Chalandon Walker was in work mode.
He had traveled to New Orleans for the 2025 International Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Convention, setting up a vendor booth and preparing to shoot interviews. He didn’t expect anything unusual as he moved through his usual checklist — cameras, lighting, logistics. Then Pastor Roger Green walked over.
“He said, ‘Hey man, I got to get something to you. I’ve been trying to get something to you,’” Walker said. “And before I leave town … he asked if I was having a podcast at the time.”
Walker wasn’t. Usually, he would host his podcast, Social Remedy TV, on-site during the convention, interviewing pastors, but not this year. When Walker politely declined, the pastor instead gave him something.
That something was one of the highest honors for American volunteers — The President’s Volunteer Service Award, signed by former President Joe Biden.
“As we were talking, he pulled out the paper and began to read all the things coming from the White House,” Walker said. “He showed me the seal and everything like that … and I cried like a baby.”
The surprise presentation recognized Walker’s years of volunteer work in Indianapolis, from rebuilding a food pantry and running donation drives to mentoring through his podcast and past work as a career advisor.
Walker said Green submitted his name for the award months ago without telling him.
“He’s been doing some of the work I’ve been doing over the past two or three years,” Walker said. “I was an outreach minister and outreach leader for Christ Church Apostolic … and then we had a pantry there and got a grant. I reached out to some people, got a grant and rebuilt it.”
Green said the work that Walker is doing is changing the community, and Walker never seeks out any attention for the work.
“I love the way that he gets involved in a grassroots kind of way,” Green said. “I am just blown aways by his heart and compassion for the community.”
Walker said he and his team organized food drives that fed 300 to 400 people, held gas giveaways and helped families cover costs, as well as small acts of service meant to lift his neighbors.
“Just showing, you know, the love of Christ,” he said. “My whole MO is trying to build community and bring positive change.”
That mission also drives Social Remedy TV, Walker’s YouTube channel, where he interviews local leaders, ministers and experts.
Green told him the combination of his on-the-ground work and commitment to community storytelling was what earned him the award.
“You don’t think that people are watching,” Walker said. “Somebody’s watching … and so that’s the biggest thing for me is knowing that God is watching and my work wasn’t overlooked.”
Receiving the award has already inspired Walker’s next steps. On the long drive back to Indianapolis from New Orleans, he asked himself, “What’s next?”
“It inspired me to do another series with my podcast about employment, to attack the unemployment rate,” he said. “It inspired me to create another job fair. That’s what I’m currently working on now.”
Walker previously worked in career services, leading résumé workshops, mock interviews and job fairs. He plans to return to that expertise and help people find meaningful employment.
“I want to help be a bright spot for, you know, those who are disenfranchised,” he said. “Create a place or safe place where people can … go, learn, actually communicate and help grow with each other together.”
Walker said he’ll be back at the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Convention next year, when it comes to Indianapolis, to keep doing the behind-the-scenes work he’s always done.
“You’re doing things in the community, and you don’t think people are watching,” he said. “But somebody is watching.”
Viewers can find Walker’s podcast on YouTube by searching “Social Remedy TV.” To learn more about the President’s Volunteer Service Award, visit presidentialserviceawards.gov.
Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
Hanna Rauworth is the Health & Environmental Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, where she covers topics at the intersection of public health, environmental issues, and community impact. With a commitment to storytelling that informs and empowers, she strives to highlight the challenges and solutions shaping the well-being of Indianapolis residents.
