Virginia Service

2011 Robert E. Wone Award Recipient

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Samuel C. Crawford, Carroll County

(Pictured above: Governor's Advisory Board on Volunteerism and National Service member Beckie Cox, Wone Award winner Samuel C. Crawford, Governor's Advisory Board member Tonyia Gibson, and Mr. Crawford's wife Kelly.)

As an AmeriCorps member with Carroll County Public Schools - Reading for Life program, Sam Crawford truly embraced his role as a tutor for K-5th grade students at Oakland Elementary School. His impact had teachers and students alike requesting Sam’s assistance for the upcoming school year.

In 2008, Sam had a vision of an organization that could promote sustainability and a better way of life for members of his community. With support from local churches, businesses and the fire department, the Neighbor-2-Neighbor organization was founded. Sam is involved weekly in the Neighbor-2-Neighbor “Blessing in a Backpack” project for students in a nearby community who need extra food for the weekend to insure that they have enough to eat.

Sam is a “volunteer magnet” and is always recruiting volunteers for projects. When devastating tornadoes hit Pulaski County and after all the big national volunteer groups had departed, Sam organized several groups of community volunteers to go to Pulaski to remove debris. Fallen trees in the neighborhood were cut into firewood and Sam made sure that the wood was delivered to families in need.  One elderly Pulaski resident who received assistance after the tornado, proclaimed Mr. Crawford as one of the communities’ “greatest assets.”