AmeriCorps member Frank Lott has not allowed the current COVID-19 pandemic to stop him from serving his community. As an AmeriCorps member at CARITAS AmeriCorps, Frank provides essential community services as well as support for clients in their recovery and assistance with developing workforce readiness. Frank started his training to become a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist in January as a part of his service.
When COVID hit, Frank dove into alternate service activities by training with and taking calls for 2-1-1 VIRGINIA. Volunteers have been very successful in providing information and resources to thousands of individuals in need. Because the calls were increasingly complex in nature and shifting away from COVID-19, at the end of April, they anticipated that people will need to rely more and more on community resources. Frank and others were transitioned to the outreach team to verify program information and do some research on available resources throughout the commonwealth. In addition to all this service (Tuesday – Friday hours), on Mondays, Frank volunteers with Food Outreach at his local church, Garden of Gethsemane Ministries, bagging and distributing meals.
Now that CARITAS is slowly re-opening, Frank will be squeezing in some of the activities he originally signed up for. In a time where the organization is unable to welcome back interns and volunteers, his service is more needed than ever. In addition to all of this service, Frank completed his training and received his VA Certification as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, and is working on his national certification. Thank you Frank for being such a wonderful example of a aservant-leader in the Richmond community! Congrats to Frank on earning his certification!!