April is National Volunteer Month and UNO Alumni Month of Service. To continue UNO’s legacy of community service, alumni and friends make pledges to volunteer throughout the month, giving back to their communities around the world.
Thank you to everyone who participated in UNO Alumni Month of Service 2025. Collectively, 245 UNO alumni and friends donated 2,913 hours of community service, crushing our goal of 2,000 hours!
Read stories from Mavericks about their projects and why they volunteer. Together, we are continuing UNO’s legacy of community service.
On Saturday, April 5, 60 alumni and friends gathered on campus to volunteer their time and share their passion for the University of Nebraska at Omaha at Serve UNO Day.
Together, UNO alumni and friends contributed 90 hours of service to UNO!
King has volunteered with the Christian Benevolent Pantry in Plano, TX for close to 10 years. When she started, they served 180 families. Today, the pantry, run solely by volunteers, provides food to nearly 400 families or 1,350 people.
King also volunteers with the MS Society each spring. Her and her husband worked at the Dallas MS Walk earlier this month and now she is busy helping prepare for Bike MS, a 150 mile fund-raising bike ride through Northern Texas.
“I volunteer for the MS Society because my daughter has suffered with MS for over 20 years,” said King.
King also serves as a UNO Alumni Chapter Lead for the Dallas/Fort Worth Mavericks, helping to connect UNO alumni in the area, planning events and engagement activities.
Wilson recently began volunteering at The Durham Museum. He is pictured here at the “What is it Wednesday” station where an artifact is on display and patrons get to guess what it is. On this day, it was a flask owned by Emil Brandeis that was recovered with him when he perished in the Titanic disaster in 1912.
“I volunteer because it feels right to give back and I find it fun to engage with new people and kids who visit the museum,” said Wilson.
Thomas holds weekly creative writing workshops for incarcerated individuals at the Marshall County Jail in Indiana. Through incorporating trauma-informed pedagogy, he provides opportunities for participants to embrace their own creativity for self-expression, write about their own trauma and struggles within a supportive environment and learn techniques to use writing as a healthier way to handle life’s difficulties.
“Starting early in my teaching and writing consultant career, I have frequently worked with students recently released from incarceration. They show me the importance of writing in their recovery and rehabilitation. I have also been inspired by the work of one of my graduate program classmates, Dustin Pendley, who works for UNO and has developed a writing program for incarcerated individuals in Nebraska, and Dr. Lisa Knopp’s (one of my writing professors at UNO) involvement with incarcerated individuals.”
Kathy and her dog, Sophie, are one of four teams of certified pet therapy dogs representing the “Love on a Leash”—Omaha chapter. They visit Boys Town pediatric hospital unit where residents, staff and family members enjoy pet therapy by relaxing with the dogs. The duo also visits Sunridge Village retirement facility each month.
“After 40 years as a professional, I looked forward to continuing my work as a Speech-Language Pathologist during retirement, but in a different capacity. I knew of animal assisted therapy and felt I would enjoy giving back to my community through pet therapy. I chose Sophie, a Bernadoodle, as the breed is reported to have a good temperament. She is a wonderful member of our community and deserves all the accolades (and pets) she receives. We both feel rewarded through our activity with Love on a Leash.”
“I frequently volunteer with Habitat for Humanity helping build affordable houses in North Omaha. This week we were framing a house on 34th and Bedford. I volunteer with Habitat because general construction is a skill that helped pay for my education at UNO. It seemed like a great way to give back to the community.”
Since retiring, Gene served on the Board of Directors of Nebraska Trout Unlimited for 16 years including two as President. He is now a volunteer Youth Education Coordinator helping teach school-aged children about raising trout, their food sources and how to fly fish throughout the state of Nebraska. This month, he shared his appreciation and expertise at field trips for more than 100 schools and outdoor events hosted by the Nebraska Game and Parks.
“I want kids to learn about and appreciate the outdoors so there will still be advocates for the appreciation of the outdoor resources that we have for future generations,” said Kathol.
On April 26, Phoenix Mavericks came together to support their local St. Mary’s Food Bank by packing emergency food boxes. In just two hours, they assembled 1,080 family boxes, 1,259 senior boxes and 1,831 HelloFresh bags to help those in need. The Creighton Phoenix alumni group was there lending a hand too – small world!
Part of being a Forever Maverick is continuing UNO’s legacy of community service around the world.
Interested in volunteering with the UNO Alumni Association? Fill out this form and we will be in touch about future volunteer opportunities.
University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Association
2285 S. 67th Street, Suite 200 Omaha, NE 68106
[email protected]
402-504-3338 | 800-432-3216
© 2025 UNO Alumni Association | Privacy Policy
University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Association
2285 S. 67th Street, Suite 200 Omaha, NE 68106
[email protected]
402-504-3338| 800-432-3216
Copyright | Privacy Policy