Hoke County, NC

ABOUT OUR NONPROFIT

Welcome to Volunteer-Village Co.!
We’re a dedicated team of parents and educators passionate about empowering families to get involved in their communities and schools. We believe every parent deserves the opportunity to be an active partner in their child’s education and the wider community.

Through partnerships with local childcare centers and school PTO/PTA programs, we provide the support and resources parents need to confidently step into those roles. Together, we’re building stronger schools, stronger families, and stronger communities.

We’re currently partnering with schools and community organizations across Hoke County, NC. Three childcare providers serving the Raeford area have already joined our mission—and we’re growing!

By collaborating with local childcare centers, we’re proud to offer parents up to four hours of free hourly childcare when they volunteer in schools or community organizations.

Interested in signing up to use our services or becoming a trusted childcare provider in our network? Contact us today—we’d love to connect!

Located in:

Meet the Team

Educators, Social Worker, Veteran, Military Spouses, Advocates: our team is dedicated to serving our community.

President

Cassie Harjala

Meet Cassie Harjala (pronounced Har-juh-luh)
President & Founder of Volunteer-Village Co.

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Cassie Harjala made Hoke County, NC her home in 2008. She studied Early Childhood Education at Gordon College and Georgia State University, and spent several years as a substitute teacher in Henry County, GA and Cumberland County, NC.

Today, Cassie channels her passion for teaching in a new way—as a martial arts instructor. Even though she stepped away from the traditional classroom, her commitment to education never wavered. In the 2023–2024 school year, she became the PTO Leader at her daughter’s elementary school, where the idea for Volunteer-Village Co. was born.

Through this initiative, Cassie hopes to inspire and empower more parents to get involved in schools and the broader community—creating a lasting impact where it matters most.

"To me, success is to leave each place a little better than you found it."

Vice President

Morgan Mason

Morgan Mason is the Vice President of Volunteer- Village Co. and has been a resident of Hoke County since 2019. She has been a military spouse for 15 years and has lived across the United States and Overseas. Morgan graduated from the University of Louisville (Louisville, Kentucky) with her Master of Science in Social Work in 2024 with a concentration in Mental Health. She has worked with diverse populations in community outreach and clinical practice settings including military members and their families, children of all ages, individuals experiencing homelessness, and income assistance programs. While completing her master’s degree, Morgan worked alongside local Health and Human Services in Hoke County as a Child Protection Services Intern, an experience that solidified her passion for this community and the families that have built it. As a mother of a school-aged child, Morgan has learned first-hand the critical role our schools and educators play in the development of young minds and the necessary partnership families and schools must cultivate to ensure student success. Through her work with Volunteer-Village Co., Morgan is eager to continue her outreach passion while providing resources that help reduce barriers to community engagement in our schools and beyond.

Secretary

Athena Rogers

Meet Athena Rogers, Secretary of Volunteer-Village Co. Athena is a proud “Military Brat,” and Military Spouse having lived from San Diego, CA to Oklahoma, and has lived in Raeford since 2000. She served in the US Army Reserves as a Legal NCO and Military Court Reporter, while working as a civilian Paralegal for a local law firm. She has been deeply involved in supporting local nonprofit organizations since 2002, supporting military families in times of need and in celebration. Athena received an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Fayetteville Technical Community College and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from UNC-Pembroke. She was a Teacher’s Assistant and then a High School Social Studies teacher before retiring in 2023.

“When you learn, teach, when you get, give.” -- Maya Angelou