Congratulations to the Health Wagon of Wise – winner of the 2019 Governor’s Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Faith-Based Organization! For more than 25 years, the Health Wagon has provided compassionate, quality health care to the medically under-served individuals and families in the Appalachian Mountains. Originally sent to the region in 1980 by the Richmond Catholic Diocese, Sister Bernie Kenny began dispensing healthcare from her Volkswagen Beetle. Today, the Health Wagon is a free, mobile clinic and two stationary clinics delivering quality health care which last year treated more than 4,000 of the neediest individuals in Southwestern Virginia – 86 percent with no insurance who would not have been able to access quality healthcare otherwise. In 2018, The Health Wagon had nearly 3,500 individuals volunteer with the organization. Volunteers provide primary and preventive care, dental, behavioral health, tele-health, and specialty care. In addition to their routine services, they provide the region with strategically coordinated outreach efforts and are currently leading the charge to sign up patients who are eligible for Virginia’s newly expanded Medicaid program.
The Health Wagon’s Remote Area Medical – Wise Health Expedition, held annually, is the largest medical outreach of its kind in the nation. Thousands of individuals come to this three-day event and get needed free eye, dental, medical and diagnostic services. This event demonstrates unprecedented collaboration of a multidisciplinary group that consists of dentists, ophthalmologists, opticians, social workers, nurse practitioners, nurses, physicians, emergency medical technicians, and more.
For the families and individuals living in this region, the Health Wagon has truly been a lifesaver for addressing health care disparities in a population that has few resources in health care.
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Olivia Gilbert
Story of Service: Olivia Gilbert
Congratulations to Olivia Gilbert - winner of the 2020 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Youth Volunteer! You could say Olivia Gilbert has been volunteering all her life. When 13-year-old Olivia was just four years old she began sending care packages to her cousin, Drew's, unit in Afghanistan. After Drew returned to the U.S. she began collecting food at her birthday parties for the Prince George Food Bank. In 2014, she began collecting food from her school and later expanded to collecting donations from her after school care organization and dance classmates. Today she receives donations from family,...
Change the World RVA
Story of Service: Change the World RVA
For many kids, high school and college is an exciting and memorable time in their lives. But imagine what it would be like to go through this challenging and important phase without family support, without the tools to learn, and without a place to sleep at night. Change the World RVA, winner of the 2016 Governor's Award for Outstanding Community Organization, is the only organization in Central Virginia specifically addressing the needs of high school and college students who face homelessness. An all-volunteer organization, Change the World saw an overwhelming need in the community – with nearly 1,800 homeless students...
Cathie Cummins
Story of Service: Cathie Cummins
Congratulations to Cathie Cummins of Union Hall - winner of the 2018 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Senior Volunteer!As a pediatric physical therapist for more than 30 years, Cathie Cummins has seen firsthand the needs that exist in the community for assistive equipment for children with disabilities. Recognizing that resources were limited and adaptive equipment was too expensive for many families, Cathie began adaptive equipment loan programs in both Northern and Southwest Virginia. After identifying a successful model and a statewide need, Cathy started Children’s Assistive Technology Service (CATS) which provides for the re-use of pediatric rehabilitation equipment...
Lawrence Jia
Story of Service: Lawrence Jia
Congratulations to Lawrence Jia of Midlothian -- winner of the 2017 Virginia Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Youth Volunteer! When Lawrence Jia saw someone close to him experience a financial crisis and face homelessness, he was moved to make a difference. He had an idea that if you could create a resource to help individuals become better informed consumers, better investors, and wiser savers -- you could change the landscape of adolescent financial literacy. In Lawrence’s freshman year, he created “Money Matters to Students” which today has almost 100 volunteers across three continents and has reached over...
Sixth Grader Honors Dr. King
Story of Service: Sixth Grader Honors Dr. King
Serious Clydarius Pinchback, a sixth-grader at OT Bonner Danville Middle school, has a dream. He dreams of a world where we “will live in peace and harmony and respect each other” and we “will not have to feel the pain and anguish of war.” Showing wisdom and compassion beyond his 11 years, Serious was awarded the top prize for his submission to a MLK Day Essay Contest as part of a MLK Day Event, January 18, in Danville, presented by the Dan River Year AmeriCorps program. Serious’ essay made a strong argument of how wars could be avoided by working...
Claudia Ramirez Cuéllar
Story of Service: Claudia Ramirez Cuéllar
AmeriCorps member Claudia Ramirez Cuéllar currently serves at Aspire Afterschool Learning as the Parent Coordinator in the AmeriCorps Learning Links program. In her role, Claudia connects with the parents of Aspire students to share student progress, successes, and challenges. She greets parents as they pick up their students and communicates regularly through phone calls and text messages. She also organizes monthly talks for parents on relevant topics, such as how to read report cards, how parent-teacher conferences work, keeping children safe on the internet, and advice surrounding mental health for the parents and children. As a result of her proactive...