April 10 – 16 is Volunteer Appreciation Week, and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank Montrose Counseling Center’s dedicated group of volunteers for everything they do to help us improve quality of life for Houston’s GLBT communities. Our talented volunteers participate in a variety of activities: facilitating weekly HATCH meetings, answering calls on Gay & Lesbian Switchboard Houston, participating in HIV prevention, completing clerical tasks in the office, etc. We simply could not have impacted more than 35,000 lives last year without their help.
Board Member Angela Young volunteers here because of our loyal dedication to Houston’s GLBT communities. “MCC is one of the last organizations to stay true to its mission to serve Houston’s GLBT communities, and I feel honored to be able to help in its successful continuation,” she says.
Lead Volunteer Paul Allen enjoys the comradery that comes from interacting with his fellow volunteers. “I volunteer for MCC in particular because of the wide variety of services they provide to so many people in our community,” he says.
“Our volunteers come to us for a variety of reasons, with a variety of talents, and we’re happy to have them all,” says Community Projects Specialist Meleah Jones, who currently oversees the volunteer program. “We have some volunteers who are here every week, and others who I see once a year at a certain event.” One of those opportunities is coming up later this month when we will send a team to help out at Bunnies on the Bayou. MCC welcomes volunteers to get as involved with us as their schedules and interests allow.
During the last two years, MCC’s volunteer base has more than tripled, and more and more often, professionals are coming to us to engage in specialized work that utilizes their talents. Already, our volunteers have allowed us to expand programming to include case management for clients not covered by strict grant requirements and to staff daily Cyber Center shifts in the free computer lab in the GLBT Cultural Center on our 1st Floor.
“This is a real growth period for MCC, and we are excited that we are now in a place where we are in need of a part-time staff member to take over the program,” Jones says, “It’s exciting to imagine the possibilities our volunteers may bring us in the future!”
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please submit a volunteer application. We look forward to having you on the MCC team!