All SMHA resident initiatives provide opportunities for internships and community service. Our volunteers may be Texas State University students, members of religious and service organizations, residents, or simply local citizens who want to support our efforts. Service Coordinators work to connect residents to services available in the community. They oversee program activities at all of our housing sites. They also recruit and supervise volunteers to assist with SMHA Resident Services department programs and activities.
Volunteers and interns support our self-sufficiency and after-school programs at the Allen Woods, CM Allen, and Chapultepec Homes. Our after-school youth programs provide indirect support to parents who are either working or in school when their children come home from school. Volunteers are a critical part of these programs. Volunteers also support services to elderly and disabled residents at Springtown Villa and other housing sites.
We have several long-term volunteers, some of whom are residents. We also rely heavily on interns and volunteers from Texas State University. Each semester, we usually have 1 – 5 interns and 15 or more regular student volunteers from various degree programs (social work, sociology, psychology, family & consumer sciences, developmental & adult education, fine arts, health administration, recreation administration, and health & human performance). Many more volunteers come from various student groups on short-term assignments, often to support specific events.
We hold annual Volunteer Appreciation events to recognize resident and non-resident volunteers who sacrifice their time and energy in support of SMHA Resident Services operations.
If you are interested in volunteering at the SMHA, contact the Resident Services office at 512-396-3364 for more information or email us at: maribel@smpha.org.
Maria Calcaben, our Senior Service Coordinator for Allen Woods and Springtown Villa, joins Gene Martin, Resident Services Director, in presenting the Volunteer of the Year award to Pablo Gomez at our Volunteer Appreciation Banquet in 2019.
Pablo has been the Volunteer of the Year several times over the past decade. He is a resident of the Allen Woods Homes. He helped keep the PODER Learning Center clean and helped serve food to the kids in the after-school program. He was part of the lives of many kids who benefited from his reliable service and his laughter.
