Cydny Neville
Tea Ragsdale

Tea Ragsdale

Story of Service: Tea Ragsdale

Tea Ragsdale is an AmeriCorps member serving as a Literacy Lab tutor at Saunders Elementary School. She has worked in office and property management jobs, but never felt that her personality and creativity were seen as assets in those roles. "I think, with AmeriCorps, I've found my tribe," she reflects. "I chose to serve with the Literacy Lab simply because reading got me through some difficult times, from an early age to the present day. As a childhood cancer patient in the 1970s, reading gave me comfort, gave me hope, and sometimes the answers I was seeking to improve myself and...
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Chris Sandquist

Story of Service: Chris Sandquist

Thanks to his lifelong commitment to service, Virginia AmeriCorps member Chris Sandquist is a recipient of the Harris Wofford Joint Service Award, honoring individuals who have successfully completed both a full-time service term or its equivalent in AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps.   Chris grew up in Waynesboro, Virginia, before moving to Maine for college and then spending two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tunisia, North Africa, where he taught English as a Foreign Language to businesspeople and college students at the Tunisian National Institute of Modern Languages. He recalls, "Joining the Peace Corps after college was a...
RICKETTSFRAN10131--C-CAP Director Fran Ricketts 10/24/2013 MATT ARMSTRONG PHOTO

VCU Richmond Alumni Chapter

Story of Service: VCU Richmond Alumni Chapter

Congratulations to VCU Richmond Alumni Chapter of Richmond - winner of the 2018 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Education Organization! From leading the charge against hunger in Virginia to supporting veterans, the VCU Richmond Alumni Chapter is continuing to make an impact on the community every single day. The Richmond Chapter, comprised of more than 65,000 alums of Virginia Commonwealth University who currently live in Richmond, continues to make volunteering a key priority in their initiatives to help make Richmond a better place to live. Every year, hundreds of VCU Alums volunteer – from collecting enormous amounts of canned...
Sydney Sanders

Sydney Sanders

Story of Service: Sydney Sanders

Sydney Sanders is an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving with the Federation of Virginia Food Banks. She originally discovered AmeriCorps VISTA in college, hearing fellow students discuss their post-graduation plans. "After I graduated, I knew I wanted to find a program or position that would afford me the opportunity to apply the knowledge I gained in school, while also cultivating new skills," she recalls. "What drew me to serve was the unique position I applied for and ended up being offered." Through her VISTA service at the Federation, Sydney has had the chance to be involved in a broad range of...
RICKETTSFRAN10131--C-CAP Director Fran Ricketts 10/24/2013 MATT ARMSTRONG PHOTO

Crystal Curtis

Story of Service: Crystal Curtis

Crystal Curtis, Appalachian Community Action and Development Agency AmeriCorps VISTA Member of the Year - AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members bring their passion and perseverance where the need is greatest: to organizations that help eradicate poverty.  Ms. Curtis is the Appalachian Community Action Agency’s first dedicated staff member to address the drug/opioid addiction issue which is crippling Southwest Virginia. As an AmeriCorps VISTA, Crystal has been highly effective in raising community awareness about the agency’s program and expanding its reach throughout the community. She has been a constant presence at educational and drug take back events and even...
L Dixon

Lisa Dixon

Story of Service: Lisa Dixon

As a Summer 2024 Serve Virginia Honor Roll honoree, Lisa Dixon feels called to serve. She is a self-described progressive thinker who serves the Chesapeake community as a champion of organizations committed to innovation, change, and solutions to the lives of those in need. As CEO of Divine Inspiration Outreach Inc., Dixon is a full-time volunteer responsible for the oversight and administration of the Burfoot House Program for homeless women. Through this service, she leads a team of volunteers who help single women experiencing homelessness achieve self-sufficiency. In the past seven years, she has helped more than 200 women obtain...

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