HOUSTON (May 5, 2023) – Join Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston’s Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships (IRCP) on Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 4:00 PM, at 3303 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002 for the 2023 iLead Youth Engagement Program graduation. The graduation celebrates 12 middle school students completing a semester-long leadership program comprised of interactive learning opportunities and service projects.

City of Houston Councilmember Abbie Kamin will be in attendance sharing a congratulatory message for the graduates. Guests will enjoy light refreshments, snacks, and photo opportunities following the formal program.

The iLead Youth Engagement Program connects 8th grade students and a parent or guardian with hands-on opportunities to serve, collaborate, and engage in dialogue with topics spanning diversity, allyship, and volunteerism. The iLead experience equips students and parents with the tools they need to make an impact in their communities while improving communication skills and strengthening their relationship. It is part of IM’s Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships (IRCP) programming which works to initiate interfaith dialogue sparking conversations that foster a more inclusive approach to creating community.

“Watching our students grow and expand their worldview over such a short period of time is a testament to what allyship work can do,” said Gayla A. Wilson, Community Engagement Program Manager for IRCP with Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, “the program equips

participants to take this learning back to their communities and spark change among their peers.”

The 2023 iLead Youth Engagement Program is presented by lead sponsor CITGO Petroleum Corporation. Interfaith Ministries would also like to thank the Rabbi Samuel E. Karff Memorial Fund and a local philanthropic couple for their support of iLead.

iLead will begin accepting applications in the fall for the 2024 class. Visit https://www.imgh.org/ilead-program/ or contact Gayla A. Wilson at gwilson@imgh.org for more information or to sponsor next year’s program.

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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