As an honoree on the January 2024 Serve Virginia Honor Roll, Cristo Rey Richmond High School is a Catholic learning community that educates young people of limited economic means to become men and women of faith, purpose, and service. By providing students with college preparatory education, integrated corporate work study experience, and a commitment to volunteerism and service, Cristo Rey Richmond seeks to “Transform Richmond One Student at a Time.” Cristo Rey Richmond’s vision is centered on strengthening the competence, confidence, and aspiration of students while empowering them to build fulfilling lives that advance the common good. Students come from...

As an honoree on the January 2024 Serve Virginia Honor Roll, Tracy Keller has been an ambassador of girl leadership since her teen years in Girl Scouts. There, she earned the highest award, the Gold Award, for creating and carrying out an elementary educational program on prevention of tobacco use. Now, more than thirty years later and as CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast since 2005, Tracy continues to facilitate conversations that empower girls and women, and helps shape programs within her community. Recently, Tracy embraced the challenge of volunteering as the lead for the Empowering Girls...

Maurice Huff credits his alma mater, Loyola University New Orleans, with instilling an excitement for service in its students, which led him to serve multiple terms in AmeriCorps. "My first AmeriCorps term was in-person as a wellness coordinator at a homeless day shelter in New Orleans in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic," recalls Maurice. "My second term was virtual as a communications and social media coordinator for a K-12 reading nonprofit in Oakland, California." These two terms were impactful and memorable for Maurice. "I had an amazing experience both times giving capacity to a new organization and also building new...

In her time as an early educator, Mackenzie Vuotto began to see the pivotal impact that service and volunteerism can have on young people and families. "An important part of educating young children is informing them about who is in their community, and how their 'community heroes' (like firefighters, doctors, or mail deliverers) help them every day," says Mackenzie. "I realized it was also important to educate children, from a young age, about ways they can help others so we had multiple food and supplies drives in my preschool classroom throughout the year!" Mackenzie is now serving as an AmeriCorps...

Alex Vanik first got involved with service and volunteerism through Scouts, working his way from Cub Scout to Eagle Scout during his K-12 years. "I’ve walked so many paths as a volunteer," reflects Alex. "The most permanent impact I feel I've made would be my Eagle Scout Project. I worked with the PTO to raise funds, purchased materials, and recruited Scout volunteers to construct an outdoor stage at my local elementary school so teachers could use one of their courtyards as an additional classroom space." During his undergraduate studies at the College of William & Mary, Alex continued to be...

As one of our January 2024 Serve Virginia Honor Roll honorees, Becky McCully's volunteer service in the theatre and choral programs at Patrick Henry High School (PHHS) in Ashland, Virginia, has had a profound impact on both students and the broader community. Beyond the tangible contributions to the success of productions, she has played a pivotal role in creating a vibrant and inclusive artistic environment. She has been volunteering at PHHS since 2021 but previously volunteered by mentoring theatre students when she lived in Texas. By offering her time and expertise, she has provided essential support to students, helping them...

As one of the January 2024 Serve Virginia Honor Roll honorees, Richmond Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) works to ensure that children don’t face the courts and foster care system alone. CASA volunteers (CASAs) advocate for what is in the child’s best interest and help to reduce the time a child spends in the court system and/or in foster care. They advocate for children to make sure their preferences and needs are being heard by those who are responsible for making decisions. CASAs spend time with the child and speak to relatives, service providers, teachers, and social workers to gather...

Bruce Lamond is a second-year Virginia College Advising Corps adviser at Mecklenburg County High School, which just opened in 2022. He served in the Marine Corps for several years before graduating from the University of Virginia in 2022. During his military service, Bruce became passionate about youth mentorship, prompting him to pursue a degree in Youth and Social Innovation and to step into several student support roles at UVA. “I learned about AmeriCorps and VCAC in my senior year of college when an assistant director of VCAC presented on the program in one of my classes,” recalls Bruce. “As soon...

C'erra Rhodes is a first-year Virginia Collage Advising Corps adviser at Madison County High School, having graduated from Radford University in 2023. She attended Charlottesville High School, where a VCAC college adviser supported her with her own college application process. “I was served by VCAC advisers throughout my junior and senior high school years," recalls C’erra. “I wanted to serve as a VCAC adviser because I remember the challenges I faced during the college application process as a first-generation student. Without the guidance of my VCAC adviser, I'm not sure if I would have navigated it successfully on my own.”...

Zoie Sickey is a first-generation college graduate and a second-year Virginia College Advising Corps adviser at Salem High School. She studied biomedical engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University and plans to pursue a career in higher education after she completes her service with VCAC. Zoie reflects, “I was fortunate to have a wonderful academic adviser during my time as an undergraduate student, and when I was in the process of job searching, he inspired me to consider advising as a possible career. Because of his suggestion, I came across the posting to become a college adviser with VCAC and have loved...