The Salem Area Ecumenical Ministries (SAEM) is a gathering of lay and pastoral representatives from Salem, Virginia, and western Roanoke County churches and local service agencies, working to strengthen community resilience by encouraging collaboration in the areas of food, clothing, and educational resources. With the support of more than 300 volunteers, SAEM offers elementary and middle school meal programs and school gardens as well as Mrs. Dorsey's Clothes Closet. SAEM actively engages members of diverse faith congregations and encourages previous recipients of their ministries to assist with programs. SAEM is recognized as the lead ministry partner in providing food, clothes,...

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...

Igniting a Passion for Learning for Struggling Students Miriam Farris is an AmeriCorps member and tutor with The Literacy Lab - Virginia Reading Corps program at Elizabeth Redd Elementary School in Richmond. Redd is a Title I school, which means that a high percentage of its students come from low-income families. Miriam reflects on a recent experience she had working with a struggling student. "I serve fifteen students each day, some of whom are immigrants and English language learners (ELL)," explains Miriam. "My ELL students speak Spanish at home, and they rarely have the benefit of parental reinforcement when it...

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...

Congratulations to Lowe's Home Improvement of Glen Allen - winner of the 2019 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Corporate Volunteer Program!  For more than a decade, Lowe’s has been committed to serving the communities of its customers. Through the Lowe’s Heroes project, employees adopt a volunteer project with a local nonprofit organization or K–12 public school. Since the inception of the volunteer program, Lowe’s Heroes have participated in more than 1,300 projects and have contributed more than $1.3 million in materials. Last year, 14 stores in the Richmond area teamed up to serve the Virginia Home for Boys...

Congratulations to The Stewart Family of McLean -- winner of the 2017 Virginia Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Volunteer Family! Finding affordable dental care is a huge challenge and, too often, the result is that families with limited income suffer from poor dental health. The Stewart Family of McLean has made meeting this vital need a family mission -- to help build and sustain a dental program that provides free services to adults and children who could not otherwise afford care. Through the Arlington Free Clinic, George and Connie Stewart -- and their children Julie, Joy, Jenny,...