March 2022
Congratulations, Liz!
YVCHR's Volunteer of the Month
Liz joined YVCHR back in September and is a regular at our projects in Virginia Beach. She loves "helping out [her] community and doing things for other people." When asked about her favorite YVC project, Liz says she enjoys Fresh Food Wednesdays the most! Her advice to new participants is to volunteer as much as you can. "It is important to help others, and volunteering is a great way to do so."

We are so grateful for Liz' enthusiasm for YVC--especially as we continue expanding our programs to the Southside. Her faithful participation allows us to support new community partners and recruit new youth volunteers from the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area.

Liz is very active in her school and enjoys being involved in Yearbook and Key Club. After graduation, she plans to attend college.
Pictured: Liz at the Lasagna Love project in Virginia Beach.
School Club Spotlight: Warwick High School
Meet Our Intern: Amanda Ervin!
YVCHR is fortunate this semester to have an amazing intern, who has embraced all aspects of our capacity-building efforts on the Southside. She is a student at Virginia Wesleyan University and will be earning her degree in Social Work this May. She is passionate about community work and brings a wealth of experience from her time in the Air Force and through multiple deployments where she was able to provide humanitarian aid to people all over the world. Welcome to the team, Amanda!
YVCHR's 11th-Annual Canstructure Competition -
REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED!!!
ATTENTION: THE DEADLINE FOR THE 2022 CANSTRUCTURE COMPETITION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO MARCH 15th!
Calling all K-12 students! YVCHR is recruiting teams of elementary, middle and high school students to participate in this year’s Canstructure Competition, a STEM-inspired, team-based challenge that will help provide 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.
  • 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 use to design and build a 3-dimensional structure that relates to this year’s theme: Wonders of the World! 

  • How do teams compete? Teams meet 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 the location of their choice. This year’s event is a “build-where-you-want” challenge, which means that teams can work at any approved site—school, church, business, etc.—or at our traditional event site: Patrick Henry Mall. All canstructures must be completed by April 30th, and each team’s presentation will be recorded for the judges to evaluate. The 2022 Canstructure Competition Awards Ceremony will be livestreamed the following week. Winning teams at each level (elementary, middle and high) will receive trophies…but best of all, thousands of pounds of food will be donated to the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank!

  • 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.

  • Interested in event sponsorship? Click here for a list of sponsorship benefits!
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!

You can see our youth volunteers in action by following us

Food Drive with the
Jr. League of Hampton Roads
(Hampton)
MORNING SHIFT: 2 spots
AFTERNOON SHIFT: 2 spots
Saturday, March 12th

(Virginia Beach)
10 spots
Sunday, April 24th



(Yorktown)
9 spots
Wednesdays from April 13th - May 18th

(Chesapeake)
10 spots
Thursday, March 10th


(Williamsburg)
15 spots
Saturday, April 23rd


10 spots
Friday, April 22


(Virginia Beach)
10 spots
Thursday, April 7th
(Virginia Beach)
8 spots
Saturday, March 12th

*Involves power tools!*
(Virginia Beach)
12 spots
March 24
YVCHR is collecting GRAY and WHITE plastic bottle caps for a recycled art project to benefit Cole's Horse Autism Therapy Station (C.H.A.T.S.). The artwork will be installed on their sensory trail. Donations can be dropped off in the bin at the YVCHR office in Newport News (10 San Jose Drive, Suite 4-D) or email Katie to coordinate pick-up.
Scholarship Opportunities
Don and Jean Sloan Youth Service Scholarship

The Don and Jean Sloan Youth Service Scholarship is awarded through Youth Volunteer Corps Headquarters. The $1,000 scholarship is open to active YVC volunteers who have demonstrated excellence in volunteerism and leadership and who are committed to making a difference in their communities.

To see the requirements, criteria and what you will need in order to apply for this scholarship, please follow the link below.


Deadline: April 30, 2021
$10,000 to be applied to higher education or to a service project

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes celebrates inspiring, public-spirited young people from diverse backgrounds all across North America. Youth need to be currently working on an inspiring service project or have done so within the past 12 months and need to be working as an individual to lead their service work.

Each year, the Barron Prize honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8-18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and the environment.

Deadline: April 15, 2021
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!

  • AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases on Amazon to YVCHR.
  • 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!
Community Knights Bingo
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.
Community Partner Spotlight