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RSVP stands for the Rice Student
Volunteer Program. The organization was established in the Fall
of 1985 by a group of students who wanted to create a community
service liason between Rice University and the Houston community.
Since then, RSVP has taken on various roles in promoting community
service; it provides support to campus-based student service
groups, and informs students about local, national, and international
social service opportunities. RSVP functions as a programming
board that organizes campus-wide educational awareness and service
opportunities for the Rice community. Included in the many activities
that RSVP promotes, students volunteer to mentor and teach youth,
work in homeless shelters, organize clothing and food drives,
work in environmental preservation, build wheel chair ramps
for the elderly and work in Houston area museums and hospitals.
RSVP and all of its events are open to all members of the Rice
community.
Our Mission: By heightening student awareness, increasing
community involvement, and raising social consciousness, we
commit ourselves to understanding and meeting the needs of
the community through direct, thoughtful action.
This year, RSVP underwent substantial changes to its structure:
we are now working under a committee system that includes
the five areas of community service (health issues, education,
children, the environment, and hunger & homelessness)
and one other committee for publicity and fundraising. Each
month, RSVP has focused on one particular area of community
service. As we have striven to educate the Rice community
about the issues concerning the topic, we have sponsored speakers
and other "awareness" programs. Also, each month,
one committee has organized a major volunteer opportunity
for the campus. In addition to these large projects, each
committee has sponsored ongoing activities for the entire
year.
RSVP is a non-for-profit, student-run organization whose
primary income is from a $2 fee collected from each student
at the beginning of the year. We always have use for additional
funds, and gladly accept donations. |
