Jennifer Gorham named Program Director of the Year by Youth Volunteer Corps National Office
November 2, 2017
Pictured from left to right are: Faith Brown, Masi Sundara, Kailyn Brown, Andrea Sturm, Keory Ancrum, Jennifer Gorham
The City of Charleston is pleased to announce that Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) of Charleston Program Director Jennifer Gorham has been named Program Director of the Year by the Youth Volunteer Corps’ National Office. Additionally, under Jennifer’s leadership, YVC Charleston has been recognized by YVC Headquarters as a gold level affiliate for its leadership and exemplary service to the community.
Jennifer started the YVC Charleston program in Fall 2015 as part of the Mayor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families to provide local youth opportunities to serve their community and learn about issues that matter to them. To date, 149 youth have participated in the program and have volunteered nearly 1,400 hours of service throughout the community.
Recent YVC Charleston projects have included the Lowcountry Blessing Box, built by youth and consistently stocked with non-perishable items for Charleston’s Eastside residents to take as needed, and service to the Ronald McDonald House, where youth have donated meal items and prepared dinner for residents whose children were receiving treatment at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Jennifer also created a Summer Service-Learning Institute (SSLI) for middle school students that provided four weeks of intensive service-learning volunteer experience during the summer months. During the SSLI, students learned about a community issue and engaged in up to four related projects throughout the community each week. Weekly themes included childhood obesity, environmental challenges, as well as several wild card weeks.
Mindy Sturm, director of the Mayor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families, said, “Jennifer has done an incredible job creating the Youth Volunteer Corps of Charleston program and working to embed it in the community. She is dedicated, motivated, and understands the value of service. She is a true champion for Charleston youth.”
To learn more about YVC Charleston, visit http://yvccharleston.wixsite.com/yvccharleston.
Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) began in 1987 as a summer service program for Kansas City youth. Today, YVC is a network of affiliated organizations across the U.S. and Canada running that same program by engaging youth ages 11-18 in team-based, structured, diverse, flexible service-learning opportunities.
