Cauldron

Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Misbah Mohammed Best Buddies is an organization that pairs students with people with mental disabilities. It is one of several volunteer opportunities on campus.

The Office of Volunteer Opportunities has been helping students, faculty, staff and alumni give back to the community since its establishment in 1991, by offering one-time and ongoing volunteer projects to interested parties.

OVO Director Ellie Collier said that volunteering can have a powerful impact on those who need assistance as well as those who give their time. "I think everyone is aware of the power of volunteerism - the power to change a life, to help a nonprofit agency achieve its mission, to address serious problems in the community and in the world," Collier said. "What we forget sometimes is how much we, as volunteers, are empowered by the experience."

Junior Spanish and psychology major Misbah Mohammed is president of the UST chapter of Best Buddies, an organization that pairs volunteers with people who suffer from intellectual disabilities to foster one-on-one friendships. "The organization is rapidly growing," Mohammed said. "It's very exciting and a very good thing."

The organization held a matching party on Oct. 6 for volunteers to meet their buddies. Sophomore communication and philosophy major Leslie Fiedler said she had fun at the party.

"I loved meeting my best buddy and other buddies as well," Fiedler said. "Even though you are assigned to one best buddy, you can still become friends with all of them."

Fiedler said she joined Best Buddies this year because her cousin has autism, and she looks for ways to help people who have mental disabilities, to learn more about how they act and think. "I don't find it hard to work with people with disabilities at all," she said. "They are just like the rest of us, plus they love the extra attention." She said the people they work with each have their own unique qualities. "My best buddy is so caring, plus she even has a boyfriend," she said.

In August, freshman Phi Dinh volunteered as part of her work for the Odyssey class during orientation. Dinh and about eight other UST students helped with a car wash fund-raiser for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. "I enjoyed it because it was a great way to make new friends," Dinh said. "We were staying active, and we were helping people while still having fun." She said the service inspired her to continue volunteering. "I can't wait to do more."

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