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Warren County recognizes Michelle Smeltzer and Nicole Johns with Governor's Volunteerism award
Summary
County staff and the Board of Supervisors publicly recognized two Department of Social Services volunteers—Michelle Smeltzer and Nicole Johns—who received the 2024 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for outstanding independent group in Virginia.
Warren County officials used a regular meeting to publicly recognize Michelle Smeltzer and Nicole Johns, volunteers who serve county residents through multiple homeless‑services organizations and who received the 2024 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for outstanding independent group in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
A Department of Social Services representative told the board that on Nov. 20, 2024, Michelle Smeltzer and Nicole Johns were among ten awardees statewide and that together they logged nearly 1,000 hours of volunteer service in the prior year. The staff presentation said the volunteers have been instrumental in creating and operating a winter thermal shelter (started in 2018), coordinating transportation, arranging meals and connecting residents with social services, including help obtaining identification, resumes and employment connections.
The representative said between 30 and 40 people use the shelter nightly during the cold season and that the volunteers coordinate shelter operations and outreach. The board and staff thanked Smeltzer and Johns for their service and noted local media coverage and appearances, including a Northern Virginia Daily article and a local radio appearance.
No board action was required; the agenda item was a formal recognition rather than a policy decision.
