News Articles

DRBA Annual Celebration Awards!

June 7, 2023

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in”.
~Author Unknown

Dan River Basin Association is lucky to have such wonderful volunteers, board members, and donors that choose to join in to create the largest impact on the Dan River Basin. This past weekend, DRBA hosted their Annual Celebration with a knowledgeable keynote presentation from Ph.D. Candidate Spencer Tassone, the "Song of the Dan" performed by Angela Upchurch-Davis, and the presentation of the DRBA Service Awards. 

Service to DRBA Awards

This award is given to one or more individuals who stand out as a volunteer during the year with hours and effort.

Jessica Driver

Our first award winner is Jessica Driver. Jessica has been monitoring a local waterway as a DRBA Citizen Water Quality Monitor since 2015, has recently become our local Virginia Save Our Streams volunteer trainer, started DRBA’s Family Friendly public events, and has participated in and planned several cleanups in the region.

On her own, she frequently does her own cleanups, then upcycles some of the items she finds, sells them, and donates the proceeds toward environmental education supplies. She has created dozens of environmental education videos and programs and you’ll see her face at multiple festivals throughout the region representing DRBA. She is the Secretary of the Board of Directors.

We could go on and on, the list is VERY long of what Jessica has done for DRBA and we’d be here all day if we listed them all – but suffice it to say, Jessica is an amazing volunteer and a DRBA advocate!

Jessica, congratulations on your 2023 Service to DRBA Award.

Valencia Abbott

Valencia Abbott serves on many nonprofit boards throughout North Carolina and one of those organizations is DRBA. She has been an invaluable resource in directing and implementing DRBA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan. On her own time, she applied for and received the Abolitionist Teaching Network grant which allowed funding for organizations to concentrate on an area of special needs. She invited DRBA to be one of those organizations and we were able to hire a consultant with the funding to help us provide enhanced programming and activities for youth and people with hearing and sight impairments which greatly improved our ability to outreach to more people to enjoy and protect our natural resources.  

She also included DRBA in her history project funded by the National Council of History Education in partnership with the Museum and Archives of Rockingham County. DRBA was able to provide thank you bags to the volunteers of the program informing a new audience about what DRBA does in our region. 

Valencia is extremely active -  tossing out a new program idea, sharing a resource, or providing a link to an educational workshop or forum to help DRBA become a more welcoming and inclusive organization frequently.  Not to mention you’ll see Valencia at many of DRBA’s outings. 

Congratulations, Valencia Abbott.

Keith Elliott

A Service to DRBA Award represents outstanding work on behalf of the organization. In the case of this recipient, his work has impacted DRBA on multiple levels – he has become an invaluable resource as a guide on outings, he is a first-call volunteer for anything related to outdoor recreation asset construction and maintenance and he is truly one of the most dependable and hard-working volunteers who’s not afraid to get dirty. 

Keith Elliott joined DRBA’s volunteer army just a few years ago, helping with the construction of the Woodland Trail at Spencer Penn Centre. We had no idea just how amazing this man was at the time. He came back, again and again, to help with other trail-building days and cleanups. Then he joined the CWQM program, along with the Outing Task Force, and offered his time to help plan and guide DRBA’s First Saturday Outings.  

There are so many times DRBA staff and board have reached out to Keith for help.  When the Paw Path needed gravel spread, Keith was there and did the entire project by himself. When mowing and weed whacking was needed to maintain a new park that was constructed in Eden, Keith was there in less than 24 hours doing the work, again on his own. 

Keith is truly a model volunteer. He is dependable, his work is exceptional and he is an exemplary volunteer! It is with pride and gratitude we present Keith Elliott with this Service to DRBA Award.

2023 Volunteer of the Year Award- Sonya Wolen

DRBA’s Volunteer of the Year Award is presented to an individual who goes above and beyond to serve, promote, and actively participate to strengthen the organization. 

This year’s recipient is a long-time supporter of DRBA. She has served as both the Vice President and two years as the President of the Board of Directors and continues to serve as a member of the board. She has voluntarily taken the lead role in implementing DRBA’s DEI Strategic Plan and is co-chair of the DRBA’s Program/DEI Committee.  She is the reason why DRBA has been involved, led, or participated in numerous committees, programs, and activities. She is the first to volunteer to man a booth at a festival, provide an environmental education program and participate in a DRBA workday. She is the reason why DRBA has increased the number of people at our monthly FSOs through her idea to add MeetUp.  She is constantly on the lookout for new program ideas, educational opportunities that will benefit the staff and board, potential partnerships, and volunteers to recruit.  She has worked tirelessly for DRBA for a very long time and the organization and we believe that DRBA would not be as strong and impactful without her on the team. 

 Thank you, Sonya Wolen, for your dedication and trust in DRBA!

Partnership Award- Rockingham County Tourism Development Authority

This award is presented to an organization, municipality, or state organization that has shown dedication to DRBA’s mission through collaboration, participation, and collective action…

The Tourism Development Authority of Rockingham County  - or TDA -- has been a long-time partner with DRBA.  This group of dedicated individuals has provided critical funding to help promote recreation in Rockingham County and has served as a model for other organizations in the region.  

The TDA provided funding to not only keep the Settles Bridge River Access clean and usable for close to a decade but then also invested in fixing the site to make it safe for boaters.  They have created numerous publications and media that promote outdoor recreation and have included DRBA in all of them.  Jacobs Creek Batteau Landing Park and a master plan to connect the Mountains to Sea Trail with the Beaches to Bluegrass State Trail would not have been completed without their generous funding. Their partnership with DRBA has been long-standing and we believe is just getting better.

It is with gratitude and appreciation DRBA awards this Partnership Award to the Tourism Development Authority of Rockingham County, NC. 

Corporate Award

This award is given to one or more businesses or civic organizations that have helped DRBA achieve a project or service that would not have been likely to occur without the resource leveraging of the partnership. 

Pickle & Ash restaurant, located in Patrick Springs, VA, is a very special establishment. They provided funding for two rain barrel workshops that sold out in less than 48 hours each.  They stepped up to not only plan but also donate, the refreshments for the ribbon cutting event at the IC DeHart Trail System in Woolwine, VA. Pickle & Ash is the newest member of the Eco Ambassador Council which funds regional recreational, educational, and stewardship-focused projects.  

Owned by Anna Lester, who is a force for positive environmental change and a model of an environmentally-conscious and proactive business leader. 

We are grateful for the investment in DRBA and look forward to a lasting partnership with Pickle & Ash for years to come!

We are grateful for the impact that the Dan River Basin Association has had in the past year alone, with now over 21 years of service to the Dan River Basin, we look forward to what we can accomplish in the next 21 years! 

Dan River Basin Association would not be what it is today without dedicated volunteers, board members, and donors. Thank you for being a Friend of DRBA! To learn more about volunteering with DRBA, check out our Volunteer section on our website!