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...

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...

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...

Congratulations to Dana Dougherty of Arlington - winner of the 2018 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Adult Volunteer! Dana Dougherty’s passion for healthy living is getting children and families moving in Arlington! Dana began her quest at Oakridge Elementary, an urban school also known as an “international neighborhood school” with a population speaking more than 40 languages. Here she spends countless hours creating and running an “all are welcome” morning fitness program and family fitness nights. Dana also realized the need for students to have “movement breaks” throughout the day in order to refocus on learning. She created 2Fit2Quit,...

Congratulations to HERO Club of Amherst County High School - winner of the 2020 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Educational Institution! When Amherst County High School student Alannah Wilson started the HERO (Helping Everyone Reach Out) Club four years again, she never dreamed the ripple effect it would have. She founded the student-led organization during her freshman year with a two-fold goal: answering people's questions about disabilities and how those disabilities affect people, and facilitating self-determination and self-advocacy. The club has grown to 30 volunteers, both students and their family members, annually. Membership is comprised of students...

On a April 9, the curved pathway leading to the Graduate Life Center’s entrance across from Squires Student Center at VA Tech was lined with bags brimming with shoes. More than 1,100 pairs of footwear of all sizes, the result of a month-long drive coordinated by the Graduate School’s Office for Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion (ORDI) were headed for a Soles4Souls intake center. Assist. Dean and ORDI Dir. Shernita Lee and support programs specialist Shania Clinedinst spearheaded the drive as a service project exemplifying Martin Luther King Jr.’s message that people cannot walk alone. “ORDI placed bins to collect shoes...