Michelle Smeltzer & Nichole Johns

November 21, 2024

2024 Governor’s Volunteerism & Community Service Award honorees Michelle Smeltzer and Nichole Johns serve the community of Warren County, Virginia, through a variety of volunteer organizations. They are committed to working for the betterment of the community, volunteering together at community organizations such as the Warren Coalition, Concern Hotline, Dinner Together, House of Hope, and Reaching Out Now. Together, Michelle and Nichole amassed close to 1,000 hours of community service in the past year.

They also serve on the Board of Directors for Hope and Rest Temporary Shelter (HARTS), which Michelle help create when she saw the need and then worked to coalesce a community group to provide shelter through twelve local churches. Michelle and Nichole work tirelessly to ensure homeless residents have a safe and warm space to spend winter nights, raising funds, driving a van to take unhoused residents to the shelter, scheduling meals and personnel, doing laundry, and keeping the peace. Between 30 and 40 people are served nightly by the shelter, December through April. Since its inception in 2018, HARTS has served more than 250 Warren County residents.

Through their work with local churches, Michelle and Nichole have been able to keep HARTS open during the winter months, even through the pandemic. Additionally, the pair volunteers relentlessly throughout the community and continue to advocate for the most vulnerable residents.

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

Gina De Naples

Story of Service: Gina De Naples

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...

We Serve at Eastern Mennonite High School

Story of Service: We Serve at Eastern Mennonite High School

We Serve, the service club at Eastern Mennonite High School in Harrisonburg, Virginia, works in partnership with the Rockingham Rotary Club as an interact club. Interact clubs bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self. In the hopes of expanding the school's annual service day into more regular service opportunities for students, an 11th grade student named Abby Stapleton started We Serve during the 2018-2019 school year. Abby also hoped to broaden students' interactions with a wider group of community organizations helping others while also providing mentorship opportunities through expanded...

Nancy Feldner

Story of Service: Nancy Feldner

Nancy Feldner is a volunteer with the Columbia Baptist Church's Spend Yourself Food Pantry ministry in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia. As a professional chef and baker, she first came to Spend Yourself to provide cooking and nutrition presentations for those served through the Food Pantry and saw a way to meet additional community needs. Six years ago, she initiated God's Closet (El Armario de Dios), which provides clothing and supplies to Food Pantry clients, especially those with infants and preschoolers. She assists hundreds of families each year, volunteering more than 100 hours each month to help meet the needs of low-income...

Abbey Pence

Story of Service: Abbey Pence

Abbey Pence is an AmeriCorps member serving as a first-year Virginia College Advising Corps (VCAC) adviser at Cumberland High School. Abbey discovered VCAC and AmeriCorps while she was in high school, where she was supported by a VCAC adviser. Combining that experience with her current service, she has a unique understanding of the impact and opportunity that national service can have on those who receive support from AmeriCorps members—as well as the members themselves. "My biggest tip that I would give to any recent graduate looking at what's next for them is to try something that may be out...

AmeriCorps Assists After Tornado

Story of Service: AmeriCorps Assists After Tornado

When the devastating tornadoes swept through Appomattox County last week, hundreds of volunteers immediately appeared to support the affected families. Among the volunteers, 16 ready-to-serve AmeriCorps members were deployed to assist with debris removal and cleanup. Virginia State Parks Virginia Service and Conservation Corps AmeriCorps program worked alongside volunteers from the community and faith-based groups to lend a helping hand. The Conservation Corps normally serves at parks throughout Virginia to work on projects like trail building, volunteer recruitment, and interpretive programming. Their outdoor project skills make them ideal to serve during times of disaster. One member commented about how they...

Rachel Haines

Story of Service: Rachel Haines

What’s Your Volunteer Personality?

Pair your passion with purpose. Take our Volunteer Personality Quiz and find out which volunteer direction is best for you.