Earlier this month, Serve Virginia joined Senator Ghazala Hashmi (pictured above) for a site visit to check in with AmeriCorps members and Ampact program staff at Recovery Corps and to award a Lifetime Achievement Award to Chelsea Rushbrook (also pictured above), the current Recovery Corps Project Coordinator at VCU Rams in Recovery and a Summer 2024 Serve Virginia Honor Roll honoree. Rushbrook previously served two AmeriCorps service terms with Richmond Healthy Futures Opioid Prevention and Environmental Stewardship (RHOPES), at the McShin Foundation and the Richmond Office of Community Wealth Building, prior to her current term at Recovery Corps.

In Virginia, there were 22,398 emergency department visits due to an overdose in 2022. Recovery Corps works to impact those numbers and, since launching in Virginia, they have supported over 800 individuals on their recovery journeys. In 2023-2024, AmeriCorps members served more than 61,000 hours to support these individuals across the Commonwealth.

During our visit, Recovery Corps staff in Virginia, including Executive Director Joel Morgan and Program Coach Nathan Mitchell, provided an overview of the Recovery Corps program and its impact on Senator Hashmi's 15th District in Virginia, showcasing how AmeriCorps expands their organizational capacity to respond to community needs. We were also joined by staff from the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, including Executive Director Maria Jankowski and Deputy Executive Director Tim Coyne, as well as Chesterfield Chief Public Defender My’chael Jefferson-Reese and their staff.

Recovery Corps Navigators and Project Coordinators from the Chesterfield Public Defenders Office, the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences, and Chesterfield Recovery Academy, along with Rushbrook, shared details about their service experiences and the roles they play, discussed public health needs in Richmond, and shared why they joined AmeriCorps and what they hope to do after they complete their term of service. Recovery Corps alumni also joined in this conversation, highlighting the potential of service-to-career pathways, particularly within public health and recovery.

To learn more about Recovery Corps in Virginia, visit recoverycorps.us/virginia.

To learn more about the impact of AmeriCorps in Virginia, visit servevirginia.org/about-us/americorps.