Community Relations Volunteer Services

Volunteer programs have been an important part of the San Antonio State Hospital since 1952. Volunteers have been involved in providing extra opportunities and activities for the persons with a mental illness. The Volunteer Services Council (VSC) is a non-profit 501( c ) 3 organization whose mission is to "promote and enhance the well-being of persons with a mental illness and to contribute to their rehabilitation and therapeutic needs not provided through state funding. The largest fundraiser for the VSC is the annual TEE OFF 'Fore' Mental Health Golf Tournament, Celebrity Style Show & Silent Auction held during Mental Illness Awareness Week or Mental Health Month.

Activities and projects funded by the VSC are:

• A 250 seat All Faiths Chapel
  
  
• An outdoor swimming pool
  
  
• Picnic shelters
  
  
• 2 baseball fields
  
  
• A 6-cottage transitional living facility
  
  
• A Meditation Garden
  
  
• And four shade pavilions
  
  
• Birthday and Christmas gifts
  
  
• Holiday parties
  
  
• Clothing and personal care items
  
  
• Tickets to recreational events
  
  
• Transportation to job interviews
  
  
• Reading material
  
  
• Household startup items
  
  
• Family Lodging
  
  
• Family education and community awareness about mental illness

• Host a unit birthday party
  
  
• Host a unit Christmas party
  
  
• Become a Volunteer Friend
  
  
• Become an advocate for a person that lives here
  
  
• Provide live music for the monthly theme dances
  
  
• Assist with a Holiday event
  
  
• Shop for gifts & prizes throughout the year
  
  
• Help the Trinkets & Treasures Thrift Shop

Last Updated January 14, 2005