Congratulations to VCU Richmond Alumni Chapter of Richmond – winner of the 2018 Governor’s Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Education Organization! From leading the charge against hunger in Virginia to supporting veterans, the VCU Richmond Alumni Chapter is continuing to make an impact on the community every single day. The Richmond Chapter, comprised of more than 65,000 alums of Virginia Commonwealth University who currently live in Richmond, continues to make volunteering a key priority in their initiatives to help make Richmond a better place to live. Every year, hundreds of VCU Alums volunteer – from collecting enormous amounts of canned goods for an Alumni Charity Challenge event to serving as mentors to help VCU students enhance their time at the university. Volunteers also take Richmond City students back-to-school shopping, write cards for overseas military troops, and deliver hot meals bedside at McGuire Veterans Hospital.
One of their largest efforts, the Alumni Charity Challenge, benefiting FeedMore, raises hunger awareness and engages the community during Hunger Action Month and Day to Serve. Since 2013, the Alumni Charity Challenge has collected nearly 79,000 pounds of canned goods. One of its latest projects, Operation Veterans Appreciation, brings together nearly 100 students, alums, VCU faculty/staff, and area residents for a day of recognition and appreciation to veterans recovering in the Spinal Cord Division of McGuire Veterans Hospital. Other schools are following their lead and modeling their own programs after the VCU Alumni Richmond Chapter. This organization is much more than a group of former students – it is a group of ambassadors, organizers, energizers and mentors to their institution and their community.