GEO Reentry’s Leidel Residential Reentry Center received the President’s Volunteer Service Award in recognition of its volunteer efforts at a Houston-area food bank. The honor included a presidential letter and certificate from the White House.
The center received the President’s Volunteer Service Award after it was nominated by the Houston Food Bank, the largest food bank in southeast Texas, serving 18 counties and approximately 800,000 individuals each year.
For more than two years, a rotating group of Leidel RRC residents visits the Houston Food Bank every day for several hours to sort donations, stock shelves and distribute food to those in need.
“We’re surprised but very excited to receive (the President’s Volunteer Service Award),” Johnathan Hardy, facility director of the Leidel RRC, said. “The participants gain a real sense of community in working at the food bank, an important factor in becoming contributors to the local community. We can’t thank the Houston Food Bank enough for recognizing our contribution and nominating our center.”
Volunteer work is an essential component of GEO Reentry programs. As a prosocial activity, volunteering not only helps to create connections with the greater community, it also has a positive effect on mental and emotional health. Volunteering can provide a sense of pride and accomplishment in work well done, and it encourages camaraderie amongst participants, staff and community members. It’s also an effective way for participants to become connected to resources in their cities while allowing them to give back for a good cause.
Located in Houston, the Leidel RRC provides transitional services for 190 male and female participants. While residing at the center, participants attend group classes, such as transitional skills journaling, substance abuse programming intensive outpatient treatment, moral reconation therapy, individual cognitive behavioral treatment sessions, life skills, employment readiness and more. Center staff also connect participants with school and employment opportunities.
Read more about GEO Reentry’s approach to residential reentry.