Volunteering Without a Car in Houston
Carpools and the METRORail help many car-less students serve in programs advised by the Community Involvement Center, but did you know just how many agencies are accessible by public transit?
To help you navigate Houston’s non-profit world, the Community Involvement Center has mapped over eighty agencies from our database as well as the METRORail and bus routes that run along the outer loop.
When serving with agencies…
- Call ahead. Although visiting websites is helpful, the best way to know whether or not an agency would welcome help on a particular day is to ask a volunteer coordinator directly.
- Bring a friend or group. Instead of being limited by seatbelts, you will only be limited by the number of volunteers an agency can manage - call ahead to find out!
Public Transportation Reminders:
- Always check bus schedules online, and keep in mind weekdays and weekends might have different schedules. Visit http://www.ridemetro.org, and in the website’s top margin, find Trip Planner → Schedules. Enter your bus route number (see map).
- Go to the bus stop early. Less traveled bus routes drastically reduce the number of buses they run during non-rush-hour times. Traffic construction, weather, and individual bus drivers can easily alter a bus schedule. Arriving ten minutes ahead of schedule could prevent you from missing an early bus, and in some cases save you an extra hour of waiting. Bring some light reading.
- Bring your Q-card or Metro Money Card, or you may face a heavy fine. Each fall new students automatically receive a Metro Money Card - a $10 value - from their College Coordinator. Current and returning students who wish to use the METRO can take advantage of the free METRO Q Cards that are available at no charge to undergraduate students from the Cashier's Office in the Allen Center. One-fare tickets cost $1.25.
- Be aware of your surroundings – learn your route so you can focus on what’s going on around you. Take steps to arrive at your destination safely and on time.
Coming Soon:
- Agencies organized by issue addressed
- New maps
Please send criticism, suggestions, and corrections to khanley@rice.edu.
Thank you!
For other ways to go beyond the hedges, visit http://www.rice.edu/passport.
Map of Agencies: A to C
- Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse
- AIDS Foundation
- Avalon Academy
- Avenue Community Development Corporation
- The Beacon: Cathedral Health & Outreach Ministries
- Bread of Life, Inc.
- Career and Recovery Resources
- Center for Survivors of Torture
- Children’s Assessment Center
- Children’s Museum of Houston
- CHRISTUS Health: St. Joseph Hospital
- Christus Visiting Nurses Association of Houston
- City Wide Clubs
- Coalition For The Homeless
- COLLAGE: The Art for Cancer Network
- Communities in Schools Houston (CIS)
- Community Artists’ Collective
- COMPASS
- Contemporary Arts Museum
- Covenant House Texas
Map of Agencies: D to H
- DePelchin Children’s Center
- East Side Village Community Learning Center (ESVCLC)
- Emergency Aid Coalition
- End Hunger Network
- Families Under Urban and Social Attack (FUUSA)
- Family Services of Greater Houston
- Greater Houston Partnership
- Guild Shop
- Harris County Medical Society
- Heights Outreach Task, Inc.
- Holocaust Museum Houston
- Houston Achievement Place
- Houston Area Urban League
- Houston Citizens Chamber Of Commerce, Inc.
- Houston Council On Alcoholism & Drug Abuse
- Houston Grand Opera
- Houston Greeters
- Houston Hispanic Chamber Of Commerce
- Houston Lawyer Referral Service, Inc.
- Houston Public Library
Map of Agencies: I to R
- Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston
- Interfaith Worker Justice
- John S. Dunn Center
- Larkin Street Community Center
- Latino Learning Center
- Lawndale Art Center
- Lone Star Legal Aid
- Lord of the Streets
- Loving Arms Foundation
- Lulac National Educational Service Center, Inc.
- Make-a-Wish Foundation of the Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana
- Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority (MHMRA)
- Montrose Clinic
- Multicultural Education and Counseling through Art (MECA)
- Muscular Dystrophy Association
- Museum of Health and Medical Science
- Music for Healing and Transition Program, The
- NAACP - Houston Branch
- Nehemiah Center, The
- Parents Anonymous Of Houston, Inc.
- Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas
- Reasoning Mind, Inc.
Map of Agencies: S to Z
- Salvation Army Boys and Girls Culbs of Metropolitan Houston, The - Northwest Branch
- Salvation Army William Booth Garden Apartments
- San Jose Clinic
- SEARCH Homeless Services
- Shalom Zone Ministries
- Small Steps Nurturing Center
- Society for the Performing Arts (SPA)
- Student Conservation Association (SCA)
- Ten Thousand Villages
- Texas Accountants And Lawyers For The Arts
- United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast
- Upward Bound
- Victim’s Assistance Center
- Victory Family Outreach Ministries
- Wesley Community Center, Inc.
- West University Senior Services
- Women’s Home, The
- YES College Preparatory Schools
- YMCA, Downtown