Throughout the month of August, the University of Central Oklahoma’s new Community Outreach Program has been working with metro community youth to expand its outreach efforts and get better connected with participating organizations and their students.

The program recently wrapped up three events for the Latino Community Development Agency (LCDA), the Hope Center of Edmond and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) “Back to School” event at Douglass High School.

On August 4, UCO welcomed LCDA students to its campus for a day of fun and swimming at the Hamilton Field House swimming pool after LCDA leadership expressed a need for inexpensive field trip options for the remainder of the summer. UCO volunteers played games and distributed information and prizes to get students better acquainted with the university.

Clients of the Hope Center of Edmond brought their children and their school lists to the Center during its “Back to School Backpack” program Aug. 14 and 19, where UCO faculty, staff and student volunteers assisted them in finding new back packs and filled them with school supplies.

Each student also received a $15 gift card to Payless Shoes to receive a new pair of back to school shoes.

UCO was also the only university to attend the DHS “Back to School” event at Douglass High School, Aug. 18, providing children brought by DHS clients with back to school items that included school supplies, socks, t-shirts, Kleenex and more.

Additionally, each child could be fingerprinted for safety and receive complimentary haircuts and both girl’s and boy’s beauty kits.

“As the state’s metropolitan university, UCO is working hard to develop new relationships throughout the metro and strengthen existing ones by supporting the goals of these organizations,” said Stacy McNeiland, director of UCO’s Community Outreach and Special Projects.

“We believe that we have something special to offer our community, so we’re providing the broad reach and creativity of UCO faculty and staff to work for various organizations. Clients of these organizations are learning first-hand that UCO lives our university mission.”

UCO’s outreach program focuses on areas such as physical fitness, health, self-esteem, team building, leadership skills and self-knowledge and builds on long-time UCO outreach efforts already in place.

Stacy McNeiland said that the goal is to continue to make a strong and positive impact within the community so that the youth can see that access to higher education is and can be a reality.

“Recruitment should occur at many different levels, not just as a senior in high school. We want to share the development of our community with the organizations and help provide for the schools that shape our youth,” Stacy McNeiland said.

Created by Dr. Myron Pope and Susan Wortham of UCO’s Enrollment Management in February 2008, UCO’s Office of Community Outreach works with participating groups and organizations to find more ways for the university to help make their programs stronger.

By facilitating those needs, UCO aims to build more relationships between young adults and their families, exposing them to what all it has to offer.

Groups and schools interested in working with current or upcoming program initiatives can contact UCO’s Office of Community Outreach at (405) 974-2734.

For more information, contact Stacy McNeiland at smcneiland@ucok.edu