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Printer-Friendly ModeURA members read to elementary students
February 12, 2007 —
Fairytales and other stories came to life Friday as SVSU students helped second and third graders read at Carrollton Elementary.
These students were members of SVSU's University Residence Association (URA). They will also be delegates at the Michigan Organization of Residence Hall Associations (MORHA) conference at Grand Valley Feb. 16-18.
MORHA is made up of 11 schools: Adrian College, Baker College (Muskegon), Baker College (Owosso), Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, Ferris State University, GVSU, Michigan State University, SVSU, University of Michigan, and Western Michigan University.
MORHA helps the school's Residence Hall Associations (RHA) gather for meetings, networking, and an annual leadership conference.
The event allows the RHA's to exchange ideas for programs that revolve around philanthropy, diversity, society, and other themes.
The theme of this year's conference is "fairytales." For the conference, each team of delegates is required to do a service project because MORHA encourages their schools to give back to the community.
"Our [service project] was to come and do the HOSTS program, which is Help One Student To Succeed, and what we do is [have] the kids read to us," said MORHA delegation leader and URA Michigan Organization Communications Coordinator Shane Williamson.
Kids who are part of HOSTS have trouble with reading and the program has mentors helping them improve their reading skills.
To follow the theme of the conference, many of the SVSU students brought fairytale books for the kids to read back to them.
"Normally community volunteers come in to do the HOSTS program," Williamson said, "but we chose this Friday to come in and help [the kids]."