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Volunteers Unite in Service to Community
During the kickoff at the UT Dental Branch at Houston, UT Health Science Center President James T. Willerson, M.D., thanked the volunteers for giving their time to serve the community. "You should take great pride in being here, and I admire all of you for being a volunteer," he said. Dental Branch Dean Catherine Flaitz, D.D.S., said, "This day is all about giving back to the Texas Medical Center, but most importantly, giving to and serving our patients."
Nearly 200 volunteers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center worked together to benefit patients and their families Saturday, April 23, at Houston's second annual United To Serve event. Activities at eight Texas Medical Center institutions included face painting, teaching origami and making breakfast for patient families, among others.
Support for this year's event came from the Office of the President, Auxiliary Enterprises, the Office of Academic Affairs, the Office of Public Affairs, and the Office of Community and Educational Outreach at the health science center and from the Office of the President and Communications Office at M. D. Anderson.
Part of a UT System-wide initiative, United To Serve was the culmination of a month of health science center volunteer activities in which 78 volunteer dentists and a host of other volunteers treated nearly 500 patients during Centennial Smiles at the UT Dental Branch at Houston, and 250 volunteers repaired four homes for the elderly during two weekends of HouseMedics.
Cooking breakfast for patients' families at Ronald McDonald House are, from left, Sharon Collins-Johnson, Radiation Safety staff member at the UT Health Science Center at Houston, and Denise Juroske, allied health student at the UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Earlier Juroske welcomed volunteers to the kickoff on behalf of M. D. Anderson's student governance organization. Photos by Ester Fant
Manny Reyes, left, president of the UT Health Science Center at Houston Student InterCouncil and chair of United To Serve, welcomes back Jeremy Chance, D.D.S., who initiated United to Serve last year. As chair of the UT System Student Advisory Council, Chance persuaded the chancellor to adopt the project for all 15 UT System institutions. This year nearly 200 volunteers from the health science center and M. D. Anderson Cancer Center volunteered at eight Texas Medical Center institutions.