Congratulations to Cyndy Neville of Prince William County -- winner of the 2017 Virginia Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Adult Volunteer! Full-time teacher Cydny Neville's commitment to students, their families, and her community goes way beyond the classroom. Cydny serves a minimum of 20 hours per week organizing community outreach across Prince William County and Northern Virginia. Her passion for the Prince William community led her to help individuals who are trying to start new businesses. Cyndy has assisted more than 100 small business owners with professional development training and has helped them secure business licenses by...

Congratulations to Averett University of Danville - winner of the 2019 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Educational Institution! Service is woven into the fabric of Averett University. Averett’s mission is to prepare students to serve and lead as catalysts for positive change. The university’s Center for Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness (CCECC) is a primary example of their dedication to service. CCECC is an innovative program which serves as a facilitator for pairing volunteers from Averett, Danville Community College, and Piedmont Community College with local organizations such as God’s Storehouse, the Boys & Girls Club of the Dan...

Congratulations to SunTrust of Richmond -- winner of the 2017 Virginia Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Corporation! Among SunTrust's corporate commitments is "employee volunteerism that helps to build and strengthen communities." This commitment and culture of caring is evident among Richmond-based SunTrust employees where more than 800 SunTrust teammates have volunteered for a host of organizations contributing nearly 38,000 hours of service! Volunteers focus on three key areas: financial education, support for the military and veterans, and continuing to help Virginia communities and residents recover from the 2008-2010 financial crisis. Nearly 3,000 volunteer hours were spent delivering...

AmeriCorps VISTA Member of the Year William Griswold, Community Services Block Grant - CAPUP, Richmond In just a short time serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA with CAPUP, Will has shown a strong talent for developing community relationships. As a long-overdue needs assessment was just kicking off, Will worked to develop critical relationships with local educational institutions by recruiting students to assist with the process. He was involved in all aspects of the effort – managing and motivating volunteers and reaching out to key players in the community. Will’s successes were pivotal to the effectiveness of the needs assessment, which will ultimately...

Congratulations to GrandInvolve of Fairfax - winner of the 2017 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Community Organization! For many economically disadvantaged schools in Fairfax County, getting consistent volunteers to help out in the classroom is an immense challenge. The innovative GrandInvolve program places older adults who offer their skills and talents to students directly into the area’s elementary schools. The seniors volunteer at the schools at least once a week for several hours assisting with reading and math, material preparation, library services, mentoring and kindergarten readiness. Each volunteer builds lasting relationships with the students by coming back...

“I have always been drawn to public service,” reflects Rumana Chattopadhyay-Reid, who started volunteering as a teenager in West Bengal, India. She regularly volunteered for 4-5 hours each weekend in a neonatal care facility while completing her bachelor’s degree. After moving to South India for graduate school, she met the man who would become her husband, an American student who was studying abroad. Together, they moved to the United States, where Rumana began teaching at a reservation school and the couple started a family.   Then, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and changed everything. Rumana became a stay-at-home mother, working to ensure that...