June 2021
Congratulations to Cooper:
YVCHR's Volunteer of the Month!
Cooper recently heard about YVCHR at a college admissions presentation and jumped at the opportunity to join. Since then, he has volunteered at Bluebird Gap Farm, Parkview Community Garden (weekly!) and the Virginia Living Museum. His favorite experience to date has been the animal enrichment project at the VLM, in particular getting behind-the-scenes access and being able to impact an organization that he always loved as a kid. Cooper admits that he looks forward to the icebreakers and games we play at the beginning of each service project and, in general, enjoys "working with everybody to make the world a little better" while also having fun. His advice to new youth volunteers is to "Just start! Sign up... Just do it!" It's no surprise that his favorite thing about YVCHR is meeting new people. We certainly enjoy the energy, initiative and enthusiasm that he brings to each project!

Cooper plans to attend college after high school and will pursue a degree in biology or engineering.
Fun facts: Cooper loves Halloween and has created some impressive jack-o-lanterns and costumes over the years. He is also active in the high school band and Odyssey of the Mind.
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Congratulations to the Class of 2021!
Congratulations to our recent and soon-to-be graduates! While it's always bittersweet to see youth volunteers become adult volunteers, we want the Class of 2021 to know that they'll always be part of the YVC family. We will certainly miss our Youth Advisory Board members and our Team Leaders from Christopher Newport University, and we thank them for their many contributions, passionate enthusiasm and inspiring commitment. These high school and college seniors are going to do incredible things in the world, and we wish them all the best!
Ethic of Service Award
Congratulations to Finn Traner, YVCHR's first-ever Ethic of Service Award recipient! This special recognition is reserved for youth volunteers who serve over 500 hours in a YVC program. Finn, a sophomore at York High, has been a youth volunteer since 6th grade and credits his middle school YVC club sponsor, Mr. John Sims, for cultivating his love for service. A member of our Youth Advisory Board, Finn has used that passion to help steer program development, recruit new youth volunteers, and hone his leadership skills.
Then...
Now...
June Service Opportunity

Check out the PROJECT CALENDAR on our website and be sure to sign up when new projects are posted!

PLEASE NOTE: At this time, service opportunities in June will be limited in order for us to prepare for our 6 summer sessions. Keep an eye on the calendar, though, in case we add some last-minute projects.
All of our summer sessions are currently full with extremely long wait lists. If you are a high school student looking for volunteer opportunities outside of YVCHR, please reach out to the organizations below! They are actively recruiting volunteer help for the summer.
York County Parks & Recreation

Volunteers are needed on the 4th of July (Sunday) in Historic Yorktown. Interested youth should download and submit the form below to Bonnie Fitz as soon as possible. Spread the word!
Community Knights

Volunteers are needed to help with Wednesday and Sunday bingo games. Must be at least 14 years old. Floor workers and bingo prep volunteers should sign up by clicking the button below.
Thank You!
The annual Give Local 757 event is a huge opportunity to generate critical funds for our organization each year. We are so thankful to the 81 donors from across the country who made financial gifts to YVCHR totaling $11,380 on May 11th. Special thanks to Consumer Litigation Associates for matching the first $5,000 in donations, essentially doubling the impact of those dollars... all of which will be invested right here in Hampton Roads through meaningful youth service!
2021 Virtual Canstructure Competition Winners
Of the 16 teams that competed in this year's Virtual Canstructure Competition, 6 took home trophies! All of these students--at the elementary, middle and high school levels--are truly winners in the fight against hunger. We are thrilled to announce that this year's event resulted in a collective donation of 10,946 pounds of food and $789.15 in funds for the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank! To see the recording of our livestream awards ceremony, which features each team's CANstructure project, click here.
Build-Where-You-Are Challenge
1st place: Heritage High School
2nd Place: Point Option High School
3rd Place: Yorktown Middle School
Design-and-Donate Challenge
1st place: Riverside Elementary School
2nd place: Menchville High School
Most Food Collected: Heritage High School
best fundraisers: Sedgefield elementary school
Leadership Opportunities
YVCHR Youth Advisory Board
2021-2022

Applications are now being accepted for YVCHR's 2021-2022 Youth Advisory Board (YAB). If you are passionate about making an impact in our community and want a seat at the decision-making table for YVC programs, then please apply! YAB members help plan projects, serve as a liaison to schools, and have the opportunity to hold an officer position. We are looking for proactive, creative, committed, and hardworking youth who want to make a difference and have their voices heard.

In order to apply, a youth must:

  1. Be between the ages of 11-18
  2. Have attended Summer of Service OR YVC projects throughout the year with a favorable report by a Team Leader.
  3. Be available for monthly YAB meetings usually held the 3rd Saturday of the month
  4. Serve at least 30 hours at YVC projects from Sept - June
  5. Be willing to encourage volunteerism among peers
  6. Be involved in at least 2 of YVCHR's "big events"--i.e. Canstructure, YVC Summit, Summer of Service, etc.)
  7. Participate in fundraisers as needed.

Deadline: June 30, 2021
International Youth Advisory Board (IYAB)
2021-2022

Thousands of youth volunteers serve with YVC each year, and YVC Headquarters looks for 20-30 of the best to serve on IYAB. IYAB is a prestigious position that connects youth to volunteers from other affiliates across the YVC network, which spans the U.S. and Canada!

Five signs you might be a good fit for IYAB:

  • You love making a difference in your community through your local YVC program.
  • You serve as a leader on YVC projects and offer exciting new ideas to improve YVC.
  • You will be within the age group of 11-18 and still in either middle or high school for the 21-22 school year.
  • You’re willing to commit to IYAB’s monthly calls on the second Sunday of each month at 7 p.m. (East Coast) and are able to spend an additional 10-15 hours throughout the year on special projects required by YAB members.
  • You’re enthusiastic, excited, and ready to change the world through YVC!

Deadline: June 30, 2021
Introducing YVCHR's New Mobile App!
Being part of the YVCHR family just got easier! Apple and Android users can now easily access the volunteer waiver, service project info, their record of service hours, updates about big events and more. To download, simply search YVC Hampton Roads in the App Store or Google Play. For more information, click here.
Community Partner Spotlight
We truly appreciate the local businesses, corporations and non-profit organizations that support and advance YVCHR's mission through the generous provision of grants, donations and sponsorships.
Partners of the 2021 Virtual Canstructure Competition