Organizers of the volunteer effort proclaimed the event "100 percent successful." Because the group has received many requests from students and alumni who want to do it again, another public service day is planned during the spring.
After gathering at the LBJ School in the early morning to form teams, volunteers scattered throughout the city to their individual assignments. The agencies that received assistance and the services provided by each volunteer group are listed below.
AIDS Services of Austin--provided administrative support in the aftermath of AIDS Walkathon
City of Austin's Bike Austin Program--installed bike racks at various community centers
Habitat for Humanity Restore--helped rearrange a section of the organization's warehouse that contains materials used to build homes
La Peña--assisted the cultural organization in promoting a concert by Argentinean artist Mercedes Sosa
McKinney Falls State Park--conducted basic trail maintenance at two of the park's trails
Middle Earth Youth Options, Inc.--cleared trails at the Travis Audubon Society site with a group of Americorps volunteers and Middle Earth youth
Salvation Army--helped prepare lunch in the soup kitchen
Tree People--planted and identified trees at Stacy Park
United Austin for the Elderly, Inc.--shopped for groceries for elderly and disabled persons
National Wildflower Research Center--performed gardening and mulching tasks
This fall, CSO volunteers also assisted the Austin Humane Society at an "info-carnival." In addition to coordinating another public service day in the spring, the group plans to sponsor a blood drive and the annual alternative spring break in Galveston.
Public Service Day photo story
Mentoring Program
Thirty-nine LBJ School students are involved in a mentoring program with 160 Johnston High School students. The program is organized by the Life Skills/Education Awareness Program (LEAP) to assist disadvantaged students expand their horizons.
This fall, LEAP organized a field trip to UT Austin for 40 of the juniors and seniors participating in the program. "A lot of the students have not been out of East Austin," said LEAP Program Coordinator Juliane Baron, adding that the mentoring program provides opportunities for high school students to see that they have more than one option in life. During the field trip, the students attended undergraduate classes, ate at the Jester dorm cafeteria, and toured the campus.
Mentors also heard a talk this fall on school-to-work transition by representatives of the Capital Area Training Foundation. The foundation is trying to modernize what is being taught at the high schools, and the speakers asked mentors to be attentive to criticisms by high school students about outdated materials and other curriculum matters.
Cosponsored by the City of Austin Commission on Women, the event was called "Guiding Leaders into the 21st Century." To obtain high school participants, WIN asked each Austin area high school to nominate five female junior and senior students who represented the cultural, ethnic, and religious make-up of their school.
Speakers included the owners or directors of several management consulting firms as well as other local women in leadership roles. Among them were Sandra Castellanos, Trainer, the Castellanos Group; Martha Coniglio, Foundation for Women's Resources; Christina Delgadillo, Executive Director, Women's Political Caucus; Barbara Miller, Miller and Associates, Inc.; Justice BeAnn Smith, Third Court of Appeals; Staci Stewart, Tradewave, Inc.; and Jeanette Peaton, Executive Director, BIG.
Topics included time management, event planning, fundraising, budgeting, and leadership and interview skills.
Forty undergraduate students from universities in Texas and Louisiana participated in the conference and reception.
The program included a keynote address by Mark Alvarado, Public Interest Counsel with the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, who spoke about the benefits of pursuing a career in the public sector.
This year, the LBJ School Public Affairs Minority Liaison Committee selected the guest speaker, publicized the conference on the UT Austin campus, and welcomed the participants. LBJ School students and alumni acted as facilitators during four break-out sessions in the afternoon. The sessions allowed small groups to focus on such topics as the alumni perspective, student life, and joint degree programs.
The conference, entitled Careers in the Public Sector, was funded by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.
Comments to lbjwmast@uts.cc.utexas.edu