Mitzi Coles
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Alyssa De Las Salas

Story of Service: Alyssa De Las Salas

Alyssa De Las Salas learned about AmeriCorps NCCC when a friend served during her freshman year of college. She recalls, “I thought, that looks so interesting... getting to travel across the country and meet new people.” Alyssa finished her bachelor’s degree in psychology, but the opportunity remained buried in her own subconscious. A year or so after graduation, however, she had an existential crisis, unsure what to do next. That’s when she remembered AmeriCorps. She had enjoyed traveling abroad and felt like traveling within the U.S. was something that would interest her as well. Alyssa recalls, “I started reading more about it...
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Jayeesh Chennupati

Story of Service: Jayeesh Chennupati

Jayeesh Chennupati is an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving at United Way of the Virginia Peninsula (UWVP) through a capacity-building project managed by Serve Virginia. In college, Jayeesh already knew about national service as a way to make an impact thanks to his interest in Peace Corps service. After graduation, however, he sought out AmeriCorps as a way to cultivate new skills and gain a better understanding of the world. He recalls, "I decided to take a year to develop some skills [and] really learn about poverty in a dimension that I haven't explored before." In considering the biggest challenge he...
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Cydny Neville

Story of Service: Cydny Neville

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...
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Matt Mooneyham

Story of Service: Matt Mooneyham

Matt Mooneyham found out about AmeriCorps VISTA from a conversation with his father, who shared that one of his coworker's sons did AmeriCorps after college and really enjoyed it. He recalls, "I decided to serve because I have always really enjoyed serving people, I also thought it would be a good opportunity to develop myself personally and professionally." In his current term, Matt is serving with Bay Aging, an organization providing programs and services people of all ages need to live independently in their communities. Matt engages with community members and supports Bay Aging's Regional Resilience and Equity Workgroup. He...

Sarahbeth Vernon

Story of Service: Sarahbeth Vernon

AmeriCorps State Member of the Year (Robert E. Wone Award for Exemplary Service) Sarahbeth Vernon, Virginia College Advising Corps, Charlottesville Sarahbeth Vernon serves the Northern Neck communities of Richmond and Westmoreland counties by advising high school students to develop and enact their post-secondary plans. Although she grew up in Richmond, she had several family members who resided in Northern Neck and was excited about giving back to this community. As a college advisor, Sarabeth provides one-on-one admissions and financial aid advice to any student or family seeking assistance; organizes group workshops that encourage students and families to consider, plan for,...
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Dr. Lawrence Fleenor, Jr.

Story of Service: Dr. Lawrence Fleenor, Jr.

Congratulations to Dr. Lawrence Fleenor of Big Stone Gap - winner of the 2019 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Senior Volunteer!  Dr. Fleenor has taken his love for and dedication to the history of Southwest Virginia and turned it into a remarkable way to serve his community. A tireless advocate and volunteer for the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park, he has volunteered more than 5,550 hours. Additionally, Dr. Fleenor volunteers as historian at Natural Tunnel State Park and the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association. He led the work to create the Southwest Virginia Museum's historical bus...

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