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 the job done. From “grunt” work to using their professional skills, they help us achieve our mission.
NWFCU partners with their organization, Cornerstones, which provides wrap-around social services, including a homeless shelter, a food pantry, after-school programming and job-readiness training. NWFCU makes a meaningful difference through donations and volunteerism to us, other nonprofits and community entities within their employee- and member-identified focus areas. Just a few of the other Virginia organizations supported include Special Olympics Virginia, Veterans Moving Forward, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and many more.
NWFCU provides regular volunteers at their homeless shelter. They have funded, prepared and served 1,080 nutritious hot meals and more than 700 bagged lunches for their sheltered and outreach clients. They also provided monetary support for these meals and gave more than $1,000 in new warm winter clothing and led a budgeting workshop for family clients.
Cornerstones’ Youth Programs benefited greatly from NWFCU volunteers as well. Volunteers provided transportation and chaperoned a field trip to the Children’s Science Center, provided funding to host monthly educational enrichment events for under-resourced elementary and middle school-aged children, and provided $5,000 to supply students with materials and support STEAM programming and field trips.
The good works of NWFCU and its volunteers have a ripple effect felt throughout the community. Their employees become great ambassadors for Cornerstones and the many organizations they serve, helping us spread the word about our various missions and needs. They fulfill roles that we could not otherwise provide with manpower and expertise. They don’t just “check the block” of corporate social responsibility, they live it! And they engage their friends and families as well. Read more Volunteer Stories!Submit a Story!
Lizzie Scott
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Senior Corps Senior Companion of the Year Lizzie Scott, Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia, Norfolk For the seniors in Lizzie Scott’s community, she provides so much more than companionship. Her dedication to service has enabled individuals to stay in their own homes and live independently. Mrs. Scott, who has volunteered with some of her clients for more than five years, transports them to medical appointments and errands, makes sure their pantries have plenty of food, and helps out doing light meal preparation and housework. She also links clients with much needed community resources. For one client, she provided assistance when faced...
Health Wagon
Story of Service: Health Wagon
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...
Lowe’s Home Improvement
Story of Service: Lowe’s Home Improvement
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Cydny Neville
Story of Service: Cydny Neville
Congratulations to Cyndy Neville of Prince William County -- winner of the 2017 Virginia Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Adult Volunteer! Full-time teacher Cydny Neville's commitment to students, their families, and her community goes way beyond the classroom. Cydny serves a minimum of 20 hours per week organizing community outreach across Prince William County and Northern Virginia. Her passion for the Prince William community led her to help individuals who are trying to start new businesses. Cyndy has assisted more than 100 small business owners with professional development training and has helped them secure business licenses by...
Therese Goding
Story of Service: Therese Goding
“Therese has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our community, consistently going above and beyond to ensure that every individual has access to the necessary resources and support they need to succeed. Her ability to bring people together and create a sense of community has been instrumental in the success of our mentor program. Therese's leadership has been instrumental in our community, as she has successfully united individuals with legal resources, housing support, and even professional mentorship opportunities.” - Steven Johnson, a fellow mentee As the first Mentor Program Coordinator for Resilience Education, a national nonprofit organization based in Charlottesville, Virginia,...
The Berry Family
Story of Service: The Berry Family
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...