SAAFE House – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

City Fellows Interns Showcase a Summer of Growth Through Final Presentations

After a summer of serving local government and nonprofit organizations throughout the Huntsville community, interns in the Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics (LEAP) at Sam Houston State University concluded the City Fellows Internship Program by presenting their experiences to supervisors, mentors, and fellow interns.

The presentations highlighted not only the projects each student completed, but also the personal and professional growth that occurred throughout the semester. Participating interns included Elizabeth Werts (Fort Bend District Clerk’s office)…

…Brittlyn Jackson (Huntsville Main Street)…

…Estrella Morales-Garcia (Wynne Home Arts and Visitor Center)…

…Tania Ramirez (Huntsville Parks and Leisure)…

…Allie Plunk (who completed internships with both The Altom Group and Old Town Theatre)…

…and Christine James (SAAFE House).

The event was well attended by many of the students’ supervisors and community partners, demonstrating the strong relationships that make the City Fellows program successful. Among those in attendance were Kristy Wheeler and Penny Joiner from Huntsville Parks and Leisure; Amanda Sewell and Olivia McCaughan from Main Street Huntsville; Angela Robinson from the Wynne Home Arts and Visitor Center; Tracy Stoudt and Colleen Garza from SAAFE House; and Marshall Altom of The Altom Group. Also attending were Brian Beasley, Assistant City Manager for the City of Huntsville, and Sandra Rodriguez, Human Resources Coordinator for the City.

Each presentation focused on a significant project completed during the internship. Indeed, this is one key aspect of the City Fellows program: the internships are project based. For Tania Ramirez in Parks, for example, that included coming up with activities for the City’s July 4th celebration and its accompanying parade (where the Parks department one the Spirit Award). The students also discussed the challenges encountered and the lessons learned along the way. Several students admitted they were initially nervous about speaking before an audience, with nearly half acknowledging that public presentations pushed them well outside their comfort zones. By the end of the program, however, each intern confidently shared the accomplishments of the summer and reflected on the skills they had developed.

Many of the students discussed overcoming personal limitations, whether it was learning unfamiliar office software, adapting to a professional workplace, or building confidence in communicating with coworkers and the public. Their stories illustrated that internships provide far more than workplace experience—they foster resilience, adaptability, and self-confidence.

One theme echoed by every presenter was a newfound appreciation for local government and community organizations. Whether engaging in the day-to-day work of the organization or through one of the City Fellows’ tours, the interns gained a better understanding of how many moving parts exist in local government and how each component has to have dedicated staff behind their mission.

It was, of course, icing on the cake to have many of those dedicated staff in the room while the presentations were being conducted, and the LEAP Center remains grateful to the City of Huntsville, SAAFE House, The Altom Group, the Old Town Theatre, and the Fort Bend County Clerk’s Office for providing students with rich opportunities.

A MASH Wrapup

As Christmas approaches, some children will find more gifts under their trees thanks to KSAM’s annual Make A Smile Happen (M*A*S*H*) event, which works with local community volunteers (i.e., the LEAP Ambassadors) to collect toys, food, pet supplies, and necessities for families in need.

For the sixth year, LEAP students assisted with the event, covering 21 hours of shifts, participating in “sign and wave…”

LEAP Students with HISD Asst Superintendent Paul Trevino

…help with unloading vehicles…

…and organizing, sorting, and counting items donated…

…doing some radio interviews…

…while also having fun with social media to help advertise the event.

Over the course of a cold and rainy day, this led to a lot of fun, spurred on by a lot of generosity by sponsors and local residents. Indeed, the community’s generosity kept LEAP students busy and resulted in full tents!

Over the course of the two days KSAM’s event generated 1,628 food items, 1,057 toys (including what was probably a record number of bikes!), 300 pounds of pet food, and $6,149 in cash.

These items were distributed to local non-profits and government agencies, including Santa’s Helpers, Boys & Girls Club of Walker County, CASA of Walker County, HISD, Good Shepherd Mission, Rita B. Huff Animal Adoption Center, and the SAAFE House.

Thanks to KSAM for spearheading this event for the 19th year and for asking the LEAP students to assist with a worthy cause.

LEAP Students Help to Make Smiles Happen!

by Olivia Discon

One of LEAP’s most rewarding acts of volunteerism is the annual donation drive hosted by Huntsville’s local radio station, KSAM. Named after the iconic 1980’s television show, M*A*S*H* allows the Huntsville community to Make A Smile Happen!

For this holiday drive, community members are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items, pet food, children’s toys and games, and monetary gifts.

In turn, KSAM distributes these items to key local non-profits and community organizations, including Boys and Girls Club of Walker County, SAAFE House, CASA of Walker County, Huntsville Independent School District, Good Shepard Mission, Santa’s Helpers, and Rita B. Huff Humane Society of Walker County.

This drive occurs on December 4 and December 5 (and if you’re reading this December 5, 2024–yes, you can donate today!) KSAM gathers the donations amidst a live radio broadcast in the HEB parking lot (look for the military–M*A*S*H*-themed–tents).

LEAP students always enjoy participating in this event, and this year was no exception! Despite the cold weather and rainfall, the students were invigorated with the spirit of giving this year, with many of us soliciting donations by holding out signs for the passersby–despite the less-than-ideal weather.

And although it took some of us longer to get into the spirit…

…I was warmed (metaphorically) by this particular group’s enthusiasm. From Niya and Timi’s inventive cheers, Cinthia’s sign spinning skills, Michelle serving as LEAP’s cheerleader, to the sheer number of honks Victoria and Yajaira were able to elicit from passing truckers, the vivacity of the students on a gloomy day was inspiring and encouraging.

We also assisted the generous people who made donations throughout the day by collecting items from their cars…

…and sorting them into designated piles.

We were happy to see some friendly and familiar faces such as Dr. Bill Hyman…

…Shannon Hollis, Eric Fugate, and Mac and Leanne Woodward.

Their generosity goes without saying, but each of their continued contributions to M*A*S*H* extend to their investment to support the Huntsville community.

Cinthia, who has been ever-improving in her radio-communication skills, took a go at a live interview with KSAM’s Glenn Edwards. She did a tell-all discussion on her studies, volunteerism, and Christmas.

While we can’t yet speak to the final contributions, we ended day one having collected 599 toys, 230 food items, and more than 100 pounds of pet food.

We are optimistic that the Huntsville community will come through with even more contributions on the second day of the event.

In all, making smiles happen for a day was an especially rewarding experience. We greatly appreciate all of the volunteers who came out and to KSAM for organizing an all-encompassing and thoroughly enjoyable community event.

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