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Congratulations to Emma!
YVCHR's Volunteer of the Month
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Emma, a freshman at Grafton High School, joined YVCHR back in 2020. Right away, she started volunteering at as many projects as possible and is now also an active member of our Youth Advisory Board! Though she feels there are many possible answers, Emma says her favorite part of volunteering with YVC is "learning about the impact of our projects," which is accomplished through the service-learning and reflection activities that our Team Leaders facilitate. Because of this, she is "really able to understand how important [volunteering is] for the community!"
Emma's favorite partner organization is Sleep in Heavenly Peace because of the direct impact that the beds have on the lives of local children. The bed build projects are "really cool and an amazing thing to be a part of." When she reflects about some of her favorite moments with YVCHR, she recalls one recent project at the Gardens of Warwick Forest where she was able to spend time with the residents, providing company to those who are isolated in convalescent care and just having fun together by crafting and playing bingo!
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In looking to the future, Emma knows that "YVC has set (her) up for success and prepared (her) with teamwork and leadership skills." She says she is now equipped with "more compassion and knowledge about problems in different communities and how to help." | Outside of YVC, Emma (pictured above) loves to read, bake, and hang out with her friends! | | |
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Service Through STEM is YVCHR’s newest service-learning program, which is made possible through a grant from the City of Newport News. This initiative emphasizes community impact through mentoring and STEM activities. The theme for this year’s program is ELEVATE and focuses on the social-emotional aspects of “elevating” self and others (self-care, mental health, advocating for those in need, serving the community), as well as the STEM concepts associated with “elevating” objects (levers, rigging, etc.). High school students have participated in two excursions to partnering elementary schools to build catapults, bridges and towers with their mentees! | |
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YVCHR's 12th-Annual Canstructure Competition
Calling all students! YVCHR is recruiting teams from grades K-12 to participate in our annual Canstructure Competition, a STEM-inspired, team-based challenge that provides thousands of meals to local families experiencing food insecurity. Each year, this event activates youth from across our community to help address the issue of hunger while also providing an outlet for creativity and friendly competition.
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What is a CANstructure? A canstructure is a unique work of art that is created by collecting hundreds of canned food items, which are then used to design and build a 3-dimensional structure that relates to this year’s theme-- End Hunger: Game On!
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How do teams compete? Teams meet after school or during a flex period over several weeks (with a team sponsor) to plan and brainstorm their canstructure design and to determine their strategy for collecting canned food donations. Teams may conduct food drives, solicit donations from local businesses or raise funds to purchase the cans needed to build their structure. Once the team has acquired their “building materials,” they will sort, wrap and carefully stack the cans to create their canstructure at either their school (grades K-5) or at Patrick Henry Mall (grades 6-12).
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NEW THIS YEAR! All elementary teams will build their canstructure at their respective school site. Cantructures must be completed by Monday, April 17th. YVCHR staff will coordinate a time/date to visit each school to record each team's presentation. Winners will be announced at Center Court at Patrick Henry Mall on 4/29 during the awards ceremony.
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All middle and high school teams will gather on Saturday, April 29th to build their canstructures in designated work sites at Patrick Henry Mall. We are excited to revive the traditional format for this competition so that students' hard work and creativity will be displayed for the community to appreciate!
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How are winners determined? The judging panel will consist of a variety of professionals from different sectors who will evaluate each team’s presentation and canstructure using the provided rubric. Scores will be tallied based on the points awarded for each category. Winning teams at each level (elementary, middle and high) will receive trophies…but best of all, tens of thousands of pounds of food will ultimately be donated to the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank!
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Want more info? Click the button below for registration information, competition rules, and judging criteria. All registered teams will receive a detailed toolkit. Questions? Contact Anna Crippen or call 757-223-7078.
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Interested in event sponsorship? Click here for a list of sponsorship benefits!
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Upcoming Service Opportunities
Click the project links below for more information about each service opportunity. Some projects have special requirements/considerations, so please read carefully.
Check out the PROJECT CALENDAR on our website and be sure to sign up when new projects are posted! Volunteer spots go fast!
Ensure you receive timely project confirmations and informational emails by adding program.director@yvchr.org to your contact safelist. Click here for Safelist Directions!
You can see our youth volunteers in action by following us
on Facebook and Instagram!
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Peninsula Rescue Mission
(Newport News)
5 spots
Monday, February 20th
We Care Packing at the Food Bank
(Hampton)
2 Spots
Monday, February 20th
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YEAR END STATEMENTS
If you would like a summary of your 2022 donations, for tax purposes or otherwise, please request one by emailing kmorgan@yvchr.org.
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Bank of America
Student Leaders Program
Student Leaders® recognizes those who lead and serve in their own communities and beyond. Bank of America will connect Student Leaders to tools and resources that will help them make communities better.
Student Leaders:
• Work as a paid intern at a local nonprofit for eight weeks in the summer
• Attend the week-long Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C.
• Develop leadership and career skills
• Connect with like-minded students from their community and across the country
Juniors and Seniors may apply from now until January 13, 2023.
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Did you know that your online shopping purchases can help fund YVCHR programs? Consider designating Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads as your charity of choice!
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AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases on Amazon to YVCHR.
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Simply shop at smile.amazon.com. The donation will be made at no extra cost to you.
- Though 0.5% is not a large donation and it isn't intended to replace your regular charitable contributions, AmazonSmile is still a great way to maximize your impact! It all adds up!
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High school students and adults who would like to help local schools and nonprofit organizations (like YVCHR!), please consider signing up to volunteer at Community Knights Bingo. Proceeds from bingo are donated back into the Hampton Roads community!
NOTE: Community Knights will sign volunteer logs for those who need evidence of service hours. This is not a YVCHR-facilitated activity, so a team leader from YVCHR will not be on-site.
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Community Partner Spotlight | | | | |
