HOUSTON (May 4, 2023) – Join Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston’s Volunteer Houston on Friday, May 5, 2023, at City Hall Legacy Room, 901 Bagby St., Houston, TX 77002, at 11:00 am for the Second Annual Mayor’s Volunteer Appreciation Awards.
The annual awards ceremony recognizes the individual contributions of exemplary volunteers giving their time to support causes and organizations across the city of Houston. Mayor Sylvester Turner will confer awards in multiple categories.
“Volunteers are the heartbeat of so many service organizations in our city,” said Andréa R. Shiloh, Vice President of Volunteerism and Civic Service with Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, “their dedication and commitment propel causes to thrive and change to happen where it is needed most. It is an honor to take the time and celebrate the individuals and professionals who teach us the value of volunteerism through their efforts.”
The ceremony also highlights the work of organizations and professionals working in volunteer administration. Interfaith Ministries and Volunteer Houston, in partnership with United Way of Greater Houston will present the Houston Association of Volunteer Administrators’ (HAVA) prestigious Joan Waite Hanlon Memorial Award for outstanding professionalism in the field of volunteer management. Joan Waite Hanlon served as the Executive Director of the Voluntary Action Center of Houston/Harris County where she coordinated volunteers who served more than 220 nonprofit organizations.
“My mother was a trailblazer,” said Patti Hanlon Kent, “she raised five children, earned a graduate degree in social work, and very quickly started making waves. She made the connection between CEOs and service opportunities in the community introducing this idea of a corporate responsibility to serve. No one else was making those types of connections at the time.” Since 1979, the Joan Waite Hanlon Award has honored her leadership as well as recognized the commitment and abilities of professionals in the field.
Volunteer Houston is a program of Interfaith Ministries that connects individuals, groups, and companies with service opportunities at nonprofit agencies. Volunteer Houston promotes the transformative effects of volunteerism and is a part of IM’s Vic Samuels Center for Volunteerism and Civic Service, which establishes a positive and lasting impact on the Greater Houston community through organized service and leadership. For more information or to sign up, visit https://volunteerhouston.org.
Interfaith Ministries’ Volunteer Houston would like to thank United Way of Greater Houston and the Department of Neighborhoods for their partnership in highlighting the importance and impact of volunteerism in our community.
ABOUT INTERFAITH MINISTRIES FOR GREATER HOUSTON
A United Way partner, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston (Interfaith Ministries) brings people of diverse faith traditions together for dialogue, collaboration, and service as a demonstration of our shared beliefs. Interfaith Ministries provides four main services: Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston and Galveston County, which delivers more than 1.7 million meals each year to homebound seniors and people with disabilities across five counties; Refugee Services which, in conjunction with the U.S. State Department, resettles thousands of refugees in Houston; Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships, which provides community services fostering understanding, respect and engagement among Houstonians of all faiths; the Vic Samuels Center for Volunteerism and Civic Service, which establishes a positive and lasting impact on the Greater Houston community through organized service and leadership through Volunteer Houston and SERVE HOUSTON. For more information, visit https://www.imgh.org/.
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