19
August
2015
|
12:37 PM
America/Chicago

Paul Mandell to Receive Stone and Holt Weeks Memorial Volunteer Award

Paul MandellPaul Mandell, Ph.D., UHD assistant professor of Spanish, will be honored with the Stone and Holt Weeks Memorial Foundation Volunteer Award by The Beacon homeless day center at the foundation's annual benefit Saturday, Aug. 22, at Grand Prize Bar, 1010 Banks St.

Brothers and Rice University students Stone and Holt Weeks were tragically killed in a highway trucking crash in 2009. The Stone and Holt Weeks Foundation was established in their honor shortly thereafter. The Foundation is dedicated to carrying on the brothers' spirit of volunteerism by fundraising, promoting and recognizing community service organizations that were important to Stone and Holt.

Like the Weeks brothers, Mandell has a heart for Houston's homeless. In his former post as director of mission and outreach at Christ Church Cathedral, Mandell co-founded The Beacon in 2007 as a way to serve the street community by complementing the services already available to them. The Beacon now provides laundry services, hot meals, private showers and lavatories, and case management services for more than 600 people every day.

Mandell has remained a dedicated volunteer. He serves multiple shifts at the center on a weekly basis and often encourages students and colleagues to get involved.

The benefit event, "We Kare-eoke," is open to the public and will include karaoke, drinks and fellowship beginning at 8 p.m., followed by the presentation of the award.

Learn more about The Beacon by visiting their website.