{"id":94475,"date":"2023-11-14T15:58:42","date_gmt":"2023-11-14T20:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=94475"},"modified":"2023-11-14T16:09:48","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T21:09:48","slug":"umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW Alumna Wins Volunteer of the Year Award for Civic Service"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><figure id=\"attachment_94489\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-94489\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"94489\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/mclees_governorsofficew\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/McLees_GovernorsOfficew.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"4\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"ILCE-7M3\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1699914235\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"31\",\"iso\":\"12800\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.00625\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;UMW alumna Meghan McLees &amp;#8217;23 received the Outstanding Young Volunteer Award at last night&amp;#8217;s 2023 Volunteerism&lt;br \/&gt;\nand Community Service Awards ceremony at the Governor&amp;#8217;s Mansion in Richmond. Pictured here are, from left to right: Chairman of the Virginia Governor&rsquo;s Advisory Board on Service&lt;br \/&gt;\nand Volunteerism Cliff Yee, Virginia First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and McLees. Official Photo by Christian Martinez, Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/McLees_GovernorsOfficew-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/McLees_GovernorsOfficew-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-94489 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/McLees_GovernorsOfficew-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"UMW alumna Meghan McLees '23 received the Outstanding Young Volunteer Award at last night's 2023 Volunteerismand Community Service Awards ceremony at the Governor's Mansion in Richmond. Pictured here are, from left to right: Chairman of the Virginia Governor&rsquo;s Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism Cliff Yee, Virginia First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and McLees. Official Photo by Christian Martinez, Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/McLees_GovernorsOfficew-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/McLees_GovernorsOfficew-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/McLees_GovernorsOfficew-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/McLees_GovernorsOfficew.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-94489\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">UMW alumna Meghan McLees &rsquo;23 received the Outstanding Young Adult Volunteer Award at last night&rsquo;s 2023 Volunteerism and Community Service Awards ceremony at the Governor&rsquo;s Mansion in Richmond. Pictured here are, from left to right: Chairman of the Virginia Governor&rsquo;s Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism Cliff Yee, Virginia First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and McLees. Official Photo by Christian Martinez, Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin.<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>When the elementary school student she was tutoring via Zoom appeared on the screen, Meghan McLees &rsquo;23 sensed something was wrong. So, she quickly switched gears, replacing the scholarly lesson she&rsquo;d planned for the day with an educational game.<\/p><p>&ldquo;We just did that the whole time, and we talked about his day,&rdquo; she said of the session with a student from Stafford Junction, a nonprofit dedicated to helping families struggling with poverty. &ldquo;He was having a hard time at school.&rdquo;<\/p><p>The call was just a small part of the volunteer work she completed as a University of Mary Washington student, but it created a career path for McLees, who enrolled in a master&rsquo;s program for school counseling at the University of Maryland after graduating from UMW in May. Now, in addition to a chosen profession, her penchant for giving her time to others has earned her something else &ndash; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.governor.virginia.gov\/newsroom\/news-releases\/2023\/november\/name-1017074-en.html\">2023 Outstanding Young Adult Volunteer Award<\/a> from the Virginia governor&rsquo;s office.<\/p><p>&ldquo;Meghan is a great role model with a wonderful combination of passion for making the world a better place and organizational skills,&rdquo; Center for Community Engagement Director Sarah Dewees said in her nomination letter for the award, bestowed on McLees at a ceremony last night.<\/p><p>Growing up in Chesterfield, Virginia, McLees was immersed in volunteerism. She&rsquo;d lend her efforts to her mother&rsquo;s American Heart Association events &ndash; taking pictures and handing out flyers &ndash; and the functions her father put on for the Army.<\/p><div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":7,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/14\\\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\\\/\",\"likes_blog_id\":230672515}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\"> <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 322px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"322\"> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 429px; height: 322px;\" data-original-width=\"429\" data-original-height=\"322\"> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/meg_staffy\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"425\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"318\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"94485\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Meg_Staffy.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"640,480\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.8\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 8 Plus\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1674663610\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"3.99\",\"iso\":\"50\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0666666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Meg_Staffy-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Meg_Staffy.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Meg_Staffy.jpeg?w=425&amp;h=318&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Meg_Staffy.jpeg 640w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Meg_Staffy-300x225.jpeg 300w\" width=\"425\" height=\"318\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"425\" data-original-height=\"318\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"UMW alumna Meghan McLees won this year's Young Volunteer Service Award from the Virginia governor's office. She majored in psychology at Mary Washington and is pursuing a master's degree in school counseling.\" style=\"width: 425px; height: 318px;\"> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> UMW alumna Meghan McLees won this year&rsquo;s Young Adult Volunteer Service Award from the Virginia governor&rsquo;s office. She majored in psychology at Mary Washington and is pursuing a master&rsquo;s degree in school counseling. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 243px; height: 322px;\" data-original-width=\"243\" data-original-height=\"322\"> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-small\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/img_3716\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"239\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"318\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"94481\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_3716.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"480,640\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_3716-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_3716.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_3716.jpg?w=239&amp;h=318&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_3716.jpg 480w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_3716-225x300.jpg 225w\" width=\"239\" height=\"318\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"239\" data-original-height=\"318\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"During her time at UMW, McLees (right) led teams of volunteers in efforts to pick up trash, do projects at the SPCA and more.\" style=\"width: 239px; height: 318px;\"> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> During her time at UMW, McLees (right) led teams of volunteers in efforts to pick up trash, do projects at the SPCA and more. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 428px; height: 322px;\" data-original-width=\"428\" data-original-height=\"322\"> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/food_bank\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"424\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"318\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"94480\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/food_bank.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"640,480\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/food_bank-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/food_bank.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/food_bank.jpg?w=424&amp;h=318&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/food_bank.jpg 640w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/food_bank-300x225.jpg 300w\" width=\"424\" height=\"318\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"424\" data-original-height=\"318\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Meghan McLees '23 volunteers her time and efforts at the local food bank. The UMW alumna donated more than 100 service hours last year alone.\" style=\"width: 424px; height: 318px;\"> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Meghan McLees &rsquo;23 volunteers her time and efforts at the local food bank. The UMW alumna donated more than 100 service hours last year alone. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div><p>So the civically engaged culture she found at Mary Washington was a bonus, she said, and she set out to fit service into her schedule. A psychology major with a contemplative studies minor, she joined UMW&rsquo;s Community Outreach and Resources (COAR), logging more than 100 hours last year alone.<\/p><p>For Stafford Junction, she recruited volunteers, provided transportation and poured herself into the afterschool Brain Builders initiative, bringing in her own lesson plans, along with whiteboards and worksheets. Along the way, Dewees said, McLees discovered a love for helping children who are low income, have language barriers or just need support.<\/p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not just interested in working with students,&rdquo; said McLees, who persevered through the pandemic, meeting with community partners to figure out how to offer virtual tutoring. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m interested in working with students in their own environment.&rdquo;<\/p><p>At UMW, she entertained children while their parents did chores at Fredericksburg&rsquo;s Brisben Center for people experiencing homelessness, worked at the local food bank and led student volunteers weeding gardens, picking up litter and doing projects for the SPCA.<\/p><div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":7,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/14\\\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\\\/\",\"likes_blog_id\":230672515}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\"> <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 875px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"875\"> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 657px; height: 875px;\" data-original-width=\"657\" data-original-height=\"875\"> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/img_5864\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"653\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"871\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"94484\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5864.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"480,640\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 13\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1677664073\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.1\",\"iso\":\"50\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.000843170320405\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5864-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5864.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5864.jpg?w=653&amp;h=871&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5864.jpg 480w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5864-225x300.jpg 225w\" width=\"653\" height=\"871\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"653\" data-original-height=\"871\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Habitat for Humanity is just one of the organizations to which McLees volunteered her time while studying at UMW. She also donated hours to Stafford Junction, the Brisben Center and more.\" style=\"width: 653px; height: 871px;\"> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Habitat for Humanity is just one of the organizations to which McLees volunteered her time while studying at UMW. She also donated hours to Stafford Junction, the Brisben Center and more. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-2\" style=\"width: 443px; height: 875px;\" data-original-width=\"443\" data-original-height=\"875\"> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/img_5747\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"439\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"433\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"94483\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5747.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"824,814\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1652725401\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5747-300x296.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5747.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5747.jpg?w=439&amp;h=433&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5747.jpg 824w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5747-300x296.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5747-768x759.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5747-50x50.jpg 50w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5747-75x75.jpg 75w\" width=\"439\" height=\"433\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"439\" data-original-height=\"433\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"As part of her volunteer efforts for Habitat for Humanity projects, McLees took the lead, managing student volunteer work, balancing budgets and creating a unique fundraising to support the trips.\" style=\"width: 439px; height: 433px;\"> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> As part of her volunteer efforts for Habitat for Humanity projects, McLees took the lead, managing student volunteer work, balancing budgets and creating a unique fundraising to support the trips. <\/div> <\/div> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/img_5746\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"439\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"434\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"94482\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5746.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"828,819\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1652725394\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5746-300x297.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5746.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5746.jpg?w=439&amp;h=434&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5746.jpg 828w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5746-300x297.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5746-768x760.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5746-50x50.jpg 50w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/IMG_5746-75x75.jpg 75w\" width=\"439\" height=\"434\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"439\" data-original-height=\"434\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"McLees (left) participated in three Habitat for Humanities trips, building and repairing houses, during her time at UMW.\" style=\"width: 439px; height: 434px;\"> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> McLees (left) participated in three Habitat for Humanities trips, building and repairing houses, during her time at UMW. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div><p>She also joined three Alternative Service Break trips, traveling to different states to repair and build homes with Habitat for Humanity. There, too, McLees became a leader, managing student volunteer work, balancing budgets and creating a fundraising project called &ldquo;FUNd Fair,&rdquo; a carnival-like activity held on Mary Washington&rsquo;s Campus Walk.<\/p><p>She hopes her passion for volunteerism &ndash; and the statewide award she received for her efforts last night &ndash; will be contagious.<\/p><p>&ldquo;Hopefully more people start volunteering,&rdquo; McLees said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s so much more than just mentoring people and building houses. Everyone can find their own thing.&rdquo;<\/p><div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":7,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/14\\\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\\\/\",\"likes_blog_id\":230672515}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\"> <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 367px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"367\"> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 548px; height: 367px;\" data-original-width=\"548\" data-original-height=\"367\"> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/53332298514_4bbffd7997_o\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"544\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"363\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"94490\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/53332298514_4bbffd7997_o-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"3.5\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"ILCE-7M3\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1699915011\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"28\",\"iso\":\"12800\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.00625\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/53332298514_4bbffd7997_o-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/53332298514_4bbffd7997_o-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/53332298514_4bbffd7997_o-scaled.jpg?w=544&amp;h=363&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/53332298514_4bbffd7997_o-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/53332298514_4bbffd7997_o-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/53332298514_4bbffd7997_o-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/53332298514_4bbffd7997_o-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/53332298514_4bbffd7997_o-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/53332298514_4bbffd7997_o-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" width=\"544\" height=\"363\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"544\" data-original-height=\"363\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"UMW alumna Meghan McLees '23 won this year's Outstanding Young Volunteer Award from the Virginia governor's office. She poses here (front row, pink dress) in a group shot from last night's award ceremony at the Governor's Mansion in Richmond. Official Photo by Christian Martinez, Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin.\" style=\"width: 544px; height: 363px;\"> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> UMW alumna Meghan McLees &rsquo;23 won this year&rsquo;s Outstanding Young Volunteer Award from the Virginia governor&rsquo;s office. She poses here (front row, pink dress) in a group shot from last night&rsquo;s award ceremony at the Governor&rsquo;s Mansion in Richmond. Official Photo by Christian Martinez, Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 276px; height: 367px;\" data-original-width=\"276\" data-original-height=\"367\"> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/sarah-and-meghan\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"272\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"363\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"94478\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Sarah-and-Meghan.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1394,1858\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Sarah-and-Meghan-225x300.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Sarah-and-Meghan-768x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Sarah-and-Meghan.jpeg?w=272&amp;h=363&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Sarah-and-Meghan.jpeg 1394w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Sarah-and-Meghan-225x300.jpeg 225w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Sarah-and-Meghan-768x1024.jpeg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/Sarah-and-Meghan-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w\" width=\"272\" height=\"363\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"272\" data-original-height=\"363\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"UMW alumna Meghan McLees '23 (left) poses with Center for Community Engagement Director Sarah Dewees at last night's award ceremony. Dewees nominated McLees for the Outstanding Young Volunteer Award, given annually by the Virginia governor's office.\" style=\"width: 272px; height: 363px;\"> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> UMW alumna Meghan McLees &rsquo;23 (left) poses with Center for Community Engagement Director Sarah Dewees at last night&rsquo;s award ceremony. Dewees nominated McLees for the Outstanding Young Adult Volunteer Award, given annually by the Virginia governor&rsquo;s office. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 276px; height: 367px;\" data-original-width=\"276\" data-original-height=\"367\"> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/pxl_20231113_235358560\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"272\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"363\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"94479\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231113_235358560-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.8\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Pixel 2\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1699901638\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"4.442\",\"iso\":\"639\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.024963\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231113_235358560-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231113_235358560-768x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231113_235358560-scaled.jpg?w=272&amp;h=363&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231113_235358560-scaled.jpg 1920w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231113_235358560-225x300.jpg 225w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231113_235358560-768x1024.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231113_235358560-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/PXL_20231113_235358560-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" width=\"272\" height=\"363\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"272\" data-original-height=\"363\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"McLees poses with her award.\" style=\"width: 272px; height: 363px;\"> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> McLees poses with her award. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the elementary school student she was tutoring via Zoom appeared on the screen, Meghan McLees &rsquo;23 sensed something was wrong. So, she quickly switched gears, replacing the scholarly lesson she&rsquo;d planned for the day with an educational game.&ldquo;We just did that the whole time, and we talked about his day,&rdquo; she said of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":94486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[9702,14910,15296,15295,11372],"topics":[5147],"class_list":{"0":"post-94475","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-center-for-community-engagement","9":"tag-coar","10":"tag-meghan-mclees","11":"tag-outstanding-young-volunteer-award","12":"tag-sdewees","13":"topic-service-citizenship","14":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UMW Alumna Wins Volunteer of the Year Award for Civic Service - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UMW Alumna Wins Volunteer of the Year Award for Civic Service\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When the elementary school student she was tutoring via Zoom appeared on the screen, Meghan McLees &rsquo;23 sensed something was wrong. So, she quickly switched gears, replacing the scholarly lesson she&rsquo;d planned for the day with an educational game.&ldquo;We just did that the whole time, and we talked about his day,&rdquo; she said of the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/11\/14\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-14T20:58:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-14T21:09:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/NewRelease_Meghan-McLees_1_1024x413.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"413\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lisa Chinn Marvashti\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lisa Chinn Marvashti\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/14\\\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/14\\\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lisa Chinn Marvashti\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eab3b9dd084c2488474792f0c391b8e7\"},\"headline\":\"UMW Alumna Wins Volunteer of the Year Award for Civic Service\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-14T20:58:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-14T21:09:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/14\\\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":621,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/14\\\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/7\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/NewRelease_Meghan-McLees_1_1024x413.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Center for Community Engagement\",\"COAR\",\"Meghan McLees\",\"Outstanding Young Volunteer Award\",\"sdewees\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Top Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/14\\\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/14\\\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/14\\\/umw-alumna-wins-volunteer-of-the-year-award-for-civic-service\\\/\",\"name\":\"UMW Alumna Wins Volunteer of the Year Award for Civic Service - 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