County Resident Cherilyn Murphy Named Community Champion

Volunteer Fairfax and Supervisor Pat Herrity will honor Cherilyn Murphy of Springfield District with a Community Champion award during the 21^st Anniversary Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards. The Awards will be held Thursday, April 18, at the Waterford at Springfield in Springfield, Va.

Supervisor Pat Herrity nominated Murphy for this award on behalf of her dedication to volunteerism. Cherilyn Murphy’s volunteer history is both long and diverse.  For over 25 years, she has volunteered for a number of organizations within Fairfax County, including Celebrate Fairfax, the Burke Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, Fairfax County Health Department, and St. Bernadette’s Church. Ms. Murphy’s countless years working at the Planning Commissions Booth at Celebrate Fairfax have benefitted its scholarship fund and many other charities.  For the past four years, she’s dedicated her time to the Burke Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, performing administrative tasks to help the department run more efficiently. She also volunteers at weekly Bingo, and serves as a Hall Monitor for hall rentals and special events at the Fire Station.  Ms. Murphy has also worked as a Health Department Clinic volunteer.

Each year, Community Champions are nominated by their district supervisor. Every member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is granted the honor of selecting one volunteer within their district to be recognized with this award. This distinguished award recognizes volunteers who are committed to improving Fairfax County through their dedicated efforts of bringing the community together in order to work towards a common goal of addressing the concerns of County residents.

In addition to Murphy, other individuals from the region are being honored for their accomplishments as Community Champions.  Each will receive an award during the breakfast ceremony as well. This year’s full list of Community Champions includes:

Stuart Rakoff, Hunter Mill District

Stella Koch, At Large

Shep Crow, Mount Vernon District

Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, Providence District

Amy Gould, Braddock District

Suzette Kern, Lee District

Bill Sudow, Dranesville District

Yom Chu Kim, Sully District

Ken and Camille Mittelholtz, Mason District

“Volunteering, as an industry, is what we make it and it and has potential to be transformative and impactful for the community as well as for the individual performing the good deed,” says Jeanne Saunders, Executive Director of Volunteer Fairfax. “So often their efforts are humble but at the Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards we shine a spotlight on their service.”

Volunteer Fairfax is excited to have special guests at this year’s ceremony. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the honorary chairs, will present awards to the community volunteers, which include their own Community Champions. Additionally, Virginia Bureau Chief for ABC7/WJLA-TV and News Channel 8, Jeff Goldberg, will emcee the program. Other key members of local and state government have been invited.

For more information about the Community Champions or to purchase tickets, visit www.volunteerfairfax.org.

About Volunteer Fairfax and the Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards

Established in 1993, the Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards serve as a community-wide celebration of volunteerism. The Awards honors individuals, groups, and organizations, which have given outstanding volunteer service through a broad range of activities and programs.

For almost 40 years, Volunteer Fairfax has brought together families, neighbors, and colleagues to improve the Washington Capital Region. We strengthen nonprofits, connect volunteers and support the causes important to you. Volunteer Fairfax is supported by the following sponsors: Exxon Mobil Corporation and Northrop Grumman Corporation.