LIFT UP AmeriCorps Promotes Health

May 3, 2023

Carroll County LIFT UP AmeriCorps recently partnered with the CAVS after-school program at Carroll County Middle School to put on a Healthy Youth Day. Approximately 60 students participated in activities centered on exercise and healthy nutrition. Exercise leaders from the Carroll Wellness Center and nutritionists from the Virginia State Health Department joined forces with the CAVS staff and members for a Zumba session, outdoor recreational activity, smoothie station, and nutrition relay game.

Members also volunteered as support staff at the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic held at the Mt. Empire Airport in Smyth County on April 30-May 1. The RAM clinic offered free medical, dental, and vision services to more than 700 patients at a value of $498,912. More than 450 patients received dental services, 400 received eye exams, and nearly 200 received other medical services. Pictured left to right: Tonyia Gibson, Barbara Reed, Averi Banks, Allison Hurst, Brandi Easter, Lisa Waters (not pictured) Deenia Carico, Lauri Little, Sarah Horton, Lauren Roper, Cassie Muncy, April Ortiz.

Patriot Family, Career and Community Leaders of America Club

Story of Service: Patriot Family, Career and Community Leaders of America Club

Students at Patriot High School are encouraged to develop their full leadership potential, demonstrate integrity, understand the importance of character, and consistently display pride: pride in their accomplishments, community, and school. Members of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Club used these values as they answered the call to serve in their local community. Each year, the students engaged in the Patriot FCCLA Club come together to contribute their time and talent to support the local community. By hosting events and service projects, club members seek to make a difference and leave a legacy that contributes to the...

Bruce Lamond

Story of Service: Bruce Lamond

Bruce Lamond is a second-year Virginia College Advising Corps adviser at Mecklenburg County High School, which just opened in 2022. He served in the Marine Corps for several years before graduating from the University of Virginia in 2022. During his military service, Bruce became passionate about youth mentorship, prompting him to pursue a degree in Youth and Social Innovation and to step into several student support roles at UVA. “I learned about AmeriCorps and VCAC in my senior year of college when an assistant director of VCAC presented on the program in one of my classes,” recalls Bruce. “As soon...

Meghan McLees

Story of Service: Meghan McLees

Meghan McLees is an impressive student leader and role model for others. She cares deeply about helping others, inspires others to volunteer, and encourages them to pursue leadership in service. She has always been involved in service and enthusiastically dove in when she arrived at University of Mary Washington (UMW). She quickly became a student leader in several service organizations, including Circle-K and Alternative Service Breaks. Meghan also worked with a tutoring and mentoring program at her local homeless shelter, the Thurman Brisben Center. She is a member of a student-run service organization called COAR (Community Outreach and Resources) which...

Backpacks of Love Cumberland Elementary School Coordinators

Story of Service: Backpacks of Love Cumberland Elementary School Coordinators

Congratulations to Backpacks of Love Cumberland Elementary School Coordinators of Cumberland County -- winner of the 2017 Virginia Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Educational Institution! Backpacks of Love, Inc., was born out of a personal mission from its founder Bobby Fulcher, who personally struggled with food scarcity while growing up. Backpacks of Love provides wholesome food to school children in the counties of Powhatan, Cumberland, and Buckingham, so that they don’t go hungry over the weekend. Backpacks of Love’s highly engaged board members collect all donations, distribute food items to schools, and solicit community and corporate sponsors....

Fran Ricketts

Story of Service: Fran Ricketts

For the families and individuals in the Winchester area who have fallen on hard times and face a struggle to even provide themselves with basic needs, Fran Ricketts is an angel of mercy providing hope during dark times. Fran, the winner of the 2016 Governor's Volunteerism Award for Outstanding Senior Volunteer has dedicated her life to helping others for more than 30 years. Her life’s work has been serving through the Congregational Community Action Project (CCAP), a council of 200 churches and synagogues dedicated to addressing the needs of the poor and disadvantaged in Winchester. Fran manages the entire program...

HERO Club of Amherst County High School

Story of Service: HERO Club of Amherst County High School

Congratulations to HERO Club of Amherst County High School - winner of the 2020 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Educational Institution! When Amherst County High School student Alannah Wilson started the HERO (Helping Everyone Reach Out) Club four years again, she never dreamed the ripple effect it would have. She founded the student-led organization during her freshman year with a two-fold goal: answering people's questions about disabilities and how those disabilities affect people, and facilitating self-determination and self-advocacy. The club has grown to 30 volunteers, both students and their family members, annually. Membership is comprised of students...

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