Mitzi Coles recently completed two service terms and is beginning her third term as an AmeriCorps member at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), within their Dan River Year AmeriCorps program, which is dedicated to addressing community needs in Southern Virginia. Dan River Year AmeriCorps members build capacity in the region, strengthen community involvement, and address pressing needs through their focus on building the region’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and literacy capacity.   When Mitzi first joined the Dan River Year AmeriCorps program, it was a big adjustment. She recalls, "My first AmeriCorps term was very...

Congratulations to Virginia Beach Schools Federal Credit Union - winner of the 2019 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Small Business Volunteer Program!  Virginia Beach Schools Federal Credit Union (VBSFCU) is creating a lasting impact on the financial literacy education of the students in their community.  VBSFCU serves as a Partner in Education with Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS), volunteering annually in more than 30 schools. Each year, 18 volunteers deploy to the schools for 300 hours of service to enhance financial education through programs like Reality Store events; student-run, school-based credit unions; work and family studies;...

Congratulations to Shreyaa Venkat of Ashburn - winner of the 2019 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Youth Volunteer! Shreyaa, a junior at Broad Run High School in Ashburn, was determined to make a difference when she saw the number of homeless people who didn't have access to food. To combat this issue, she started an organization called “NEST4US” (New Environment Starts Today) to increase awareness and action around food waste reduction, as well as rescue and redistribute edible foods to those in need. Through the NEST4U Sandwich Assembly Projects, more than 250 volunteers have fed more than...

The Span Center is a the state sanctioned Area Agency on Aging, serving serve Planning District 15, which covers the City of Richmond and the counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, and Powhatan. With a mission of “Empowering older adults to live with dignity and choice,” The Span Center provides services, information, referrals, and advocacy for older adults, caregivers, and persons with disabilities. For more than 50 years, they have been a trusted resource in Central Virginia, dedicated to helping individuals and building a more connected community. Formerly known as Senior Connections, The Span Center name...

Commitment to community has been embedded as a core value for OrthoVirginia, even before its formal founding as a practice. At any given time, over a third of the physicians at OrthoVirginia volunteer as athletic trainers and team physicians, primarily in the Northern Virginia region. As a result of their priority to support the local sports leagues and school systems, they serve as team physicians to 18 public high schools as well as a number of private schools, taking time to answer questions, provide guidance and help in the care of the students. In addition to providing a crucial service...

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...