Volunteer Recognition
More than 2.2 million Virginians volunteer each year, about 34% of the Commonwealth!! This means over 231 million hours of service happen in communities each year. Volunteers make our lives better through increasing access to healthy food, building and maintaining parks and green spaces, spending time tutoring and mentoring—just to illustrate some of their impact! All together, this creates more than $5.5 billion in estimated economic impact.
Is there a volunteer in your life that you want to recognize? Someone known throughout your community for always being willing to show up and lend a hand? There are great ways to recognize and honor their service and commitment to helping others.
Virginia Recognition
For general requests and information about Virginia Service awards contact AmeriCorpsInfo@ServeVirignia.org
AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors members serving in Virginia who have performed outstanding service to their communities are honored annually through this recognition program. Honorees this year were celebrated durin...
These awards annually recognize the significant contributions of Virginia citizens to the life and welfare of the Commonwealth and its people. One award is presented in each of 10 categories. These outstanding award w...
The Serve Virginia Honor Roll celebrates the valuable contributions of volunteers across the Commonwealth. In recognition of the service provided by over 2.2 million Virginians, the Serve Virginia Honor Roll spotlight...
Regional & National Recognition
Other Award Programs
Hanover County
New River Valley
Roanoke
Stories of Service
Virginians are making a real difference in their communities by volunteering their time and talents. Every day, we hear remarkable stories about how our volunteers have helped those around them. Know someone who is always helping others? We’d love to hear their story.
TJ Kim
Story of Service: TJ Kim
Congratulations to TJ Kim of McLean - winner of the 2021 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Youth Volunteer! Becoming a Navy pilot has been one of TJ Kim's greatest childhood dreams. To make his dream a reality, he began taking flying lessons as a teen. When TJ’s school and lacrosse season were shut down due to COVID-19, his flight training became one of the only activities he could still enjoy. The high school senior decided to combine his passion for flight with helping others as a way to help serve his community during this challenging time, he...
George and Kim Melnyk, Jr.
Story of Service: George and Kim Melnyk, Jr.
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...
Lucy Cummins
Story of Service: Lucy Cummins
Congratulations to Lucy Cummins of Richmond - winner of the 2021 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Young Adult Volunteer! The Health Brigade, a free clinic in downtown Richmond, became a vital resource for many as COVID-19 infections began to rise in Central Virginia. Lucy Cummins may have originally stepped into her role as a patient navigator to assist with Spanish interpretation and translation services, but quickly pivoted to address and overcome a number of challenges presented by the pandemic. Putting aside her own academic needs in developing her translation skills, Lucy got to work helping to get...
Mechele Hairston
Story of Service: Mechele Hairston
Congratulations to Mechele Hairston of Chesapeake - winner of the 2021 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Adult Volunteer! When two Hampton Roads neighborhoods lost their last remaining grocery store, the largely minority population of nearly 18,000 citizens faced dire food scarcity challenges. Michele Hairston served as a driving force that led to the free food distribution of 25,000+ pounds of food over a two-weekend period. But it was her ongoing efforts on behalf of Impact Southside and the Solid Rock Worldwide Outreach Ministry that she made an even greater impact. In 2020, Mechele and a volunteer army...
Betty L. Robinette
Story of Service: Betty L. Robinette
Congratulations to Betty L. Robinette of Wytheville - winner of the 2021 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Senior Volunteer! For people who live in rural areas, fighting hunger is a serious issue. Communities like Southwest Virginia face a number of challenges – from scarcity of grocery stores and food pantries compounded with a lack of transportation to diminishing job opportunities and higher rates of unemployment. This is where Betty Robinette saw a growing need and did more than step into make a difference. Betty was the catalyst that started the Community Food Kitchen in 2012. When the...
Capital One Coders
Story of Service: Capital One Coders
Congratulations to Capital One Coders of Richmond - winner of the 2021 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Corporation! Capital One Coders grew out of an idea that was sparked in 2014 by a Capital One staff member who saw a gap in computer training in K-12 classrooms. The company created Capital One Coders to inspire students from all walks of life to consider computer science as an attainable and exciting career path. In partnership with public schools and other youth-serving nonprofits, the program helps middle school students cultivate a greater interest in computer science during a critical...
What’s Your Volunteer Personality?
Pair your passion with purpose. Take our Volunteer Personality Quiz and find out which volunteer direction is best for you.
