Community Service
Security Studies graduates distributed teddy bears to children with cancer in Houston hospitals.Graduates from the Department of Security Studies recently returned to assist with “Teddy Bears for Tots,” an ASIS-Houston Chapter initiative to purchase and distribute 1,000 stuffed animals to children in major hospitals throughout the Houston region.
The Department of Security Studies at Sam Houston State University was one of many groups and companies that participated in the project. Dr. Jim Dozier, a faculty member from the Department of Security Studies, and Zeke Mendez, Andrew Robinson, and John Benzon, graduates of the Master of Science in Homeland Security Studies program, recently distributed 150 teddy bears to children at the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, a member of Harris Health System in Houston.
“I want to thank ASIS for allowing us to participate in his terrific program,” said Dr. Dozier. “I am very proud that our graduate students returned to contribute to this effort. They truly embody the University's motto, ‘The Measure of a Life is Its Service.’ The smile on the kids’ faces were priceless."
The Sword and Shield, the security studies’ honors society at the College of Criminal Justice, contributed funds and volunteered for the project. The three security studies graduates were members of that student organization. In fact, one student, Benzon, joined the group just hours after returning from a trip to China.
The effort was part of the SHSU Academic Community Engagement (ACE) effort, an experiential method that combines community engagement with academic instruction. The ACE initiatives allow students to use the skills and knowledge learned in the classroom to make a difference and improve life in the community by understanding their roles as community members.
Students in the Department of Security Studies participated in ACE courses offered by Dr. Dozier and Dr. Magdalena Denham. These included such activities as developing security plans for a residential program for adjudicated youth and a community for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities as well as training for a Community Emergency Response Team to help respond to disasters in Huntsville.