for a ballet performance.
Herralink went to the White House! In 2024 we invited residents to the Easter Egg Hunt hosted by the White House.
Herralink partnered with Fairfax County’s “Shape the Future of Aging” to create an anti-ageism campaign.
By August 2024, we had volunteers from all across Northern Virginia—
From Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Alexandria, Falls Church, Arlington, and Washington D.C.
We’ve created friendships between young and older adults across 15 senior communities
Potomac Falls Health and Rehab
1
2
3
Dulles Health and Rehab
Gainesville Health and Rehab
4
Manassas Health and Rehab
5
Hunter Woods Fellowship House
Arden Courts ProMedica
6
7
8
Spring Hill Community Village
Kensington Falls Church
Insight Memory Care Center
9
10
Sunrise of Falls Church
Goodwin Living Baileys Crossroads
11
12
13
August Healthcare at Iliff
Goodwin Living Alexandria
14
The View Alexandria
15
Forest Hills of D.C.
We built a team of high school students dedicated to building a better, more connected world.
Youna & Aadhya became paid interns in 2025, and now as juniors in high school, are part-time employees continuing to build Herralink.
Herralink was acquired by Goodwin Living in April 2025. Through their support, we’ll expand our program beyond the DMV.