Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame

Celebrating Seniors' Outstanding Service

The Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame recognizes and celebrates Chesterfield seniors who have rendered unusual or outstanding services to their community. Founded by Dorothy Charles in 1982 through her work with the Senior Council and the Board of Supervisors., those recognized by the Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame have ranged in age from 60 to 98 years.

Eligibility

Chesterfield County residents age 60 or older who support our community through their volunteerism, are eligible for the Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame. Please note that this recognition is for individuals only - couples and groups will not be considered. If a potential nominee has been excused from any previous volunteer position, they are not eligible to be nominated. A nominee may be nominated more than once but they will be inducted into the Hall of Fame only once. Nominees' volunteer work outside the county is eligible for consideration. 

Nominators can be neighbors, friends, churches, senior groups, non-profit service agencies, organizations and businesses. Anyone who can verify the nominee’s qualifications for recognition may nominate. The nominator is responsible for providing complete and accurate information regarding the individual’s service.

  1. 2023 Inductees

2023 Inductees

Three Chesterfield residents, Linda Hudgens, Alice Mitchell and Audrey Ross, were inducted into the Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame during the 2023 ceremony. The inductees were selected from a group of 20 nominees for the 2023 Senior Hall of Fame class and join the 89 previous inductees. Since turning 60, this year’s Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame nominees cumulatively have donated more than 180,000 hours of service to the community.

Linda Hudgens
In 2012, Linda started the St. Matthias Episcopal Church food pantry and serves as its coordinator. Prior to that she was worked with Micah at Clark Spring Elementary to provide food for children and their families. She’s responsible for a pantry that currently serves 6000 meals a month with referrals from FeedMore. She coordinates the pantry operations and food donation pickups from several churches and businesses. She oversees 25 volunteers weekly in the food pantry. Linda served as President of the board of The Point at Belgrade and Chairman of Central Virginia Asthma Coalition. She is the driving force of the pantry, which consistently provides meals to families in need, not capping it or turning away those who need food.

Alice Mitchell
Alice Mitchell is a pillar of the Aging and Disability Resources (formerly Aging and Disability Services) Telephone Reassurance Program, which supports connectivity for older adults in Chesterfield. During the pandemic, Alice called participants seven days a week due to the increased stress, fear and extreme isolation they were experiencing. In addition to her efforts with Telephone Reassurance, Alice serves as an appointed jury commissioner, where she reviews and screens jury eligibility questionnaires to determine whether residents are eligible to serve on juries for the judicial calendar. Alice also served as a volunteer with Senior Connections’ intergenerational “Catch Healthy Habits” program, demonstrating healthy eating options and promoting physical activity to children in summer school. She was even a volunteer caregiver for her best friend, helping prepare meals, transport and keeping her company on her bad days. Alice is always willing to lend a helping hand to friends and neighbors and serves her community in many ways.

Audrey Ross
Audrey conducts research on the history of African Americans in Midlothian and provides presentations to the residents of Chesterfield County and vicinity. She also serves in a variety of volunteer roles, including historian of First Baptist Church of Midlothian and member of the Chesterfield Historical Society's African American History Committee, while actively participating in several projects which involve presentations to county residents. She volunteers as an instructor with the Lifelong Learning Institute and is a member of the Midlothian Special Area Plan implementation team focusing on ways to preserve the Village of Midlothian's history. Audrey assisted 4-H with its annual holiday outreach program for seniors. As a board member for Mid-Lothian Mines and Railroad Foundation, she works to provide a more detailed history of the contributions of the enslaved and freedmen who worked in the coal pits of Midlothian. Audrey was featured in a front-page article of The New York Times: "Reckoning with a Legacy of Insuring Slaves' Lives" about an enslaved ancestor who was a coalminer in Midlothian.

  1. 2022 Inductees