Ornaments with the Elderly event sparks intergenerational joy

James Leaks shows off the ornament he painted in front of University of Houston-Victoria students Jacquelyn Velazquez, Ashley Del Villar and Alize Arevalo. A group of UHV students spent the morning assisting a dozen senior citizens during the Ornaments with the Elderly event on Dec. 6 at Meals on Wheels in Victoria. The event, organized by UHV Student Life, saw a group of five students working alongside the senior citizens as they worked to create their own custom ornament using paints, decorative stickers and plastic ornaments provided by the university. The event was intended to encourage student involvement in the community and to foster interactions between the younger and older generation.

The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.