Congratulations to Vishayla:
YVCHR's Volunteer of the Month!
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Vishayla is a newer member of the YVCHR family having only joined in the fall at our Sleep in Heavenly Peace project where youth helped build beds for kids in need. She credits her mom's discovery of YVCHR for her decision to get involved and looking back now says she "couldn't have made a better decision." Her first project, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, remains her favorite to date because she really enjoyed getting the rare opportunity to work with the power tools. Over the last few months Vishayla has proven to be a highly motivated volunteer, passionate about serving others. Vishayla states, "The absolute best thing about volunteering is knowing that the things I do make someone else's life a little bit easier."
Vishayla's list of hobbies and interests is long and all encompassing from the many forms of art to the sciences, philosophy and languages. After high school, Vishayla plans to attend college on the East Coast and is considering missionary work, teaching, or working in the non-profit sector.
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Interesting Fact: Vishayla is a collector of words! She has several partially-filled notebooks with lists of words she finds "cool, for no apparent reason." |
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Announcing YVCHR's Virtual Canstructure Competition!
TEAM REGISTRATION IS OFFICIALLY OPEN!
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Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads has supported the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank for the past 9 years by hosting a STEM competition for students that doubles as a large-scale service project. This design-and-build event allows youth in grades K-12 to test their creativity and problem-solving skills by collecting canned goods and then building a 3-dimensional themed structure from those food donations. Teams are challenged to raise awareness of food insecurity issues in our community, utilize real-world engineering and math skills, and demonstrate teamwork in what is typically a timed competition at Patrick Henry Mall. Due to the pandemic, this year's event will look different! We have TWO OPTIONS for teams that want to participate: the DESIGN-and-DONATE Challenge and the BUILD-WHERE-YOU-ARE Challenge! The event is open to any youth organization--including schools, scouts, faith groups, athletic teams and after-school programs (grades K-12). All submissions will be digital, allowing teams to either work completely virtually or to safely work in-person in small groups (masks on!). All participants will receive a 2021 Virtual Canstructure Competition t-shirt. The goal is to donate at least 10,000 pounds of food to the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank.
Please use the link below to register your team, and be sure to share the opportunity with others who may be interested in participating in this year's virtual competition! Each team will need at least one adult "sponsor" as our point of contact.
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We need a logo for our 2021 Virtual Canstructure Competition t-shirts! Send a photo of your sketch or a digital drawing to kmorgan@yvchr.org by March 30 for a chance to see your logo design on our marketing materials.
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Mental Health Mondays'
Relief Goody Bag Drive Update
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Youth that have been participating in YVCHR's Mental Health Mondays series hosted a Relief Goody Bag Drive last month in an effort to show our appreciation and boost the mental health of frontline workers in our community who have been working relentlessly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The youth collected enough donations to thoroughly "bless the stressed" at The Gardens at Warwick Forest! Food items, lotions, masks, coupons and gift cards were donated from a variety of businesses and individuals. Just check out all the goodies in the photos. All donations will be gathered into baskets and delivered to The Gardens on March 5th!
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Youth Advisory Board Members Awarded 2 Youth Grants! |
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Kudos to members of our Youth Advisory Board (YAB) who applied for and received two youth grants, both of which provided funding for YVCHR-hosted projects! This month's Hats from the Heart project was made possible by the Persevering the Pandemic grant and will benefit clients served by S.A.M.E. (So All Made Eat) in Hampton. Sodexo's Stop Hunger Now grant funded our Garden Club project by providing heat pads and lamps for youth volunteers who met virtually to learn the art of seed-starting from home. The seedlings they are growing will be planted at Parkview Community Garden on Global Youth Service Day for the kickoff of our spring growing season. Produce from the garden benefits Peninsula Rescue Mission, the Parkview Baptist Food Pantry, and those in the surrounding neighborhoods. Both of these projects will allow YAB members to take on leadership roles by facilitating icebreakers, service-learning activities and reflections.
Are you a student who is interested in learning about youth grants?
Is your business interested in sponsoring an upcoming project? Contact kmorgan@yvchr.org for ways to support Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads!
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New Service Opportunities for March and April
PLEASE NOTE: At this time, we are offering more in-person projects alongside some virtual opportunities. We are doing our best to offer high-quality programming with the safety of our youth and partner agencies in mind. We will continue to monitor the COVID situation and follow CDC guidelines.
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Be a part of the "butterfly effect" and register yourself and a friend for this special YVC Day event! Space is limited. |
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Join us as we make a variety of enrichment items to stimulate the minds and bodies of the many amazing animals at the VLM! |
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Enjoy the great outdoors as we provide beautification and maintenance efforts along parts of the Noland Trail! |
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Youth will be supervised by team leaders as they work in small groups to collect litter within our designated area. |
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Volunteers will certainly cheer up "somebunny" by making this an "eggstra" special afternoon for children and families! |
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This is a great opportunity to be a part of the distribution team that delivers food directly to those who are most vulnerable. |
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Time to roll up your sleeves and use those muscles! This job calls for some strong volunteers who don't mind getting dirty. Youth must be at least 14 yrs old. |
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Join us from the comfort of you own home as we make a variety of enrichment items to stimulate the minds and bodies of the many amazing animals at the VLM! |
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As the Parkview Community Garden grows, so does its impact! Join us as we officially launch our spring growing season. |
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Scholarship Opportunities |
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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
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Scholarship: $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
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WANTED: Plastic Containers |
Our garden club participants will be repurposing plastic containers like the one pictured for a future project. If you've purchased spinach, strawberries or other produce that comes in vented, plastic packaging, please consider saving it for YVCHR. The height of the sides must be at least 4". Thanks in advance!
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A drop box is located at the office for donations, or you can email Katie to coordinate a pick-up.
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