Lori Schmiege & Huey Gordon

RICKETTSFRAN10131--C-CAP Director Fran Ricketts 10/24/2013 MATT ARMSTRONG PHOTO

May 3, 2023

National Service Alumni of the Year Huey Gordon & Lorie Schmiege, CARITAS, Richmond Both AmeriCorps Alums with CARITAS, the dynamic duo of Lori Schmiege and Huey Gordon manage the CARITAS Furniture Bank operations. Lori, who served from 2010-2011, and Huey, who served from 2011-2012, both react with empathy and a resolve to “get things done,” attitudes they developed as members. They are also both willing and happy to coach and mentor other AmeriCorps members and ultimately show these members how to be excellent employees when they move on to the workforce. Since joining CARITAS staff, they have mentored 40 AmeriCorps members — that’s 40 hires, 40 written performance development plans and over 100 reviews, and 40 lives touched with daily coaching and mentoring! The tenure of service between Huey and Lori makes them a unique team spreading their light and big hearts within the CARITAS organization while doing the hard work that needs to be done. Read more Volunteer Stories! Submit a Story!

Mechele Hairston

Story of Service: Mechele Hairston

Congratulations to Mechele Hairston of Chesapeake - winner of the 2021 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Adult Volunteer! When two Hampton Roads neighborhoods lost their last remaining grocery store, the largely minority population of nearly 18,000 citizens faced dire food scarcity challenges. Michele Hairston served as a driving force that led to the free food distribution of 25,000+ pounds of food over a two-weekend period. But it was her ongoing efforts on behalf of Impact Southside and the Solid Rock Worldwide Outreach Ministry that she made an even greater impact. In 2020, Mechele and a volunteer army...

Amber Matkowski

Story of Service: Amber Matkowski

My experience with AmeriCorps was truly life changing. I completed two years of service, during my junior and senior year at Christopher Newport University. Alternatives Inc. is such a warm and friendly organization to work with. They made it a priority to train us not only to be thorough workers, but to be passionate advocates, exceptional leaders, and supportive team members. They showed me the importance of knowing your program and your team inside and now. By the end of my AmeriCorps service, I felt like I could quickly and efficiently solve problems and take on big challenges. I am...

Mackenzie Vuotto

Story of Service: Mackenzie Vuotto

In her time as an early educator, Mackenzie Vuotto began to see the pivotal impact that service and volunteerism can have on young people and families. "An important part of educating young children is informing them about who is in their community, and how their 'community heroes' (like firefighters, doctors, or mail deliverers) help them every day," says Mackenzie. "I realized it was also important to educate children, from a young age, about ways they can help others so we had multiple food and supplies drives in my preschool classroom throughout the year!" Mackenzie is now serving as an AmeriCorps...

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...

Shreyaa Venkat

Story of Service: Shreyaa Venkat

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...

Dee Dee Schrader

Story of Service: Dee Dee Schrader

As a Summer 2024 Serve Virginia Honor Roll honoree, Dee Dee Schrader's inspiration to serve comes from her grandmother. She recalls employees at the local card store asking her grandmother if they could take her coat: "They knew she would be there for hours picking cards for everyone she knew, not just for holidays or birthdays, but for bad days, sad days, and days she thought we needed a lift. She wanted to brighten people’s spirits; to let everyone she touched know they were loved. They did matter." Dee Dee reflects, "I was never forgotten by her and those cards...

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