Sixth Grader Honors Dr. King

May 3, 2023

Serious Clydarius Pinchback, a sixth-grader at OT Bonner Danville Middle school, has a dream. He dreams of a world where we “will live in peace and harmony and respect each other” and we “will not have to feel the pain and anguish of war.” Showing wisdom and compassion beyond his 11 years, Serious was awarded the top prize for his submission to a MLK Day Essay Contest as part of a MLK Day Event, January 18, in Danville, presented by the Dan River Year AmeriCorps program. Serious’ essay made a strong argument of how wars could be avoided by working through our problems rather than trying to force change against the peoples’ will. He ends his essay saying, “at the end of the day, we are all human and we should celebrate our similarities rather than rip each other apart for our differences.”

Serious is an excellent student at OT Bonner Middle School and will be attending the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington this summer as he strengthen his leadership and knowledge in history. Let’s all applaud Serious for honoring Dr. King with his insightful words! Congratulations Serious!

Download Serious’ MLK Day Essay

Published on Monday, February 8, 2016

Bruce Lamond

Story of Service: Bruce Lamond

Bruce Lamond is a second-year Virginia College Advising Corps adviser at Mecklenburg County High School, which just opened in 2022. He served in the Marine Corps for several years before graduating from the University of Virginia in 2022. During his military service, Bruce became passionate about youth mentorship, prompting him to pursue a degree in Youth and Social Innovation and to step into several student support roles at UVA. “I learned about AmeriCorps and VCAC in my senior year of college when an assistant director of VCAC presented on the program in one of my classes,” recalls Bruce. “As soon...

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

Lowe’s Home Improvement

Story of Service: Lowe’s Home Improvement

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...

Virginia Beach Medical Reserve Corps

Story of Service: Virginia Beach Medical Reserve Corps

Comprised of medical and public health professionals serving alongside interested non-medical community members, the Virginia Beach Medical Reserve Corps (VBMRC) shares skills, expertise, and time to support public health initiatives and respond to health emergencies throughout Virginia Beach. Established in 2002, the VBMRC is organized locally through the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health to improve the health and safety of its community. More than doubling in size during the pandemic to support COVID-19 efforts for the city, the VBMRC unit of 1,817 general support and healthcare professional volunteers is an essential component of emergency efforts for the city of...

Mary Hines

Story of Service: Mary Hines

Senior Corps Foster Grandparent of the Year Mary Hines, Peninsula Foster Grandparent Program, Hampton Since 2005, Mary Hines has traveled nearly an hour each day to make made it her mission to be a source of encouragement for children. She regularly shares a poem she wrote for the students which conveys that they too can transform into a butterfly from a cocoon. Ms. Hines has been instrumental to other Foster Grandparents and future volunteers by sharing her experiences. She has been recognized in the past with several awards for service, including the Presidential Award for Service. Ms. Hines is a wonderful...

C’erra Rhodes

Story of Service: C’erra Rhodes

C'erra Rhodes is a first-year Virginia Collage Advising Corps adviser at Madison County High School, having graduated from Radford University in 2023. She attended Charlottesville High School, where a VCAC college adviser supported her with her own college application process. “I was served by VCAC advisers throughout my junior and senior high school years," recalls C’erra. “I wanted to serve as a VCAC adviser because I remember the challenges I faced during the college application process as a first-generation student. Without the guidance of my VCAC adviser, I'm not sure if I would have navigated it successfully on my own.”...

Miriam Farris

Story of Service: Miriam Farris

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...

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.