Cydny Neville
mlk

Sixth Grader Honors Dr. King

Story of Service: Sixth Grader Honors Dr. King

Serious Clydarius Pinchback, a sixth-grader at OT Bonner Danville Middle school, has a dream. He dreams of a world where we “will live in peace and harmony and respect each other” and we “will not have to feel the pain and anguish of war.” Showing wisdom and compassion beyond his 11 years, Serious was awarded the top prize for his submission to a MLK Day Essay Contest as part of a MLK Day Event, January 18, in Danville, presented by the Dan River Year AmeriCorps program. Serious’ essay made a strong argument of how wars could be avoided by working...
Miriam-Farris

Miriam Farris

Story of Service: Miriam Farris

Igniting a Passion for Learning for Struggling Students Miriam Farris is an AmeriCorps member and tutor with The Literacy Lab - Virginia Reading Corps program at Elizabeth Redd Elementary School in Richmond. Redd is a Title I school, which means that a high percentage of its students come from low-income families. Miriam reflects on a recent experience she had working with a struggling student. "I serve fifteen students each day, some of whom are immigrants and English language learners (ELL)," explains Miriam. "My ELL students speak Spanish at home, and they rarely have the benefit of parental reinforcement when it...
Martin Novak

Martin Novak

Story of Service: Martin Novak

Martin Novak was recently retired and looking for opportunities to volunteer in Northern Virginia when he discovered Volunteer Fairfax and their AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Northern Virginia program through a Google search. He applied to the program and recalls, "I was initially overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices of volunteer activities available. Ultimately, I settled on the four that I’ve gotten involved in: Farmers Market, Junior Achievement Finance Centers, providing music therapy at Insight Memory Care Centers, and Welcome Wednesdays at Volunteer Fairfax." A resident of Fairfax County for the past 32 years, Martin enjoys giving back to his community. He reflects,...
RICKETTSFRAN10131--C-CAP Director Fran Ricketts 10/24/2013 MATT ARMSTRONG PHOTO

Betty L. Robinette

Story of Service: Betty L. Robinette

Congratulations to Betty L. Robinette of Wytheville - winner of the 2021 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Senior Volunteer! For people who live in rural areas, fighting hunger is a serious issue. Communities like Southwest Virginia face a number of challenges – from scarcity of grocery stores and food pantries compounded with a lack of transportation to diminishing job opportunities and higher rates of unemployment. This is where Betty Robinette saw a growing need and did more than step into make a difference. Betty was the catalyst that started the Community Food Kitchen in 2012. When the...
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Jim Morrison

Story of Service: Jim Morrison

Recently volunteer Fire Chief John Morrison of Vienna was named the Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year by the International Association of Fire Chiefs. John was instrumental in the development of a Volunteer Management System uniting all 12 Fairfax County volunteer fire departments into a single portal to share resources, metrics and information.   The IAFC has honored one volunteer and one career firefighter annually since 1996. The Fire Chief of the Year award goes to a person who has "shown exemplary contributions in the areas of leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, public service, and contributions to the fire service,"...
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The Community Foundation for a greater Richmond

Story of Service: The Community Foundation for a greater Richmond

As a member of the Virginia Volunteerism Network, the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond has the mission of bringing people together to transform their community through informed and inspired philanthropy. Serving the greater Richmond region (specifically, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, Hopewell, Powhatan, Petersburg, Richmond City), the Community Foundation's vision is a vibrant region where all individuals and families can thrive and prosper, and their motto is, "Together, we do more good." The Community Foundation offers a full range of services to support the volunteerism sector, including the regional Volunteer Center for the greater Richmond area, CFengage. CFengage is free...

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