Serving Those Who Came Before Us: Veteran Dominic Cole ‘10 Runs Local Home Care Service
After graduating from York College and serving in the Army, Dominic Cole ‘10 returned to York with a desire to continue serving his community. In an effort to help the local aging population, he started a Right at Home in York County.
Dominic Cole ‘10 spent many of his early years unsure of what he wanted to do with his life. He envisioned working full-time right out of high school but was persuaded to attend community college, where he rediscovered a love of learning and reading. Cole then decided to transfer to York College of Pennsylvania due to its good reputation and affordability, and graduated with a degree in History.
His experience at York College left a lasting effect on him. Not only did he connect with amazing professors and peers while learning, but he also walked away with a calling to serve and take action.
Cole would go on to serve in the Army for the next 15 years, first in artillery, then in counterintelligence, and finally as an Army civilian. It allowed Cole to travel all over the world and witness the impact of his work for the country. But most of all, it built a foundation of service that he continued to develop after returning home.
“I absolutely love serving my country, and I love my job,” said Cole.
The decision to leave the Army stemmed from his desire to be close to his family again. He didn’t want to miss out on his family growing up, and he wanted to be there to help support them. Most of them lived in York County, and upon returning home, Cole began exploring how he could continue serving others.
“When you’re young, you want to see the world,” Cole said. “Then…the older we get, the more we start looking back at our roots, where we came from, right?”
Cole then landed on the idea of starting a Right at Home in York County. Having an uncle who owned one in Maryland for 15 years, Cole understood the mission of the business and the joys that come from helping people. In his mind, it was the perfect way of taking his love of serving his nation and directing it to a more local level that would give him a more personal experience with the people he would be helping.
Right at Home focuses on home, companion, and personal care for adults in need of support and assistance, especially the aging population. They provide services ranging from transportation, light housekeeping, and meal preparation to assistance with personal hygiene and fall prevention. All while allowing individuals to keep their independence and dignity.
“Having a caregiver there allows you to stay at home [and] be able to do all the things that you still want to do, but with that extra set of hands to help you along the way,” said Cole.
A previous Right at Home in York closed about five years ago when the owner retired. Cole was determined to rebuild the business, so he worked to recruit staff and caregivers and create community connections to share the services Right at Home provides.
Now, since the business officially opened in December 2025, he has a full team of recruiters, staff, caregivers, and marketers. The business has continued to grow, and the team is excited about the number of people they are now able to reach.
Cole is happy to see the community forming that is built on a love of serving and caring for others. He says he can see the joy his staff gets from the work they do. He is happy to share in their dedication to service.
“We have this awesome team of caregivers who are in it for their heart,” Cole said. “They usually have a similar backstory of how they got into caregiving – helping a parent, helping a grandparent, helping someone in the family. And they just love caring for somebody, and they were open to this whole world. So now, they love it.”
Cole recognizes that there will always be people who need help, and he chooses to focus his work on helping the elderly, who are often overlooked. They need someone to be their advocate, and for Cole, being able to provide them with a voice while allowing them to maintain their independence is very important to him.
“I had a really awesome set of grandparents,” Cole said. “I got to spend a lot of time with them. They were just awesome. Everything from that experience with them to being another set of role models, so to speak. And I think that imprinted in me this whole wanting to give back to them, if that makes sense.”
“It’s like the saying is, 'We stand on the shoulders of giants.' They’ve done so much to build a society, whether it’s the roads we drive on, the buildings we go into work, all this infrastructure, right? Now they’re older, and it’s our turn to look out for them.”
