05/04/2026
Last week, AFC hosted a Founder’s Luncheon, bringing together some of the incredible people who helped support the clinic’s founding over 30 years ago. It was a meaningful opportunity to reconnect with those who helped shape AFC into what it is today, including Mary Ann Nirschl, Tom Shooltz, Lucia & Dr. Joe Backer, John & Jane Bartlett, Sharon Golden, Alice Hogan, Kate Wilson, and Carol Schweitzer. Not pictured: AFC’s first Executive Director, Nancy Sanger, who joined via Zoom.
Our founders shared stories from AFC’s early days, including learning from another free clinic in Roanoke, holding appointments in the nurse’s office at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and the very first AFC fundraiser, a backyard BBQ in the 90s that ran for just one year before the Annual Gala took hold.
While a lot has changed since those first Tuesday night clinics, the heart of AFC, its volunteers and staff, feels just the same. Hearing these stories was a powerful reminder of how much the clinic has grown and how many lives have been impacted since 1994, and of the people whose vision and willingness to step in and do whatever was needed laid the foundation for Arlington Free Clinic as it stands today. We are so grateful to each of them, and all of our founders, and look forward to hosting more gatherings of past AFC staff and volunteers in the future!
