“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,...

Congratulations to Quality Stone Concepts of Virginia Beach - winner of the 2018 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Small Business! In the Virginia Beach community, students with a desire to learn building trades and, ultimately, find good quality jobs have some rock solid allies. For nearly a decade, Quality Stone Concepts’ (QSC) owners and employees have volunteered with the Virginia Beach Education Foundation where they mentor students enrolled in construction courses at the Virginia Beach Technical & Career Education Center (TCE). Every two years, a new single-family home is completed by TCE students and the success of the project—The...

Teaming Up with an AmeriCorps Member to Make Her Dream of a Military Career Come True Teresa Thompson, an AmeriCorps member with the Carroll County Public Schools Lift Up AmeriCorps and winner of the 2015 Robert E. Wone Award, recently shared an inspirational story about the impact of national service on a young person in her program. Teresa says student Samantha Bradley described herself in the past as a troubled teenager, but completely changed her outlook after the birth of her son. Working up to three jobs in addition to attending school where she excelled in her school work, Determined...

Clyde Roberts, Clinch Valley Community Action Agency Senior Corps – Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Volunteer of the Year - RSVP allows seniors to share their skills and talents while serving in a variety of volunteer activities.  Clyde Roberts has served more than 8,600 hours of service in his 14 years as an RSVP volunteer making a tremendous impact to countless veterans in his community. As an RSVP volunteer, he assists veterans with their day-to-day activities so that they may live independently in their homes. Mr. Roberts helps these veterans and their families with necessary paperwork needed for VA benefits, organize...

Rachel Haines

Congratulations to The Stewart Family of McLean -- winner of the 2017 Virginia Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Volunteer Family! Finding affordable dental care is a huge challenge and, too often, the result is that families with limited income suffer from poor dental health. The Stewart Family of McLean has made meeting this vital need a family mission -- to help build and sustain a dental program that provides free services to adults and children who could not otherwise afford care. Through the Arlington Free Clinic, George and Connie Stewart -- and their children Julie, Joy, Jenny,...