UHD’s GatorServe To Build Bikes for Kids This National Day of Service

HOUSTON (Sept. 11, 2023) – For this year’s National Day of Service on Saturday, Sept. 14, University of Houston-Downtown volunteers will come together for a “bike build” in support of improving our children’s literacy.

It is all a part of GatorServe, a UHD tradition that brings together UHD students, staff, faculty, friends, families, and community partners to complete projects in service to our neighbors on National Days of Service — 9/11 Day of Remembrance in the fall semesters and Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the spring semesters. Caring for others is in the DNA of UHD, and this event represents an extension of UHD’s culture of caring into the community.

Sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement & Service Learning as part of UHD’s Impact Learning Office, this GatorServe event is in celebration of 50 years of UHD AND 20 years of CYCLE Houston, a children’s charity dedicated to improving second grade literacy at Title One schools in the Greater Houston area. CYCLE Houston gives students the opportunity to earn a bicycle for achieving their reading goals, and in return, they learn that hard work equals reward.

This GatorServe event is funded in part by Youth Service America and AmeriCorps.

WHEN:           Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024

9 a.m. – Noon

WHERE:         10633 West Little York Road, Suite 210, Houston, Texas 77041

WHO:              UHD President Loren J. Blanchard, UHD President

GatorServe volunteers

VISUALS:       UHD volunteers assembling bikes 

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-DOWNTOWN

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is the second-largest university in Houston and has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974. As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive, four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard.

UHD educates approximately 14,000 students annually, boasts more than 67,000 alumni, and offers 45 bachelor’s degrees, 12 master’s degrees, and 19 online programs within four colleges: Marilyn Davies College of Business, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Public Service, and College of Sciences and Technology. UHD has one of the lowest tuition rates in Texas.

U.S. News and World Report ranked UHD among the nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Applied Administration and Best Online Master’s Programs in Criminal Justice, as well as a Top Performer in Social Mobility. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranked UHD one of the best colleges in the U.S. for its 2024 rankings, with notable distinctions:  No. 1 for diversity (tied) and No. 3 for student experience. TheStockWatcher.com called UHD a “notable institution providing high-quality online MBA programs. … UHD ensures that its graduates are well-prepared to succeed in their chosen career paths.”

The University is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a Minority-Serving Institution, and a Military Friendly School. For more information on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit uhd.edu