All university students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to visit the Community Service Fair and connect with over 20 non-profit agencies from the Houston and Galveston areas. This is a great opportunity to learn more about some of the major non-profits as well as some of the lesser-known agencies.

Those new to volunteering and a little unsure about the experience, consider the many benefits.

“Volunteering fosters a sense of pride in knowing you are giving selflessly of your time,” said Jennifer Clark, assistant director of Student Life –The Center for Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement (SLICE). “You can learn so many valuable skills in teamwork and leadership, and it also connects you to your community.”

Some of the local agencies that will be attending include:

• Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees (PAIR) Houston
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston
• Krist Samaritan Center
• Resource and Crisis Center of Galveston County, Inc.
• Big Brothers, Big Sisters
• Bay Area Turning Point
• Moody Gardens
• Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center-Be the Match
• Baytown Habitat for Humanity , Inc. / Bay Area Houston Habitat for Humanity, Inc.
• Houston Food Bank

Community Outreach Day 2009. Photo courtesy of David Rachita.

UHCL students volunteered their time to Habitat for Humanity by helping to build a house for a family during Community Outreach Day in 2009, sponsored by Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement. This year’s Community Outreach Day took place Saturday, Sept. 25.

For more information about Community Outreach Day and SLICE, click here.

The Signal Staff

Students gather mulch for the garden at the Baytown Habitat for Humanity home. Pictured from left: Gie Dinh, Hoang Luu, Nirmal Shrestha and Tracy McKinnley.

Christian theologian and founder of Methodism John Wesley once said, “Make all you can, save all you can and give all you can.” The most valuable thing a person can give is their time.

This past Saturday more than 130 University of Houston-Clear Lake students, faculty and staff members gave their time by participating in the UHCL Community Outreach Day.

Community Outreach Day is sponsored by the UHCL’s center for Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement, or SLICE. The mission of SLICE is to develop leadership through service to the community. On Feb. 13, SLICE hosted six different projects throughout the community.

“For many of these students, it is their first time to do community service,” said David Rachita, assistant dean of student life. “This is a great introduction to thinking past yourself for the benefit of the community.”

This year’s projects included building homes for Habitat for Humanity in two different locations, caring for pets at the League City Animal Shelter, providing social activities for seniors at the Mountbatten House, feeding the homeless at the Houston Food Bank and hosting reading parties for underprivileged youth at the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services.

Jennifer Clark, assistant director of student life and SLICE, coordinates Community Outreach Day. Clark participated at the Mountbatten House, where volunteers socialized with seniors. She explained that it was so nice to see the students jump right in and take initiative with the residents. There were smiles from the volunteers and even larger smiles from the recipients.

“When we gathered as a group afterwards to reflect on the experience, one volunteer noted that they heard one resident say that it was just so good to hear laughter coming from inside the home again,” Clark said.

Mountbatten House is an assisted living home for seniors.

Doug Relyea has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for more than 10 years. He oversees projects for the Habitat, and has built five homes on the plot in Baytown. There are 10 more scheduled to be built in the same area, as well as a park.

“The UHCL volunteers have helped out twice a year and have had a part in the completion of all five of these houses,” Relyea said.

Volunteers at the League City Animal Shelter helped out by walking and socializing with the animals. Monica Millican, member of Friends of League City Animal Shelter, is constantly looking for volunteers to come back and help with future projects.

“The goal is to get volunteers engaged and hope that they come back and volunteer permanently,” Millican said.

This semester marked the largest amount of projects that the program has offered for Community Outreach Day. It provided an opportunity for faculty and staff to participate with students outside of the normal classroom environment.

“I was so impressed with our students and how they didn’t hesitate to take a few hours of their day, especially on a Saturday when they could have been doing anything else,” Clark said. “Our students are amazing, and they inspire me everyday.”

David Sager, Pat Martin and Brian go on a trip around the greater Houston area to document UHCL students giving back as part of the Community Outreach Day.

Community Outreach Day is Saturday, Feb. 13.  UHCL has been holding Community Outreach Day each a semester since 2002, a day where students, staff and faculty volunteer to help the community.

“SLICE arranges numerous service projects including: serving the homeless, the hungry and the elderly, working in construction, and helping at the animal shelter,” said Jennifer Clark, assistant director of student life for student leadership involvement and community engagement.

Community Outreach Day is currently the largest service program UHCL coordinates. There are typically 75 to 150 volunteers each semester.