Virginia Service

Business: AMERIGROUP Corporation, Virginia Beach
When the Virginia Beach-based company AMERIGROUP conducted a survey of its employees, it discovered that more than 90 percent of them enjoyed their jobs based on their desire to help underserved populations. As a healthcare services company serving the financially vulnerable, seniors, and people with disabilities, AMERIGROUP has always held the spirit of service as the core of its mission. From the realization that its employees also shared this desire to reach out to the community, a companywide volunteerism program was born. “RealCaring” comprises three components within the company. The first component is Volunteer Circle, an organized effort to inform and recruit associates for volunteer opportunities in their community. Last year alone, 500 AMERIGROUP employees contributed more than 12,700 volunteer hours to organizations like the March of Dimes and Habitat for Humanity. The second component is the Disaster Response Team, a grassroots initiative composed of employees with expertise to help vulnerable populations affected by natural disasters. These volunteers responded to needs in various parts of the country affected by Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Ike, and Tropical Storm Hanna. The final component of the program is Capacity Building, which allows key AMERIGROUP executives and associates with specific skill sets to partner with small local nonprofits to help meet their strategic planning needs. Last year, Modern Healthcare magazine named AMERIGROUP as a “Best Place to Work in Healthcare” solidifying its place as a shining example of generosity in time, service, and contributions.
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Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Recovery: John A. Wilson, Williamsburg
John “Jack” Wilson has a long history of rising to challenges and needs as they develop. As an emergency services provider through the Citizen Corps Council, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Fire Auxiliary, Colonial Virginia Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the James City County Office of Emergency Management, Jack isn’t just a volunteer -- he’s a major force in the community. With a keen interest in disaster preparedness, Jack wrote the first Neighborhood Emergency Plan for James City County. Today, that plan has become a template on which many others have been modeled. He went on to play a vital role in the creation of the Citizen Corps Council and remains active with the organization that has influenced more than 500 citizens to participate in volunteer projects. As a CERT volunteer, instructor, and team leader in his neighborhood, Jack helped to recruit new CERT volunteers through countless educational presentations and developed a public awareness program called “Disaster Ready Neighborhoods” to encourage neighborhoods to build their own CERT teams. Today there are seven localized CERT teams in the area serving more than 18,000 people. If that’s not enough, his volunteer commitments routinely consume between 10 and 30 hours each week. He is currently responsible for the rehabilitation vehicle for James City County’s Fire Department. Thanks to his efforts, this service has responded to more than 200 emergency calls -- often with Jack being on call 24/7 to respond if needed. Jack Wilson clearly stands as an example of what one person can accomplish when they give their heart to their community.

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Faith-Based Organization: Patricia McCormick, Williamsburg
Pat McCormick is recognized for her dedicated and tireless work at the Grove Christian Outreach Center (GCOC), which serves an impoverished area in James City County. She is the volunteer executive director of GCOC and has held that role for nearly 10 years without compensation. Pat is committed to helping Grove area residents through programs that have provided weekly food distributions, school backpacks, and Christmas toy distributions, as well as special programs to provide financial and supportive care for those who have special needs. With more than 1,200 households, the Grove area received more than 288,000 pounds of food from the organization in 2007. The GCOC has served meals to 1,628 individuals, overseeing nearly 70 volunteers each month. Pat would never take credit for these successes, but those around her know that God’s leadership was the captain, and she was definitely His first mate. Working tireless hours, Pat’s volunteer commitments far surpass a full-time job. After everyone has gone home, you can find her still hard at work. There are some who give of themselves because they have been given to. There are some who give of themselves because they are looking for something in return. Pat, however, has never really been in need and is not looking for something in return. Her motivation lies clearly in the one who motivates her. Pat would say that she is “called“ to Grove, to the people, and to their needs. She is clearly living out God’s command to love one another and is guided by His purpose and plans.
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Family: Bruce and Debra Beale, Charlottesville
Bruce "Sonny" and Debra Beale have dedicated their time and resources to the betterment of the lives of refugees who have resettled in Charlottesville through the International Rescue Committee. The Beales have worked to meet a need that was not being provided by the larger community – to serve as friends to these refugees. Sonny made it his goal to teach his new friends how to find and purchase reliable transportation, do simple car maintenance, make electrical and plumbing repairs, operate household appliances, fill out job applications, negotiate with landlords, and access services at the University of Virginia (UVA) Medical System. As manager of the UVA recycling division, Sonny has employed more than 20 refugees from 12 different countries and has worked to make them self-reliant so that they can, in turn, help other refugees. As a teacher, Debra often serves as liaison between the school system and refugee parents who want to be involved in their children’s education. She has been instrumental in making sure that the children have opportunities to become involved in extracurricular activities and has spent many hours registering children for and transporting children to sports practices and games, concerts, and after school activities. As the need increased, Debra teamed up with UVA student Clayton Broga to create Bridging the Gap (BTG), an organization that pairs refugee children with UVA mentors. These mentors make sure that the children receive help with homework, gain exposure to the best of American culture, and attend activities. BTG also created a lending library for the refugee children that was named in honor of Mrs. Beale. Debra has also assisted a group of African UVA students to create a similar organization. Despite the fact that the Beales do not speak Maay Maay, Farsi, Russian or any of the other languages spoken by refugee families, they make themselves available at any time -- day or night -- to help families in need. The Beales say that because of their service to those they serve, they have gained an extended family, an education into world cultures, and a deeper understanding of the capabilities of the human spirit.
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Government: Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, Blacksburg
Service is the cornerstone of Virginia Tech. The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets exemplifies this culture of service. This past fall semester alone, Cadets volunteered more than 3,600 service hours in the community. The Cadets participated in fundraising events, speaking engagements, and completed several direct service projects -- including raising money for scholarships and charities, donating more than 240 pints of blood, sending Christmas cards to wounded troops, mentoring school children through tutoring, and even sacrificing Thanksgiving break for a service project. The cadets have demonstrated initiative by traveling at their own expense to help with the Hurricane Katrina cleanup and were honored to answer a last-minute call from Washington to perform at the “We Are One” Inaugural Celebration. One cadet, Anthony Madeira, began a service project that eventually resulted in raising $172,000 for the National D-Day Memorial. On average, each cadet serves in three different service projects each semester. The Corps of Cadets truly exemplify the meaning of service to others with 80 percent of its members going on to serve their country in the military after graduation and the other 20 percent choosing a lifetime of service in careers as police officers, the FBI, the Coast Guard, the medical and nursing fields, and public school teachers. Despite the academic, social, and military demands placed on them by the Corps, these young men and women are willing to spend what little free time they have to support Virginia Tech’s motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
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National Service Individual: Harry Blackwell, Hampton
Harry Blackwell doesn’t make excuses. At 78 years old, he boards a bus near his home in Newport News, transfers twice, and walks several blocks to Cooper Elementary School where he volunteers 20 hours a week. As a volunteer with the Peninsula Foster Grandparent Program he tutors children ages 5 to 10 and serves as a valuable role model for the many boys who have no positive male influence in their lives. Harry has been a volunteer at the school for four years, and has been involved in community service his entire life. In addition to his tutoring responsibilities, he also assists in Foster Grandparent Program recruitment through speaking engagements at various meetings and special events. Harry has been recognized for his service by receiving the Star Achievers Academy YMCA award and has also been recognized by Cooper Elementary School as 2008 Volunteer of the Year. Week after week, he goes above and beyond the call of duty by incorporating the importance of ethics, persistence, and intellectual integrity within the minds of the youth he serves.
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National Service Program: The Phoenix Project - Learn & Serve Social Media Technology Program, Springfield
The Phoenix Project was founded in 2006 to address the complex challenges facing the nation, especially those arising from severe poverty. The organization works at the intersection of poverty, social entrepreneurship and technology and has developed highly successful programs across Virginia that can be replicated nationwide. In 2007 and 2008, students from 42 colleges and universities participated in intensive summer training programs that included completing dozens of community projects. This model, which started in the distressed community of Petersburg, was duplicated in Newport News and Northern Virginia and serves as a model for other communities nationwide. Projects have been developed in collaboration with all stakeholders in the community and include research and consulting, student internships with partner community organizations, student participation in the nonprofit leadership and social entrepreneurship program, direct service trips, speaker and arts exchanges, service by university alumni, and professional development opportunities for community leaders. This year, with support from Learn and Serve America, the Phoenix Project, together with its partners Craigslist Foundation and George Mason University, has initiated a groundbreaking program to research, develop, and implement effective social media tools to mobilize students more efficiently to meet the needs of citizens in economically distressed communities. The Phoenix Project’s representatives traveled to more than 40 colleges and universities to generate interest and build support. So far, the group has educated 75 young leaders to revitalize distressed communities and rally hundreds more to join in accelerating the social entrepreneurship movement in Virginia. As they continue to build and develop these programs utilizing the latest social networking tools, the Phoenix Project is sure to set the standard for the fight against poverty in Virginia and beyond.
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Nonprofit Group: Volunteer Emergency Families for Children, Midlothian
For Virginia’s abused, neglected, runaway, homeless, and at-risk children, Volunteer Emergency Families for Children (VEFC) gives them something they desperately need --- hope. Since 1979, VEFC maintains approximately 150 volunteer families across the state that open their homes and their hearts to children ranging from newborns to teens. The families provide short-term shelter care and mentoring, making themselves available 365 days a year, day and night, with placements averaging five days. Often arriving frightened and confused, the children can feel a sense of normalcy as these families provide a safe haven, nourishing meals, and unconditional love. An idea this big doesn’t come easy. VEFC coordinators work within the community to recruit host families and other council volunteers to spread the word by speaking to community organizations and at special events. These volunteers reach out to help with special projects such as fundraising and volunteer appreciation. Each local coordinator maintains close relationships with community agencies to stay in touch with the needs in localities. VEFC has also had its fair share of challenges over the years -- from a thinly stretched staff to the loss of critical grant funds.. Despite these struggles, VEFC’s board, staff, volunteers, donors, and supporters continue to passionately believe in their mission of service to children and persevere with patience, fortitude and a lot of prayer. Their amazing accomplishments are successful with a handful of staff and a lean budget and yet they impact the lives of Virginia’s at-risk children in remarkable ways.
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Senior Volunteer: Ann Quinn, Gloucester Point
Ann Quinn is integral to the success of the Gloucester-Mathews Free Clinic. She has filled many roles at the clinic, from executive director to volunteer coordinator, board member, dental coordinator, and even taxi driver. She has dedicated full-time hours to the clinic, refused any form of payment, and maintained regular personal donations to the cause. The Gloucester-Mathews Free Clinic serves the low-income, medically uninsured residents of Gloucester and Mathews Counties. About 20,000 residents qualify for free services, and that number increases from year to year. Ann’s service has been instrumental in increasing the capacity of the clinic, thus enabling more residents to receive medical services. She has gone even further by forging relationships with major healthcare funders in the region and encouraging the Board of Directors to join the Consortium of Free Clinics, which brings in added resources. Ann played a critical role in the recent successful application of the Gloucester-Mathews Free Clinic to become accredited by the Virginia Association of Free Clinics. Because of her talent, dedication, and drive, the Gloucester-Mathews Free Clinic logged more than 3,400 patient visits and prescribed more than 14,000 medications to the residents of Gloucester and Mathews Counties living below the poverty line. Ann is truly the glue that has held the clinic together since its inception. She personifies the meaning of volunteerism.
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Volunteer: Carolyn LeCroy, Norfolk
When Carolyn LeCroy emerged from 14 months of incarceration in a Virginia prison for women, one of her first goals was to address a profound problem she had witnessed among her fellow inmates. For many women, the most difficult part of incarceration is the separation from their children, accompanied by the inevitable feeling that they have failed as parents. The other side of the equation relates to the children themselves. Less than 50 percent of children of inmates are able to visit their parents in prison. Those children are seven times more likely to end up in the justice system later in life. Carolyn’s solution to the problem was to utilize her talents and skills as a media producer and enlist the help of other media professionals to help mothers make simple videotaped messages for their children. Eventually the effort expanded to include incarcerated fathers. Since 1999, she and other volunteers travel regularly to Virginia prisons at their own expense to produce an estimated 3,500 videotapes under what is now known as “The Messages Project.” Social workers report that the tapes are used constantly by the children -- demonstrating the importance of the parent/child bond in a child’s life. The program has received national acclaim, including coverage on CNN and recognition by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. Despite her own challenges, Carolyn had the courage and the perseverance to make a difference by helping families maintain their bond and move beyond the mistakes of the past like they should -- together.
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Youth Volunteer: Ashley Louise Gregory, Mechanicsville
Ashley Gregory is a vibrant 15 year old who, although having just begun her first year of high school, has a resume of volunteer service which far exceeds most young people her age. Ashley is involved in the buddy program at her school that pairs students with kids who have disabilities. She also founded a free dance camp for children with disabilities called Ashley’s Angels. As the founder of Ashley’s Angels, she was responsible for the organization, registration, and instruction of the dance camp enriching the lives of children in need. The oldest of three siblings, Ashley was able to manage a busy schedule and participate as a member of a dance company -- all while maintaining her scholastic achievements, social life and volunteer efforts. She also successfully carried her idea into her dance studio, inspiring her instructor to develop a dance program as well. The professionally run dance program, Miracles in Motion, is today operated by a host of volunteers and educators who have been touched by her dream. For the past two years, Ashley has also walked for the Down Syndrome Association in their annual Down Syndrome Buddy Walk, raising hundreds of dollars for the team and performing with them at the event. In addition to her work with students with disabilities, Ashley volunteers annually with the Anthem Lemon Aid Program where she has raised hundreds of dollars for the Children’s Miracle Network. Her ongoing commitment and achievements are inspiring, and her generous spirit, loyalty, and positive attitude guarantee that Ashley will succeed at whatever she sets out to do.
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