Resources and Events

• Civic Engagement and Literacy Resource Library
  The Community Involvement Center offers a library with over 600 resources available for several purposes: adult tutoring, English as a Second Language (ESL) tutoring, youth tutoring, mentoring, social issues, community gardening, craft activities for children, service-learning, student leadership, and directories of non-profit organizations.  Most of these resources may be checked out and students may keep materials for up to one semester.
  
  
• Database of Local Service Opportunities
  Although there are several campus-affiliated programs though which students may volunteer, many students choose to serve independently or to meet a class requirement. To serve these students, the Community Involvement Center maintains a database of local non-profit organizations.  The database contains hundreds of agencies and can be searched by a variety of criteria, including proximity to campus and the social issue addressed.  Printed search results provide users with the name and mission of the agency, the volunteer positions available, who to contact for more information, how far the site is from Rice, the minimum time commitment, and the responsibilities, expectations, and training required.
  
  
• Listing of Year of Service Programs
  To be added soon.
  Year of Service programs allow students to volunteer in the community for extended periods of time, typically one year, but the term of service can be as short as ten months and as long as two years.  Many people are aware of some organizations, such as AmeriCorps, Teach for America, Peace Corps, and Jesuit Volunteer Corps, but there are many more that are not as well known, such as Dominican Volunteers, IndiCorps, and Mercy Corps.  Opportunities exist throughout the United State and abroad, and each program offers its own unique focus on service, whether it be through the issue address, a faith-based approach, or a specific population served.
  
  
• NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
  Since 1990, Rice University has periodically displayed panels of the the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt as part of a World AIDS Day (December 1) commemoration or Sexual Health Awareness Week.  The Quilt is the largest on-going community arts project in the world.  Each of the over 42,960 colorful panels in the Quilt was made to remember the life of a person lost to AIDS.  In recent years, the Community Involvement Center has assisted a student planning committee in offering a wide range of programming throughout the week that emphasizes advocacy, direct service, and education around the local and global issues of HIV and AIDS.
  
  
• GIVE-A-HOOT E-mail Newsletter
  GIVE-A-HOOT is the e-mail newsletter of the Community Involvement Center and is an effective, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly means of announcing community service opportunities to the Rice community. The publication reports campus-affiliated service programs, short-term or one-time local volunteer opportunities, internships and jobs in the social service field, and announcements related to social service and volunteerism.
  
  
• Care Packages for Students, Faculty, and Staff
  The Community Involvement Center organizes the sale and distribution of four Care Packages each year for delivery to your special student, faculty, or staff member. Order yours today to:
  
  • Give your student a little love and support throughout the year;
  • Thank a student employee for their hard work and dedication to a project;
  • Recognize the efforts of the staff you supervise;
  • Congratulate a graduate student on reaching a significant milestone in her or his research; or
  • Show your appreciation to a staff member that goes "above and beyond the call of duty" in your residential college.
    
  
  
• Approved Third-Party Providers of International Service Programs
  In order to facilitate the involvement of students in international volunteer work, the Community Involvement Center maintains a listing of approved third-party providers. This list is maintained primarily for those students participating in the Loewenstern Fellowships, but is a resource to for all students and student organizations interested in service abroad. A collaborative approval process is in development between the Office of International Programs and the Community Involvement Center for those that wish to work with other providers or establish their own programs. Once finalized, information on the process will be provided to students through the web sites of the Office of International Program, the Community Involvement Center, and the Office of Student Activities.
  
  
• Volunteering Without a Car In Houston
  To help students navigate Houston’s non-profit world, the Community Involvement Center has mapped over eighty organizations from our database of local non-profit agencies, as well as the METRORail and bus routes that run along the outer loop of campus, on a Google map.

Community Involvement Center6100 Main MS-200, Houston, Texas 77005-1827       Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1892, MS-200, Houston, Texas 77251-1892

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