The Berry Family of Harrisonburg, Virginia, saw a local need related to food insecurity in their area. Dubbed the "Brent Berry Food Drive," in honor of their son, Brent, the family took the initiative to help meet the need. This is a massive drive that they have conducted for 15 years, with the 2022 drive being the largest ever, collecting an estimated $65,000 in food and personal hygiene items for community members in need. They donate the collected items to the local Salvation Army, effectively stocking their pantry for a large portion of the year. Rather than being forced to...

Congratulations to Northwest Federal Credit Union of Herndon - winner of the 2020 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Corporation! Northwest Federal Credit Union has made a strong commitment to their community by implementing a powerful community service initiative called “Transforming Lives Through Acts of We.” By partnering with many local organizations, credit union staff have countless opportunities to serve and receive 24 paid volunteer hours per year. In 2018 employees volunteered more than 7,800 hours, and donated more than $120,000 to their community partners. At NWFCU, everyone, from the CEO down, enthusiastically volunteers, working side-by-side to get...

Congratulations to George and Kim Melnyk, Jr. - winner of the 2021 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Volunteer Family! For low income students in Hampton Roads, the pandemic created a whole new set of challenges, from scarcity of school supplies to wi-fi accessibility. Even having a desk for virtual classes and homework was a major issue for many families. For George and Kim Melnyk, Jr., owners of Premier Millwork, this particular need turned out to be a perfect fit for the family. As soon as they were contacted by CHIP (Children’s Health Investment Program) of South Hampton...

Senior Corps RSVP Volunteer of the Year Francine Nelson, Volunteer Prince William, Manassas Francine Nelson, a retired educator, has dedicated her time and talents teaching fourth grade students in Prince William County the skills they need to handle being at home alone at the end of the school day. The ‘Safe at Home Safe Alone” program is a partnership between Volunteer Prince William, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, American Red Cross and Prince William County Sheriff’s Office. Ms. Nelson’s participation in the program has reached more than 1,700 students, many of whom attend Title I schools. Her calm...

Congratulations to GrandInvolve of Fairfax - winner of the 2017 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Community Organization! For many economically disadvantaged schools in Fairfax County, getting consistent volunteers to help out in the classroom is an immense challenge. The innovative GrandInvolve program places older adults who offer their skills and talents to students directly into the area’s elementary schools. The seniors volunteer at the schools at least once a week for several hours assisting with reading and math, material preparation, library services, mentoring and kindergarten readiness. Each volunteer builds lasting relationships with the students by coming back...

Jay Rachakonda has always loved building things, from robots to community partnerships. Jay fell in love with robotics and engineering from a young age, and wanted to make sure his peers had the chance to see the fun in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as well. When Jay learned about the barriers that kept his friends and classmates from participating in STEM activities, including required programs costs and COVID protocols, Jay became committed to finding ways to overcome challenges and inspire others to give STEM activities a try. Jay built on his long standing passion for STEM and robotics...