By Desiree Parker
Sunday, April 18, 2010
I can’t say I was too surprised to hear that a local organization and an individual will be receiving governor’s Volunteerism and Community Service awards this year. I spend every Sunday talking about folks in our community who care enough to share their time to help others – one of the award recipients, though, I’ve never written about.
So let me remedy that.
For this year’s Outstanding Educational Institution Award, Governor Bob McDonnell recognizes the young men of William and Mary’s Kappa Pi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc., for one of their service programs, Rites of Passage.
The program, which began in 2004, aims to give Toano Middle School kids a chance to connect with college mentors – not just young men in Kappa Pi, but some other hardy souls willing to get up early on a Saturday morning.
According to the fraternity’s Vice President Tymon Francis (’10), each Saturday all year long, between 30 and 50 middle schoolers are bussed over to the Sadler Center where their college mentors spend time talking to them about academics, along with moral and social issues.
“It’s such a great experience,” Francis says. “Everyone works together, gets to know one another.
“Some of the kids seem a little hard around the edges at first… but they appreciate being respected and treated like equals. They really respond when they’re here.” He says it’s really all about letting the students know they have a support network.
It’s not just the college kids who have trouble rolling out of bed to get to the program by 8:30 a.m. – the kids sometimes need a little waking up, too, Francis says. Nothing gets the blood pumping like a good game of tag, he jokes.
I bet a college-guys-versus-middle-schoolers game of tag can get pretty intense – and fun!
The college recommended the frat’s program for the award only weeks ago, and they just recently found out they’d won.
“We’re really thankful to the school and really excited,” Francis says. “This [award] is great motivation, and validates what we do.”
This isn’t the only service program the frat is involved in – some of their other projects include Thanksgiving basket deliveries, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Salvation Army bell ringing, Housing Partnership, and lots of others.
Read more about these young men and the award (and see a spiffy photo of them) here.
Sure makes me feel like I wasted away my idle time when I was in college, instead of doing something useful.
Also chosen for an award this year is Dr. James Shaw, who will take home the Senior Volunteer Award. Dr. Shaw is the founder of the well-known and respected Lackey Free Clinic, and he’s devoted himself to helping the uninsured in the area get quality medical care.
Currently, they have 115 medical practitioners and 200 volunteers, who committed more than 17,000 hours of service in 2009 and helped patients during 9,000 visits.
Read a previous story about Lackey here – the story is so interesting and heart-warming, it’s worth a read.
Congrats to these locals rewarded for making a difference. These awards have been around for 18 years, and accept nominations in several categories from all around the state. It’s always a good way to celebrate National Volunteer Week, which starts next Monday.
If you know anyone who stands out for their hard work in the community, let me know by emailing me at desiree@wydaily.com.
Add comment
