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Tommy & Jimmy Davis
Tommy & Jimmy Davis
RICKETTSFRAN10131--C-CAP Director Fran Ricketts 10/24/2013 MATT ARMSTRONG PHOTO

Evelyn Freeman

Story of Service: Evelyn Freeman

Evelyn Freeman, Peninsula Foster Grandparent Program Senior Corps – Foster Grandparent of the Year - Foster Grandparents are role models, mentors, and friends to children with exceptional needs.  At 91 years of age, Ms. Freeman has been serving for 14 years as a Foster Grandparent volunteer at the Discovery STEM Academy. Over the years of service with the program, she has watched many of her elementary students go on to graduate from high school and earn college degrees. Her positivity fills her students with hope and she’s always encouraging them that they can accomplish anything with commitment and hard work. Read...
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The Berry Family

Story of Service: The Berry Family

The Berry Family of Harrisonburg, Virginia, saw a local need related to food insecurity in their area. Dubbed the "Brent Berry Food Drive," in honor of their son, Brent, the family took the initiative to help meet the need. This is a massive drive that they have conducted for 15 years, with the 2022 drive being the largest ever, collecting an estimated $65,000 in food and personal hygiene items for community members in need. They donate the collected items to the local Salvation Army, effectively stocking their pantry for a large portion of the year. Rather than being forced to...
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Eddie Van Zandt

Story of Service: Eddie Van Zandt

Edwina "Eddie" Van Zandt serves as a Foster Grandma in the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program at Senior Connections. She first got involved with the Foster Grandparents program eight years ago, at the recommendation of her friend, Barbara, who also continues to serve in the program. “It’s been a joyful experience,” says Eddie.  She recalls, “Barbara was talking about Foster Grandparents and I thought, 'well how do I get involved in that.' I've always worked with kids and even taught preschool so she got me interested and I got involved.”   Since then, she has served in the day care...
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Ryan Bocompani

Story of Service: Ryan Bocompani

Ryan Bocompani is a well-recognized leader and advocate for service at Christopher Newport University (CNU). He has held numerous service positions at CNU, including President of the CNU chapter of Where is The Line, where he works with fellow students and faculty to promote awareness of interrelational and interpersonal violence on college campuses. Through this service, he has helped host events such as Shadow Event, where individuals impacted by interpersonal or interrelational are given the opportunity to share their stories. In addition, Ryan has dedicated himself to creating change at CNU, assisting in creating new Title IX policies for the...
RICKETTSFRAN10131--C-CAP Director Fran Ricketts 10/24/2013 MATT ARMSTRONG PHOTO

Cathie Cummins

Story of Service: Cathie Cummins

Congratulations to Cathie Cummins of Union Hall - winner of the 2018 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Senior Volunteer!As a pediatric physical therapist for more than 30 years, Cathie Cummins has seen firsthand the needs that exist in the community for assistive equipment for children with disabilities. Recognizing that resources were limited and adaptive equipment was too expensive for many families, Cathie began adaptive equipment loan programs in both Northern and Southwest Virginia. After identifying a successful model and a statewide need, Cathy started Children’s Assistive Technology Service (CATS) which provides for the re-use of pediatric rehabilitation equipment...
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Shriya Boppana

Story of Service: Shriya Boppana

As founder of Becoming a Voice, Shriya Boppana is a sex trafficking and sexual health education advocate. She holds sexual health education workshops in orphanages, schools, and extracurricular youth organizations to educate young children about safe and unsafe touch in Fairfax County Public Schools as well as in her home state of Andhra Pradesh in India. She also serves on the Virginia, D.C., and Maryland Human Trafficking Task Forces working with the U.S. Department of Justice and local law enforcement groups to identify trafficking schemes, extract victims, and integrate them back into society. Shriya has now educated more than 19,600...

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