Return to Main Volunteer Page

Volunteer Testimonial

By Deborah Kim

As a third year student at the University of Texas at Austin, I found myself busy with different things like writing papers, studying for tests, volunteering at different locations and so on. As you can imagine, I was not very excited when my professor announced we would have to volunteer at yet another location, but the trick was that it had to be located and currently impacting the East Austin community. As I began researching for places, I ran into the Texas Civil Rights Project’s webpage, which was filled with their different accomplishments and current projects.

As I started my hours, I was greeted by a friendly, hardworking staff who dealt with issues such as prisoner’s rights, disability discrimination, immigrant women who are victims of domestic abuse, general civil rights violations and so on, on a day to day basis. It opened my eyes to see the difference these people make in the lives they change. I was amazed to see the wide range of topics covered under TCRP’s umbrella and the true impact that it had in the lives of those individuals and in the East Austin community as a whole. TCRP brings visible differences for the benefit of the people. While addressing domestic violence, they aid flood victims who have been displaced, along with educating citizens about their rights as consumers.

As you can see, TCRP is making a groundbreaking difference in the East Austin community and beyond. The positive change cannot be denied, allowing my experience here to be so much more than “just volunteering.” It has helped me to see the many horizons and hardships people endure in the world, most importantly however, it has showed me that I have the power to help.