Schreiner freshmen know that they’ll be expected to give at least five hours of their time to community service, but many had already made volunteerism a habit before they got here.

“This idea of service is so important to us,” says Peg Layton, Schreiner’s vice president for enrollment and student services. “In fact, service is part of our mission, as it should be for a faith-based university.”

Layton and her student services staff are very much involved with student volunteerism, and it begins for Schreiner students the very first semester.“Whether our students are from this area or coming to us from another area, we work with them to find an opportunity closely related to their interest,” says Layton.

Over the last four years, Layton, her staff and student volunteers have created S.C.O.P.—Schreiner Community Outreach Program. Schreiner student Kelly Uhlenhaker is the student coordinator of S.C.O.P. “We assist students in locating the right non-profit agency for them, and help arrange dates and time for volunteering. We are aware of the groups in need of volunteers.” Kelly herself volunteers for the American Cancer Society.

Students at Schreiner volunteer their time and creative energy for all kinds of reasons, and many of them are understandably reluctant to describe themselves as special people—but they are. Here are some of their stories.

Jennifer Farhoudi came to Schreiner from Boulder, Colorado, and volunteers as a Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters whose mission is “to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with measurable impact.” She also recently volunteered with Team In Training (TNT), a group that raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and raised $2,300 for them by participating in the Austin Freescale Marathon. Jennifer sparkles with enthusiasm as she describes her role as a Big Sister. “Big Brothers Big Sisters has been such a great experience—although, I have so much fun with my little sister it is hard to see it as volunteering! My little sis’s name is Destiny. She is eight years old and an absolute blast to hang out with! We usually go out for dinner and then either play a board game, play outside, or sometimes just talk. I hope the relationship that we are developing is one that she will carry with her throughout her life. I know that our friendship has really meant a lot to me.”

What does Jennifer receive from her investment of time, energy and caring? She tells us that it has been a major life lesson. “The most valuable lesson I have learned from my time as a Big Sister is that kids don’t need you to spend money on them; they just need you to spend time with them.”

Asked to describe her role with the Team in Training project, Jennifer remembers, “It was awesome to know that I was helping to raise much needed money for cancer research, patient services, education, and advocacy. I ran the Freescale Marathon in honor of a nine-year old girl named Sarah, who had infantile leukemia when she was less than a year old, but survived and has been in remission for five years, thanks to the medical advances that have been made in the fight against cancer. For me, Sarah put a very real face on a fight that thousands of children around the country are currently facing. Less than 40 years ago, a child diagnosed with leukemia had less than a 4 percent chance of survival. Today a child diagnosed with leukemia has an 85 percent chance of survival thanks to the research funded by people involved in projects like Team In Training.” Jennifer plans to volunteer with TNT again in October, and she will run in the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco with her mother, a pediatric anesthesiologist who treats children with leukemia.

Amanda Weatherford hails from Cerrillos, New Mexico, and Kerrville. From age 12 to 17, she participated annually in Teen Missions International, traveling to countries such as Honduras, Belize, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Israel, the Philippines, and India.

> pictured > Colwyn Dunlap (center) and Amanda Weatherford (right) prepare meals for the homeless on a recent New Mexico service trip.

These were summer-long trips where teens from all over the U.S. and Canada got together and labored on building projects in the communities of the country they chose. Amanda helped in making pathways through the rainforest connecting two villages, landscaping public buildings, building a church, a school, a security wall, and a septic tank, and filming a documentary on AIDS orphans in Mozambique. She recalls that “during the weekends we would share God’s love with the villagers through puppets, music, and dramas.”

At the age of 18, Amanda became a year-long Rotary Exchange student to Thailand. After hearing about the tragedy that struck in that area because of the tsunami, she was heart-broken. Amanda took action. “I had a vision to have a fundraiser on campus to benefit this cause. Three organizations joined in, and we made chocolate truffles and sold them. Our profit was $400 toward the tsunami relief, and I am so happy to have worked hard to help ‘my people’ in Southeast Asia.” Asked to describe her reasons for volunteering, she responded, “I hope I have given the people I helped at least a smile, or made their life more spiritually rich in some way. To nourish someone else is to nourish myself. I hope to keep on volunteering, traveling, learning about the fascinating cultures of the world, and using my talents in some way to give back to others what the world has given to me.”

Emily Conn’s hometown is Houston, Texas. She has been involved as a teaching aide working with children who have developmental delays, has worked in many different ways through Schreiner’s Campus Ministry, and has just finished working on a production that benefitted Kerrville’s Special Opportunity Center. She enjoys working with children, and says, “As a teaching aide I have helped build language skills in students who would normally have come to school unable to talk. Through volunteering I’ve learned how to be patient with myself and with other people. I’ve also discovered that sometimes a person must just say ‘enough is enough,’ and be firm with others in helping them deal with whatever is troubling them.”

Kasie Walker is from Sherman, Texas, and is involved with NIKE (a club for high school junior and senior girls to get together and help provide some of the essentials women in the local women’s shelters need), Diamond Darlings, Sunday School, the Juvenile Alternative Youth Council, as a Learning Support Services note taker, Best Buddies, and an SU Annual Phonathon caller. Asked how she manages all this volunteer work along with her studies, Kasie commented, “I’ve learned that community service doesn’t always have to be ‘work.’ I sincerely feel that it isn’t work, but a duty that everyone capable of doing should fulfill. What would the world be
like without volunteers or donations? It wouldn’t be much of a world.”

“I think the most rewarding part of my community service would be my participation in NIKE. As a member in NIKE, I was involved in preparing Easter baskets for children, preparing baby baskets when babies were born in the center, hosting a Haunted House for kids at the Boys and Girls Club and much more.”

“I’ve learned that no matter how rich a person is, or how nice their clothes are, they can still be less fortunate than others. The chance to volunteer really opened my eyes to see how privileged I really am. Something about the friendships gained and the feeling you get when volunteering makes it more profitable than any job that pays money.”

Emily Edmondson is a freshman from Georgetown, Texas, and says, “I have been volunteering all of my life. I can remember when I was six and I would go help my grandma in the nursing home during the summer. We would help with snack time for the residents of the home. I was also in Girl Scouts from first grade all the way through my senior year of high school where I did many different volunteer activities. I was also involved with my youth group at my church back home. There, we did many things like mission trips and paint houses in poorer neighborhoods in town for the day. Now I help at Ingram Elementary where I mentor about 12 kids ranging from first grade through fifth.”

Emily believes that she has made a major difference in the lives of some of the children she has touched through her work. “Some of the kids that I read with do not have a very good home life and their parents do not read with them. I try to be a person they find easy to talk to, and I believe that has made a world of a difference. I have learned not to take anything for granted. While feeding the homeless, I realized how lucky and fortunate I am to have everything that I have. Also working with the kids, I have learned that you should be thankful for your parents because not everybody is fortunate to come from a loving home like I have.”

Greg Kirkham is from League City, Texas, where as an Eagle Scout he planned, organized, and delivered over 100 emergency preparedness kits in advance of hurricane season to senior citizens through a community outreach program. He then led his fellow Scouts in the collection of donated goods from area churches and businesses, packaging the items in kits, and delivering them to a community agency. Greg says, “Since I’ve been at Schreiner, our Eco-Terra organization has done several programs, such as start recycling and several beautification projects. Just this month the Eco-Terra Club planted redbud trees at the Union Church. I’ve learned that giving back to the community you live in makes the community a better place. By doing things with the Eco-Terra Club to help the environment, we are making the world a better place for future generations.”

Asked what he has learned from his volunteer work, Greg says, “I’ve learned that when you volunteer, the reward isn’t monetary; the reward is in the smiles you get from the people you are helping. Those smiles are worth more than money. I hope to continue being an active member of Eco-Terra. If we all do a small part to help the community, the job each person has to do isn’t that large at all.”

Jeremiah Parsons is another student volunteer from Kerrville who works with animals at the Humane Society in Ingram and also mentors at the Ingram Elementary School. He is very involved with S.C.O.P. (Student Community Outreach Program) and is a member of the Honors Program. He takes notes for Learning Support Services students which he feels helps with his own studies. His motivation for helping others is straightforward: “I’ve learned to love above all else because if you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it. With love you learn patience and develop the feeling of ownership for the things you do. I always help when I can, in the community of Kerrville and at Schreiner. I have an outgoing personality, and my commitment to what I do affects the way people feel about themselves and the things around them. I know I have made a difference in the lives I’ve encountered.”Jeremiah plans to stay involved in community projects and to help on projects around campus as they develop. He will continue to mentor and volunteer at the Humane Society, and would also like to get involved in tutoring on campus.

Matt Walden is a senior from Lubbock, Texas, who mentors and works with the physical education department at Ingram Elementary. When he first moved to Kerrville, he wasn’t involved in any kind of volunteer work, although in Lubbock he had been a volunteer soccer coach for an under-8 soccer team called the Alligators. Then something changed for Matt. “When God came into my life, I started to realize that happiness came through others and Him. I feel that I am able to carry a message of hope to the children I read to and work with. The reason I volunteer is that I feel that my experiences and new outlook allows others to see that people do care about them. I hope that I have instilled a sense of belonging and love in their hearts and souls. They have done more for me than they will ever know. Even though it was my time and effort freely given to them, I received the gift of a life filled with hope and faith. Not only have I made friendships with many children, my goal was to leave their world a little better than it was when I got there. For that, I am grateful.”

As for lessons learned from his new-found commitment to others, Matt said, “I’ve learned that you must give love to receive love. Comfort the uncomfortable. Help the helpless, and give hope to the hopeless. This may sound like a cliche, but trust me, the more time and energy I donate to others, the less I worry about my problems. Smiles are contagious; if a child smiles at you it is impossible not to smile back.” Matt plans to coach again and will continue to be involved in the local elementary schools and possibly junior high and high schools. He would also like to do some Habitat for Humanity work.

Elizabeth Boulware is a freshman from Saginaw, Texas, where she worked with Habitat for Humanity and co-initiated the sponsorship of a house by her high school. She successfully raised $45,000 to build a house for a young mother who plans to become a teacher. For this and other contributions to Habitat for Humanity in her home community, Elizabeth was recently given the Golden Hammer Award, a prestigious and rarely awarded recognition of exceptional service to others. She also enjoys working with children through various activities sponsored by her church. When asked about her plans for the future, Elizabeth says, “I’ve learned that the smallest thing you can do sometimes makes the biggest difference. Volunteering is something I feel is part of life. Those who are fortunate should help to give to those who are struggling. I enjoy working with the people I am helping. I hope to continue to be involved in service projects that allow me to work side by side with people. I would like to see more students giving back to the community, and would really enjoy seeing Schreiner work with Habitat for Humanity more.”

Colwyn Dunlap is from Kerrville, and volunteers primarily in schools and church. Colwyn feels that he has a special gift for comforting others, and commented “I like trying to help the discomfort leave, and have been able to do so on quite a few occasions. I’ve also learned that regardless of what I can say to others, people follow their own consciences, and there’s only so much one can do.” In the future Colwyn plans to keep volunteering, mainly teaching children how to read and write for themselves, and doing what he can when asked for help.

If you believe that you reap what you sow, the future looks very promising for these Schreiner students and hundreds of their fellow Schreiner University students.