Alumni
throwback to SUmmer of service 2017…
YVCHR offers dynamic summer camps designed to empower youth through service, leadership, and hands-on learning! Each session is packed with engaging icebreakers, team-building activities, service-learning lessons, hands-on projects, and meaningful reflection.
In July of 2017, this fantastic group spent their week doing the HARD work and the HEART work of volunteering at the C. Waldo Scott Center for Hope, the VA Peninsula Food Bank, Warwick Forest, and Fort Monroe. From reading books and playing games with children to packing food for those in need, making crafts with residents in long-term care, and filling sandbags to prevent damage to an historic landmark, these youth—now adults!—made a strong impact on the community.
Alumni Spotlight: Zach Runyan
After my time with YVCHR, I joined the Newport News Mayor’s Youth Commission and the Newport News Human Rights Commission while still in high school. YVC helped me realize the true importance of volunteering—it’s not just about earning hours, but about serving your community and making a real impact. One of the best parts of my experience was getting to do YVC with a close friend. Through our time volunteering together, we grew even closer, and it made the experience all the more meaningful. One of my most memorable experiences was building the murals out of used bottle caps. I loved sitting down with other volunteers and just talking about life while screwing the caps into the wood.
Alumni Spotlight: Akilah Frye
My name is Akilah Frye, and I am an alumna of Youth Volunteer Corps and the Hampton Roads Affiliate. My journey with YVCHR began during Summer of Service when I was twelve years old. What started off as a “summer camp” — as my mom liked to call it — ignited a spark for my lifetime of service. I served on the YVCHR Advisory Board and then went on to serve on the Youth Volunteer Corps International Advisory Board for two years. Now, as a junior at the University of Mississippi, the passion for service that was sparked as a teenager is still ablaze. The experiences I gained through YVC have shaped who I am today. I will continue to spread the message about Youth Volunteer Corps and how it is impacting emerging youth leaders and beyond.