Sports Backers Honors Volunteers of the Year

‘Tis the season to be thankful, gather with friends and family, and celebrate all of the incredible and joyous moments we’ve experienced in the past year. Here at Sports Backers, we’ve been privileged enough to experience many of those moments with you. From helping leaders emerge to advocate for better fitness opportunities and infrastructure in their communities to watching runners cross the finish line of their first marathon, we’ve witnessed, firsthand, what an amazing impact an active lifestyle can have on both the individual and the region.

Behind these many accomplishments there are countless unsung heroes, and last week at our Annual Volunteer Reception, we enjoyed the opportunity to say “thank you” to a few of the many volunteers who make our work at Sports Backers possible. Please join us in congratulating the following Volunteer of the Year recipients on a job well done, and thank them for making a positive impact on our community!

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Pat Dorch and Joy Jackson – Event Volunteers of the Year

Pat and Joy have volunteered for Sports Backers for more than five years, and during the past two, they’ve worked at 12 of our 14 annual events. They’ve taken on leadership roles managing volunteers at the Anthem Richmond Marathon and Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k expos, coordinating the post-race food at the Anthem Moonlight Ride, and working at volunteer check in at RVA Streets Alive! As a bonus for us, they come as a package deal, helping whenever and wherever we’ve needed them, always with a smile on their faces. In fact, they’re called “the dream team” around our office because if we give them an assignment, we know they will not only complete it efficiently but also go above and beyond by doing so with fun and laughter!

Lynn Anderson – Training Team Coach of the Year

Lynn has been with the Marathon Training Team since its inception – 14 years to be exact. She has a wonderful way of interacting with new runners, and the coaches who work with her and the runners she trains come back year after year. She has a knack for emanating the right mix of empathy and motivation to get participants across the finish line. Her involvement in running doesn’t stop with the many people she helps; she is also an accomplished athlete herself. Last year, at age 70, Lynn qualified for and ran her first Boston Marathon!

Jeanne Minnix – Bike Walk RVA Volunteer of the Year

A volunteer with Sports Backers since 2012, Jeanne is also a graduate of the Bike Walk RVA Academy. Since her graduation a year ago, she’s founded and led Southsiders for Biking and Walking, a local civic group spearheading building bike lanes in their community. In her volunteer role with Bike Walk RVA, Jeanne leads events like the Westover Hills Boulevard Clean Up, organizes meetings about bike lane design, navigates networks of neighborhood associations, and has even led a walking tour with the City of Richmond Traffic Engineer to showcase a proposed bike lane corridor. Her dedication, tenacity, and persistence have made her an incredible asset to our Bike Walk RVA efforts.

Kristen Callan – Kids Run RVA Volunteer of the Year

In the spring of 2012, Kristen started the 10k run club at Salem Church Middle School. As of today, her students have completed four 10ks, and she has moved into the role of PE teacher. Kristen’s energy and dedication to keeping students moving extends beyond Salem Church—she also coaches a kids run club at the Greenleigh Mobile Home Community on the Jefferson Davis Corridor of Chesterfield County. Of course, Kristen doesn’t stop at giving her time to the region’s youth. She has also been the head coach of both the 10k and 8k training teams at the Bellemeade Community Center and she has taken on the role of Sports Backers Ambassador, attending events throughout the community to promote our mission.

Taimani Scott – Keep it Moving Volunteer of the Year

Our first ever Keep It Moving Volunteer of the Year is also one of our first ever Fitness Warrior graduates. Last year, she not only completed the Fitness Warrior training requirements but also offered an additional free weekly fitness class and led demos at countless community events. After graduating from the Fitness Warriors program, she went on to become a mentor for our second class. She has led them through training sessions, kept them motivated, and has served as a role model for what it means to be a Sports Backers Fitness Warrior. In addition to her role as a Warrior, Taimani has also volunteered as a coach for both the 10k and 8k training teams at Bellemeade. Her energy is unmatched, her passion evident, and her impact immeasurable.