You are invited to attend a virtual awards ceremony as we recognize the many accomplishments of YVC affiliates from across the network. Three of our very own YVCHR volunteers will be receiving
100-in-1 awards! 
Who—All  Youth Volunteers, YVC Staff, Board Members, and Community Partners

WHEN—Saturday, October 17 /6:45-8:00 PM

WHERE—From the comfort of your own home

WHY—To celebrate the entire YVC network! 
Attendees will be able to sign the guest book, participate in an interactive roll call, and connect with other YVC affiliates from across North America. A fun tradition enjoyed by Summit participants each year is the Social Media Challenge. Even though we’re not meeting in person for the 2020 event, you can still represent YVC of Hampton Roads by posting and using the #YVCSummitChallenge hashtag for each challenge. See below:

  • Dress your pet in YVC gear
  • Design a face mask on Canva and share your award-winning YVC look
  • Reflect on and share a pic from your favorite volunteer project
  • Create a “thank you” video for someone who has impacted you during your YVC journey

All tagged submissions on Instagram and Facebook will count toward prizes. Winners will be announced October 23rd on YVC Headquarters' social media pages. Be sure to make your post public and use the #YVCSummitChallenge hashtag, so it can be seen by all. Let's show up in a BIG way and rep the 757!

NOTE: Each year, YVC Summit is hosted in a different city as a 2-day conference for youth volunteers and staff from across the YVC network. While we couldn't meet in NYC for this year's Summit, we are planning to be there next year! Stay tuned for details!
Service Opportunities for October and November
Check out the PROJECT CALENDAR on our website and be sure to sign up for these great service projects!
In-Person Weekly Project
3 Spots Left!
Youth will meet weekly to tend the garden--including watering, weeding, planting, and then harvesting produce to donate to Peninsula Rescue Mission and the church food pantry. Masks required.
In-Person Project
2 Spots Left!
Join us at the garden to plant the next round of seeds and tend to the existing crops. We'll also construct a garden box and bench--no experience necessary.
Garden gloves & mask required.
In-Person Project
3 Spots Left!
This project will benefit the Foodbank, as well as provide an immersive language experience for refugee students who are practicing their English while volunteering!
Masks are required.
In-Person Project
3 Spots Left!
Time for some Halloween fun! This outdoor event, with an attendance cap of 45 guests, will be held at New Quarter Park in Williamsburg.
Masks are required.
In-Person Project
Help make the holidays brighter for children living in poverty! Our goal is to make 25-30 beds in one day. Construction experience is helpful but not necessary. Minimum age is 12 years old.
Masks and work gloves are required.
In-Person Project
5 Spots Left!
The butterfly garden at Saunders Elementary is an awesome outdoor learning space for K-5 students. Let's get it spruced up in anticipation of schools eventually re-opening! Masks required.
Virtual Project

Join YVCHR as we answer the latest call to action by Students Rebuild: the Changemaker Challenge. This project will directly impact recipients of crafted awards, increase awareness of the inspiring work of modern changemakers, and raise funds for game-changing organizations. No artistic talent required--just a creative mind and grateful heart.
Coming Soon to our School Clubs:
THE YVCHR MOBILE APP!
We have been busy creating content for our very own mobile app, which will launch later this month for our school clubs. As we continue seeking ways to engage students remotely, we are especially grateful to be able to harness the power of Apple and Android devices while the majority of students are learning remotely. The app has been designed to streamline communications with club members, deliver focused service-learning curricula, provide quick access to important YVC resources and keep our YVC members connected to projects that we host on evenings and weekends. We are hopeful that this will make it possible for our awesome club sponsors to host virtual school clubs as we navigate this pandemic. While this initial roll-out of the app is strictly for our school club members, we plan to make it available to all YVCHR participants in Phase 2.
Special thanks to Community Knights for providing a GIFT Grant that funded the development of this important and timely technology.
Canstructure Competition Update

YVCHR recently competed in a network-wide Canstructure Competition with other YVC affiliates across North America. While we were not able to host our own annual competition this year due to the pandemic, we are so grateful to those who contributed donations, offered generously of their time, organized food drives, and accommodated our group in order to pull off a modified event this year. We especially appreciate the amazing sponsorships provided by our business partners, without which we would not be able to provide year-round programming for hundreds of youth volunteers. The "canstructure" pictured below was designed and completed last month by 14 youth volunteers who collectively served 132 hours on this project, which resulted in a total donation of 1,972 pounds of food to the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank!
Application Deadline: November 10
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards is a nationwide program that honors young people in grades 5-12 who volunteer in their communities. The program's goals are to applaud young people who already are making a positive difference in their towns and neighborhoods and to inspire others to think about how they might contribute to their communities. Youth who have engaged in a volunteer activity that occurred during the twelve months prior to the application date are eligible to apply.

Local Honorees are selected in late fall and from those winners, State Honorees are chosen in each state and the District of Columbia. State Honorees receive an award of $1,000 and an invitation to the program's national recognition events. Out of the State Honorees, National Honorees are selected to receive an additional award of $5,000, as well as a $5,000 grant for a nonprofit organization of their choice.

Visit the The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards overview page for more information.