OutInform: Houston Pride Guide 2017 Issue | Page 33

organizations I support and encourage other
people to volunteer and make a difference in their
community; that doing so is fun and so rewarding.
What was your first Houston Pride
experience like?
Hot! No, it was overwhelming and empowering at
the same time. To feel the energy and acceptance
of our community in such large numbers was a
memorable experience
What motivated you to first get involved with
LGBT causes and non-profi ts?
My parents always taught my sisters and me
that giving back to your community is incredibly
important. When I first became active, I did so
because I wanted to experience more of our
community than the bar scenes, and I wanted
to donate my time and energy to investing in
our community. Mark Brown introduced me to
the Diana Foundation, and my involvement in
the Diana Foundation introduced me to
other non-profits.
What has been your most rewarding
experience working on LGBT-related volunteer
and activist work?
That’s a hard question, but I would have to say
the most rewarding experiences I have had
would be interviewing the applicants for the Out
for Education Scholarships and rewarding the
scholarships to those students. Investing in the
future of our community is incredibly important
to me, and we are actively doing so by helping
Houston-area LGBT students achieve their goals of
going to college.
Can you talk a bit about the work Out of
Education does and how people can get
involved and support its cause?
Out for Education is an amazing, locally-grown
non-profit. It started as the PFLAG-HATCH Youth
Scholarship Foundation, and in 2013, it
was rebranded Out for Education. To date,
due to our generous benefactors, we have
given over $1 million in scholarship monies to
deserving students.
I would encourage anyone interested in getting
more involved in Out for Education to do the
following: attend our Scholarship Awards
Ceremony, act as a student interviewer, donate
money for student scholarships, or attend the
events that donate money to Out for Education.
pridehouston.org
Houston has a lot of non-profits related to
LGBT causes and activism. Do you think the
different groups are working well together? Is
there anything you would like to see change in
the non-profit community? If so, what are your
thoughts and ideas?
I think the groups do a fairly good job of working
together. The most difficult task is scheduling
events without conflicting with other organizations’
events and fundraisers. It’s nearly impossible
to avoid scheduling conflicts, but I think the
organizations do a pretty impressive job of
communicating with each other to avoid such
conflicts. And the groups all support each other by
attending other organizations’ events. It’s always
heartwarming to see the support of other non-
profits at community events.
How do you balance your relationship, work,
and volunteer work? Do you have advice for
folks who juggle similar situations?
I’m incredibly lucky that I have a wife who is as
passionate about community involvement as I am. I
joke that I can be involved in so many organizations
because there are 36 hours in a day. The truth is
that I am able to juggle so much because:
a) I have an incredibly supportive wife who
understands and encourages my involvements
b) I am passionate about volunteering, and I believe
that time can always be found for your passions
c) I work for a law firm (Hogan Lovells) that
encourages community involvement and actually
requires that each employee volunteer 25 hours per
year and
d) I am an enthusiastic calendar-keeper and list
maker, so that’s how I organize all my obligations.
My advice would be to find the balance that works
well for you and make sure you’re having fun with
the juggling and that you’re not getting burned
out. Seek out and encourage the next generation of
volunteers, so that these organizations can thrive
and help future generations!
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OUTINFORM