Candy Cecil, a longtime volunteer at The Doorways, arrives to cook a meal for guests at the facility.
“Life changing” is the only way Candy Cecil, an accounting manager at a Richmond construction company, can describe the monthly lunch meeting of the local chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction she attended 25 years ago.
The speaker that day was the former director of The Doorways, a nonprofit organization founded to house individuals and families who must come to Richmond for medical care. “She invited us to take a tour, which I did, and it was awesome,” says Cecil, who immediately knew she wanted to volunteer at the facility.
The Doorways provides a healing, emotionally supportive environment for patients and their loved ones who live 30 miles or more away and need to be close to a hospital or treatment center but want a feeling of home. Located on East Marshall Street near the VCU Medical Center Campus of VCU Health, the 117-room facility is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The average guest stay is six nights, but visits range from one night to even one year.
In hearing the stories of those staying at The Doorways, Cecil realized that she had been in their shoes.
In 1997, Cecil was involved in a car accident that left her with extensive injuries and resulted in a lengthy hospital stay in Northern Virginia. She was far from her family and friends in Richmond, which was difficult for both her and her mother, who had to travel to visit. Fortunately, by the time Cecil was ready for physical therapy and rehabilitation, she was able to move to Richmond to live with her mother.
Cecil saw her recovery as a miracle and felt her survival meant there was far more for her to do in life. That “more,” in her mind, was volunteering at The Doorways and other nonprofits.
“Volunteerism at The Doorways is a bit like gravity. You don’t always see it, but it’s what holds everything together,” says Stacy Brinkley, the organization’s president and CEO.
The Doorways’ small staff works to keep the doors open year-round to anyone who needs a respite when facing medical challenges. During the 2025 fiscal year, which ended June 30, the facility housed 9,158 guests, who logged 57,455 nights of lodging, and 450 volunteers provided 7,839 hours of service. Since the organization first opened in 1983, more than 232,000 guests have stayed approximately 1.4 million nights.
Volunteers at The Doorways take on a variety of tasks, including greeting families, serving meals, refreshing common spaces and entertaining guests. “Without volunteers, the structure would still stand, but it wouldn’t feel as alive,” Brinkley says. It’s a community of people “who believe that when families face medical crises, they shouldn’t have to face them alone.”
Cecil says she gets “more out of it than the people we are helping do. It means so much to me.” Her mother also pitches in by coordinating the volunteer schedule.
When she first volunteered at the facility, Cecil did a little of everything. These days, she focuses on meal preparation. She’s usually on-site once or twice a month with one of the groups she belongs to.
Cecil with a fellow volunteer
Cecil’s favorite project each year is the big breakfast with Santa that she and other volunteers from the National Association of Women in Construction host in December. “That month, I do two meals for two weekends,” she says. Cecil and her fellow volunteers alternate between preparing a chicken bake and lasagna. “We have gotten really good at them,” she says. “We make it all there.”
The Doorways guests they serve are very appreciative, she adds. “They will offer to help us prepare the meal.”
As a volunteer, Cecil has been invaluable to the organization over the years, Brinkley says. “Candy’s 25 years of service have been an ongoing gift to The Doorways and the thousands of guests who have walked through our doors. Her kindness, dedication and ability to bring people together have created a lasting impact that extends far beyond the meals she serves and the endless support she provides. Candy embodies the heart of our mission, and we are so grateful for the generosity she shares so freely.”
And it all started with a simple lunch.
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