Dr. Sheila Williamson-Branch

June 20, 2024

Having offered years of service and expertise to Serve Virginia, Dr. Sheila Williamson-Branch is the outgoing Vice Chair of the Governor’s Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism (GAB), serving as a Board member since 2018. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time serving on the GAB as a committee chair, reviewer of grants, and as Vice Chair,” reflects Sheila. “Meeting and learning about the many programs Serve Virginia was involved with was most enlightening. Serving on the board allowed me to be a part of an organization that truly cares about non-profit organizations and the communities they serve.”

Sheila first became involved with service and volunteerism after returning home from college in 1984, eagerly joining a few community organizations to give back to the community where she grew up. Since then, she has been involved in public service for more than 25 years and is currently serving as City Treasurer for the City of Danville. Additionally, she is a member of the Danville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, and the Danville (VA) Chapter of the Links, Inc. which involve public service. “Being involved with these organizations in my community allows me to continually serve others who are in need,” says Sheila.

Deirdre Arnowitz

Story of Service: Deirdre Arnowitz

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Deirdre continued her volunteer service at Meals on Wheels and helped pack meals to be delivered to those who were unable to leave their residences due to safety reasons. Her favorite aspect of volunteering is offering assistance to older adults who have a difficult time helping themselves. Deirdre has a passion for educating others on the importance of caring for older adults. She has held an adjunct faculty position at Virginia Commonwealth University since 1984. She has also been a member of numerous professional affiliations, such as the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the...

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

Tommy & Jimmy Davis

Story of Service: Tommy & Jimmy Davis

Congratulations to Tommy & Jimmy Davis of Mechanicsville - winner of the 2018 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Volunteer Family! For more than 15 years, brothers Tommy and Jimmy Davis dedicated their time and talents to providing much needed home repairs and re-building efforts to individuals and families in need. It was Tommy who first became dedicated to home repair outreach when on a mission trip to Romania. Later, he recruited his younger brother Jimmy to help with disaster relief following Hurricane Katrina. The brothers would later commit their lives to service through Resurrection Disaster Relief, a home repair...

OrthoVirginia

Story of Service: OrthoVirginia

Commitment to community has been embedded as a core value for OrthoVirginia, even before its formal founding as a practice. At any given time, over a third of the physicians at OrthoVirginia volunteer as athletic trainers and team physicians, primarily in the Northern Virginia region. As a result of their priority to support the local sports leagues and school systems, they serve as team physicians to 18 public high schools as well as a number of private schools, taking time to answer questions, provide guidance and help in the care of the students. In addition to providing a crucial service...

Acadia Czeizinger

Story of Service: Acadia Czeizinger

Acadia Czeizinger became an AmeriCorps member in August 2023 through an opportunity to serve in the Virginia College Advising Corps. She recalls, "I had just graduated from Hollins University less than a year prior, and I was already feeling restless working part-time at a local bookstore. I wanted to do something different; something that would allow me both serve my community and allow me to gain experience as a young professional." At that point, the job market was recovering from the pandemic and Acadia was struggling to find a rewarding position that would allow her to remain within her rural...

Claudia Ramirez Cuéllar

Story of Service: Claudia Ramirez Cuéllar

AmeriCorps member Claudia Ramirez Cuéllar currently serves at Aspire Afterschool Learning as the Parent Coordinator in the AmeriCorps Learning Links program. In her role, Claudia connects with the parents of Aspire students to share student progress, successes, and challenges. She greets parents as they pick up their students and communicates regularly through phone calls and text messages. She also organizes monthly talks for parents on relevant topics, such as how to read report cards, how parent-teacher conferences work, keeping children safe on the internet, and advice surrounding mental health for the parents and children. As a result of her proactive...

Veronica McMillian

Story of Service: Veronica McMillian

When Veronica McMillian founded the Micro-Nonprofit Network in 2009, she wanted to educate, empower, and equip small nonprofits through capacity building and program development. Since then, the Network has helped more than 300 small nonprofits (making $50,000 or less in the first three years) become 501c3 organizations and create sustainable infrastructure that empowers them to thrive with pride. Though she holds an M.A. in Human Services Counseling from Regent University and is an adjunct instructor at Tidewater Community College, her nonprofit expertise comes from firsthand experience starting and running her own nonprofits. After her first nonprofit shuttered in the 2008...

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