What began as a small, grassroots initiative has evolved into a robust community-driven movement, with volunteers playing a vital role in the success of FOR’s mission throughout the decades.
Early Beginnings: A Small but Mighty Start
There is no better example of how volunteers are the core of our organization than our origin story. In the ’70s, a group of avid paddlers and environmentalists in Fredericksburg wanted to protect the river they so loved. To do that, they decided to organize an annual Rappahannock River canoe cleanup every year, inviting everyone in the community and always advertising it in the local paper.
Years into hosting the cleanup, a journalist suggested giving the event or group of volunteers a name. This group of river activist friends’ annual cleanup soon became known as Friends of the Rappahannock. In 1985, those volunteers officially established the organization we love today.
Expanding Volunteer Opportunities
From the ’90s to 2000s, FOR remained mostly volunteer-run and accomplished some major triumphs for the river, such as removing the Embrey Dam, designating the Rappahannock as a VA Scenic River, hosting our first education program and expanding our efforts to the upper and lower regions of the watershed.
As time went on, staff was hired, programming expanded and our support grew along with our mission. From 2000-2020, FOR broadened our efforts from Fredericksburg litter cleanups and advocacy efforts to include the entire watershed, working with schools, restoring our shorelines, oyster reefs, water quality monitoring, and more.
The new diversity in programming allowed people from all walks of life to start getting involved. Community members from throughout the watershed now had the opportunity to directly contribute to the health of our river and their communities! Students could create rain gardens, families could get their hands dirty planting trees, and residents, environmental enthusiasts, and newbies all had the chance to give back to the Rappahannock.
Volunteer Programs Today: A Thriving Community
We wouldn’t be accomplishing the goals, of reaching communities and improving the water quality we do now without the volunteers who helped lead us from simple cleanups to the respected river organization we are today. In 2024, we invested in supporting our volunteers and growing our network by hiring our first full-time Volunteer and Outreach Manager and updating our volunteer management programs. This gave us the ability and privilege of hosting the most volunteers in our organization’s history. Over 2,000+ volunteers spanning over 100+ programs and 6,000+ hours of volunteers’ time donated, across the watershed from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay.
Now, our Manager works directly with individuals and groups to connect them with programs and staff members that match their interests, skills, and availability. This has also increased our ability to create more inclusive volunteer programs, ensuring that everyone, regardless of background or experience, can contribute to the river’s health. A win-win-win situation!
Now For the Next 40 Years!
Just like the past four decades, the future of the Rappahannock River will depend on the collective efforts of passionate advocates from volunteers, partners, donors, schools, and local businesses, continuing to engage and help fight for our river for generations to come.
We can’t wait to continue to grow our community, connect with more volunteers, and see where the next 40 years will take us! Want to join us for the ride? Fill out our volunteer interest form HERE and we hope to have you out with us in the spring.
Written by Lis Heras (November 2024)
