Sentara Health supports employee volunteerism by creating holistic opportunities for colleagues to engage with community-based partners across Virginia and beyond. Through active participation with organizations such as the Health Anchor Network, Volunteer Hampton Roads, and Serve Virginia, Sentara believes in aligning with national best practices in volunteerism to provide employees with pathways to serve in ways that align with both their passions and community needs.

Beginning in 2018, Sentara started to see a trend of employees volunteering in their communities and recording hours through their internal volunteer platform. Following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, volunteer numbers across the state, and the country, declined significantly, underscoring the importance of rebuilding civic engagement and leadership. Recognizing this, Sentara’s senior leaders supported the need for a more intentional approach.

In October 2023, the Sentara volunteer program was informally established to provide colleagues with structured opportunities to give back, while also creating a framework to track impact and strengthen community partnerships. By mid-2024, the program was officially named Sentara Serves. Since then, the program has seen significant growth in both participation and engagement. By the end of 2024, nearly 1,040 employees contributed approximately 4,000 hours. While this still represents a small fraction of Sentara’s employee base, it demonstrates meaningful momentum as more colleagues engage in structured volunteer opportunities.

Further, these hours reflect just part of the work employees are doing, but more importantly, the program is building strong relationships between employees and community partners, fostering collaboration, trust, and a foundation for sustainable impact. The combination of growing participation, strengthening connections, and meaningful engagement positions Sentara Serves to expand its reach and influence in the years ahead.

Sentara Serves’ collaborative efforts span a wide range of community priorities, such as local food banks and meal distribution programs, Title I schools and educational support initiatives, community health and wellness programs, environmental and public education projects, and partnerships with other nonprofit and civic organizations who are aligned with the Sentara mission to improve community health and support marginalized communities.

Over the past year, Sentara Serves volunteers have contributed tangible and meaningful impacts in their communities. Examples include:

FACT Gives Back and Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore collaboration: Sentara volunteers collaborated inclusively with individuals with autism, supporting social interactions, well-being, and workforce readiness. In addition, this ongoing collaboration helps the food bank by packing nearly 1,000 boxes of food to support its programs, demonstrating the power of teamwork and community impact. For many Sentara employees, this was an eye-opening experience to see the diverse abilities and unique strengths that each participant brought to the effort. The experience not only supported Foodbank’s mission, but also deepened our volunteers’ appreciation for inclusion, collaboration, and the power of partnership.

Shoes of Hope distribution: Employees helped distribute 433 pairs of new shoes to students at the Title I elementary school Bettie F. Williams, helping ensure children had the resources and confidence they needed to thrive at school. This initiative brought together local funders, charities, and corporate partners to maximize support and community impact. During the Shoes of Hope distribution, employees witnessed the joy on children’s faces as they received brand new shoes. Some students even gathered in circles to compare and celebrate their matching pairs, excited to share in the moment together. This not only highlighted the importance of providing resources but also underscored how small acts can foster both equity and equality. For volunteers, seeing the children’s excitement was a powerful reminder of how meaningful their contributions can be.

Berkley Park Refresh: Sentara partnered with the YMCA and Berkley Civic League to support the revitalization of the community park. Sentara volunteers contributed by painting, mulch, and revitalizing the community park, improving green space access and creating a more welcoming environment for families and neighbors. This first phase of the project is complete, with future opportunities being explored.

While these examples provide concrete outcomes, the true impact of the program extends beyond measurable numbers. Employees are investing time, energy, and expertise in addition to their full-time professional roles, strengthening relationships with community partners and helping build trust, collaboration, and sustainable change. These efforts lay the foundation for long-term, growing impact as the program continues to expand, and more employees engage. In addition, employees find meaning and a sense of pride in their work and the organization that they work for, creating stickiness within Sentara.

The future of Sentara Serves is focused on growth, alignment, and deeper impact. They are continuing to build infrastructure to better track and celebrate employee contributions, expand partnerships with local, state, and national organizations, and create new opportunities for employees to connect their skills with community needs. Upcoming projects will emphasize support for schools, community wellness initiatives, and skills-based volunteering. The vision is for Sentara Serves to become not only a program, but a transformation that offers strength to communities and enrichment to the lives of colleagues.