The Community Leadership Institute at Lone Star College System, directed by Cathy Owen, oversees four leadership programs whose members perform various community service projects in March.
As part of these projects, the leadership class participants reach out to various non-profit groups in the community and perform tasks that assist the organizations and individuals.
The CLI programs at LSCS include Leadership High School - Montgomery County, Leadership High School - North Houston, Collegiate Leadership Institute and Leadership North Houston.
Leadership High School - Montgomery County
On March 7, about 15 LHS-Montgomery students participated with Interfaith of The Woodlands and 150 young adults for its Serving our Seniors Day. Members of the 2008-2009 leadership group were assigned to help an elderly lady move things from her garage to attic, wash windows and generally clean the outside of the her house. The students reported that they felt rewarded for their efforts in accomplishing these simple tasks for the homeowner that she could no longer perform.
Leadership High School - North Houston
About 40 LHS-North Houston students worked at the Northwest Assistance Ministries 1960 ReSale Shop on Saturday, March 7. The store manager assigned the students to various tasks that included sorting donations, cleaning the parking lot, dusting shelves, and rearranging products and clothing in the store. The students celebrated their successful community service day later with a pizza lunch.
Collegiate Leadership Institute
On March 20, students from CLI worked with New Horizons for their community service project as New Horizons prepared for a fund-raising gala. In about three hours the students had transformed the entry of the East Montgomery County Improvement District foyer into a celebration gala scene that rivaled any elaborate fund-raising event.
New Horizons is a non-profit service organization that assists the physically challenged. Sherry Lemley, executive director of New Horizons, thanked the CLI students, and said they had accomplished in a few hours of decorating what normally in years past had taken the group eight hours or more.
Leadership North Houston
LNH members chose Humble Area Assistance Ministries, a non-profit organization that provides training and social services for underserved and low-income families, as their 2008-2009 community service project. On March 28, the class members organized and assembled materials, supplies and curriculum to provide sessions on how to improve financial skills and manage money. The sessions, which were facilitated by LNH members, were divided by age appropriate groups and were attended by area adults, middle school students and younger children.
Lunch was donated by Chick-Fil-A for the LNH class and participants from HAAM's client base. Another group of LNH class members purchased supplies to build and paint two three-shelf bookcases needed to store toys, books and games for HAAM's pre-school area.
The class was also able to donate about 100 books, games and toys due to generous donations from individuals in the class and Greenspoint Mall.
Lone Star College System consists of five colleges, including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, and LSC-Tomball, six centers and Lone Star College-University Center. With more than 50,000 students in credit classes this spring, LSCS is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and third largest community college system in Texas. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.
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