The UHL program and its students believe strongly in an ethic of volunteerism and service to the community. One of the best reflections of this commitment is the Mercy Housing Initiative, a volunteer program that was created and undertaken by the UHL students beginning in September 2011.
Mercy Housing is a national organization with a nonprofit arm that offers affordable, program-enriched housing to those in need. UHL students volunteer at the Grace Apartments of Denver, which is one of the many properties operated by Mercy Housing. The Grace Apartments offer housing that is directed mainly at newly arrived refugee families, who come from all over the world. UHL students volunteer in the children’s afterschool programming that is offered to Grace Apartments residents ages 8 to 18. The students help out with the Tuesday afternoon homework help sessions as well as the Wednesday afternoon free-time activities.
The children whose families live at Grace Apartments are refugees from countries as diverse as Burma, Bhutan, Sudan, and Burundi, among many others. The afterschool programs offered to them help to form and strengthen their English skills, their self-esteem and self-confidence, their treatment of others, and their knowledge of Colorado, the U.S., and the world. From September to November, UHL students planned and led various activities for the children of Grace Apartments, as well as assisting in preplanned events, some of which are presented below.* UHL volunteers are also continuing to assist at Grace during the spring 2012 semester. They help out weekly with the afterschool programs, which are offered Monday through Thursday.
If you are interested in volunteering with the Mercy Housing Initiative, please contact Ingrid Hoff at (303)-556-5297 or at
uhl@ucdenver.edu.
*Due to privacy issues, photographs of the children will not be displayed on this website.