Two Ways to Serve: 9/11 Day of Service & Remembrance and Day to Serve
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September 11-October 10
Governor Northam has declared Sept. 11-Oct. 10 as Day to Serve in Virginia. Day to Serve is a unique multi-state initiative uniting people of all faiths, races, cultures, and backgrounds with the shared goal of helping those in need and improving our communities. Organizations are encouraged to join together with new partners on service projects. Register your project or find a volunteer opportunity on
daytoserve.org
and
justserve.org
. Download the Proclamation.
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September 11
The 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance promotes community service on and around September 11th as an annual and forward-looking tribute to the 9/11 victims, survivors, and those who rose up in service in response to the attacks. Organizations and individuals are encouraged to plan service projects or take part in planned opportunities -- many of which focus on serving military and first responders.
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Stories of Service:
Rachael Haines is Igniting Success for Southwest Virginia Youth
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Rachel Haines has dedicated her time and talents to make sure the youth living in Southwest Virginia have access to opportunities to help them succeed. As a Youth Success Coordinator and AmeriCorps VISTA with the United Way of Southwest Virginia's (UWSWVA) Ignite Program, her challenge was to navigate the region’s 19 cities/counties and 92 schools. Rachel was able to get things rolling by working to understand each community's unique needs and challenges. Rachel recruited volunteers for their largest ever Careers Expo hosting nearly 5,000 7th graders! She was also very involved in assisting with a program in which nearly 70 middle school teachers toured local industries in the region to get a better sense of workforce needs to share in their classrooms.
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Curious About Hosting An AmeriCorps Program?
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If you are curious about what AmeriCorps is or how an AmeriCorps program could expand the reach of your programs, we'd love to hear from you - and this is the perfect time of year for those discussions. Our next full application process will begin in December/January for AmeriCorps programs that would start in September 2020. We will be seeking new applicants and we'd love to talk with you about AmeriCorps in general and our Virginia priorities. If you'd like information or like to join one of our regional outreach sessions, please contact our Virginia AmeriCorps Program Manager, Roxanne Saunders, 804-726-7931,
roxanne.saunders@dss.virginia.gov.
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Thousands Volunteer to Clean the Chesapeake Bay Shoreline
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An incredible 3,500 volunteers gathered at nearly 200 sites all over Virginia on June 1st, the annual Clean the Bay Day! Volunteers removed 45,000 pounds of litter and debris over 250 miles of shoreline. Elected officials from all levels of government and both sides of the aisle participated, many of whom took to social media (#CleanTheBayDay) to voice their support of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and the Bay. CBF dedicated the event to those affected by the May 30th shooting in Virginia Beach and held a moment of silence for the victims at many cleanup sites.
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Senior Corps Foster Grandparents Honored in Southwest Virginia
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Local teachers in Big Stone Gap gathered recently to honor 27 Foster Grandparent volunteers at a special recognition event. The event, "A Spring Social: Seeds Planted for a Child’s Future" featured student-created, spring-themed crafts as decorations for the recognition event. At the end of the program, teachers offered testimonials about their experience with the Foster Grandparent Program and the volunteers serving in their classrooms.
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tell their stories of how this innovative program changed the trajectory of their lives. The program that enables employees to work for a nonprofit, paid by Points of Light, while still working part-time at Starbucks, was tested last year. It worked, and the program is now expanding to 20 U.S. cities!
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gives people of all backgrounds the opportunity to record meaningful stories. Use the Story Corps App to browse and listen to recordings, share your own story, and activate your group, organization, or community around the power of storytelling.
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honor those who take action to create change in their communities. Since 1998, more than 6,500 Daily Points of Light honorees have been named. Nominate someone in your community and read the stories of past winners to motivate and inspire yourself.
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Each month we're happy to share some of our favorite resources and funding opportunities.
Let us know your favorites
so we can pass them along.
- The 2018 U.S. Opportunity Index ranks the states and grades more than 2,000 counties in four dimensions of opportunity: Economy, Education, Health, and Community.
- "The Unthinkable: Lessons from Survivors" is the latest FEMA Podcast recounting inspiring stories of disaster survivors with research into how the brain works when confronted with unusual events and advice on how emergency managers can help individuals become more decisive in an emergency.
- YouthBuild Grants support job training to at-risk youth, and, incidentally, affordable housing or affordable housing renovation. Deadline: Aug. 6
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Virginia Office on Volunteerism & Community Services
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