Denise Carl, Richmond Area Healthy Futures Opioid Project AmeriCorps State Member of the Year (Robert E. Wone Award for Exemplary Service) - The Wone Award was established in memory of Robert E. Wone, who served on the Governor’s Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism from 2002-2006 and dedicated his life to volunteering for charitable organizations and offering pro bono legal service. The award recognizes an exemplary AmeriCorps member who has exhibited the same dedication to community service and civic engagement as did Mr. Wone.  Ms. Carl was practicing law when she changed the trajectory of her life and was inspired to...

As founder of Becoming a Voice, Shriya Boppana is a sex trafficking and sexual health education advocate. She holds sexual health education workshops in orphanages, schools, and extracurricular youth organizations to educate young children about safe and unsafe touch in Fairfax County Public Schools as well as in her home state of Andhra Pradesh in India. She also serves on the Virginia, D.C., and Maryland Human Trafficking Task Forces working with the U.S. Department of Justice and local law enforcement groups to identify trafficking schemes, extract victims, and integrate them back into society. Shriya has now educated more than 19,600...

Congratulations to Lawrence Jia of Midlothian -- winner of the 2017 Virginia Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Youth Volunteer! When Lawrence Jia saw someone close to him experience a financial crisis and face homelessness, he was moved to make a difference. He had an idea that if you could create a resource to help individuals become better informed consumers, better investors, and wiser savers -- you could change the landscape of adolescent financial literacy. In Lawrence’s freshman year, he created “Money Matters to Students” which today has almost 100 volunteers across three continents and has reached over...

Congratulations to Spring Hill Baptist Church of Blackstone - winner of the 2018 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Faith-Based Organization! Spring Hill Baptist Church is clearly a force for good in the small community of Blackstone. Their 300 members are providing countless concrete supports and, just as importantly, building bridges for better community relations. Spring Hill members can be found distributing food to the needy, holding tutoring programs for students, providing activities for senior citizens, and visiting shut-ins. Spring Hill organizes community-wide worship services, food and school supply drives, job fairs, a community clothes closet, Christmas donation programs, and much...

Gina De Naples, an AmeriCorps member serving with Virginia State Parks in York River State Park, has never allowed being hearing impaired to make a difference in how she has approached life and her commitment to service! Gina, a native of Greensboro, NC, served this year on the Virginia State Parks AmeriCorps Interpretive Trail Project. She received support of interpreters through the combined efforts of the Virginia State Parks (which operates within the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation), the Office of Volunteerism and Consumer Services (which operate within the Virginia Department of Social Services), and the Virginia Division for...

The Berry Family of Harrisonburg, Virginia, saw a local need related to food insecurity in their area. Dubbed the "Brent Berry Food Drive," in honor of their son, Brent, the family took the initiative to help meet the need. This is a massive drive that they have conducted for 15 years, with the 2022 drive being the largest ever, collecting an estimated $65,000 in food and personal hygiene items for community members in need. They donate the collected items to the local Salvation Army, effectively stocking their pantry for a large portion of the year. Rather than being forced to...