CLASS holiday tradition to give back to community

A free concert, fun activities and philanthropy are the College’s gifts to City of Houston

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences annually celebrates the winter holiday season through public and private community outreach efforts that highlight the diversity of disciplines, wide range talent and multicultural heritages within the college.

The School of Art is opening its doors to welcome all who love the visual arts. From 6 – 9 p.m. on Friday, December 5 walk around the 4th floor of the Fine Arts Building and see what students in drawing, painting and printmaking have been creating. Prints will be for sale and make excellent holiday gifts.

The School of Theatre & Dance provides a sneak peek into the future of American stage performance with December premieres of original student work. The Emerging Choreographers’ Showcase will be on Friday, December 5 at noon and 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Quintero Theatre.

The End of Side A, the first full-length play by senior Kendall Kaminsky, is about a brother and sister who discover their father’s collection of audiocassettes. These tapes contain secretly recorded conversations of tenants from an apartment he once managed. The siblings listen to these tapes in an effort to better understand their departed father. The show runs from December 4 – 6.

Purchase tickets for both the choreographers showcase and the new play here.

The Department of Health and Human Performance launched a new December tradition three years ago – the Graffiti Run. On Sunday, Dec. 7, arrive at the starting line dressed all in white and be prepared to get splashed with spray paint along the 5K route around campus. The event promotes healthy and colorful living. A portion of the proceeds are donated to the HHP Scholarship Fund. Go to www.uh.edu/hhp to submit your name and registration fee for the run or pay the walk up fee on the day of the event. The starting times are staggered after 8:30 a.m.

Every year, the Moores School of Music presents a free holiday concert featuring all of its choirs. This year’s celebration is at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 7 in the Moores Opera House. The program will include rousing choral pieces and a cappella serenades. Come to the matinee performance to sing your way into the spirit of the most wonderful time of the year.

The CLASS Dean’s Office spends the month of December preparing for commencement and collecting new toys for children. The toy-drive tradition started in 2010 when the CLASS administrative staff joined Dean John W. Roberts in donating gifts to the Houston Fire Department’s Operation Outreach Stocking Stuffer program. All CLASS faculty, staff, students and supporters are welcome and encouraged to participate. A collection box for the new toys is in the Dean’s Office, Suite 402 in Agnes Arnold Hall.

This year, Houston Fire Department Stations are accepting new unwrapped toys through December 17. HFD will host its Great Toy Giveaway on December 23 at the New Light Christian Center, 7317 E. Houston Road, 77028 near Ley Road in northeast Houston.

The toys are distributed on a first come, first serve basis, so there is not a waiting list or a need to register. Call 832-394-6632 for a recorded message with information on The Great Toy Giveaway.

- By Shannon Buggs