Faculty, staff and students at each of The University of Texas System institutions are teaming up to provide volunteer services throughout Texas as a part of United To Serve (UT Serve), a system-wide volunteering initiative to engage and mobilize thousands of volunteers in the community. The Health Science Center service projects began last week and will run through May.
Each campus has formed an organizing committee consisting of both administrators and students, and selected projects unique to their community needs.
Benjamin DuBois, UT Serve representative, said the Health Science Center has chosen Project Teaching Everyone About Creating Healthiness (T.E.A.C.H.) as its campus-wide event. Each school within the Health Science Center has also chosen its own volunteer event.
“Our goal for Project T.E.A.C.H. is to provide valuable learning experience to local elementary, middle and high school students within the Northside Independent School District about various topics in health and health care,” DuBois said.
Teams consisting of members from the university community will volunteer a few hours to deliver a lesson on a specific topic. Topics include careers in health, occupational and physical therapy; exercise, nutrition and reading food labels; alcohol and tobacco awareness; and dental health. All interested university students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate.
Faculty, staff and students in all five schools at the Health Science Center also have the option to participate in their respective departments. The Graduate School of Biomedical Science chose to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, the Nursing School decided to hold a health fair, the School of Medicine volunteered to work at the SAMM Shelter; the Dental School opted to hold an oral hygiene drive; and the School of Allied Health Sciences chose to provide oral health care instructions to children in hospitals.
The UT Serve Volunteer Event is initiated through the UT System Student Advisory Council.
For more information about getting involved or to learn more about the event, visit
www.uthscsa.edu/univrel/utserve/ or contact DuBois at
Duboisb@uthscsa.edu.
