By Lauren Bille
UHCLIDIAN STAFF

Imagine that you are a foreign student. Coming not to just a new school but to a new country for the first time and all you have with you is a duffel bag of belongings.

The Furniture Store, a program sponsored by the Alumni Association and the Student Family Friendship Program of San Jacinto, helps provide foreign and domestic students with home furnishing.

Pictured from left to right: Yasir Zahur, furniture recipient; Yousuf Mohammad; Resa Ott and Kashif Syed

"We are very excited with our program because this semester we have served Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Turkish and domestic students," said Resa Ott, director of alumni and community relations. "So far, we have touched more than 100 students with our program."

Ott has admitted that the program has been more expensive than first thought, but says she enjoys every minute of it. Graduates, students, faculty, staff and even the surrounding communities donate used furniture to the program. This furniture is then donated to deserving students.

"Students simply need to let us know that they have a need," Ott said, of the criteria for receiving a donation. "The only exception is that they cannot sell it, they are encouraged to donate it back to the program."

The Furniture Store is co-sponsored by the Student Family Friendship Program of San Jacinto. Erwin and Dagmar Meeh are the coordinators of the program at UH-Clear Lake.

The Student Family Friendship Program of San Jacinto is an organization that pairs international students with an American family to help them adjust to their new home. It began about 13 years ago at San Jacinto College-Central campus. Evelyn Alexander is the founder.

With help from Ott and the use of a UH-Clear Lake truck, the donated furniture is picked up from the donor and brought to the recipient's home. Volunteers and sometimes the recipients help move the furniture.

Kashif Syed and Yousuf Mohammad,
members of the Indian Student Association,
move donated furniture (above).

"I usually go on runs with Resa to help out at the beginning of the semester. It seems to be the busiest time," said Kashif Syed, vice president of the Indian Student Association. "When I came here, we didn't have the Furniture Store, but when I was working for Facilities and Management, I noticed extra furniture not being used. I met Resa and she started contacting people from then on to get the program started."

"I came from UT-Dallas about a year ago," said Yasir Zahur, the latest recipient of a computer desk. "I bought a computer about three weeks ago and needed a desk. It's been sitting on the floor since then."

Kim Herhold, who works in the University Advancement Office, was the computer desk donor. "I just work at UHCL and have donated items before," Herhold said.

The Furniture Store program officially began in August 2001. It all started when Ott was working as the media relations coordinator in the Community Relations Office with an international student from Kenya, Margaret Ayot.

When it was time for Ayot to leave the country after receiving her bachelor's degree, she was going to throw away her furniture because she could not take it with her. Knowing that she would be returning for her master's degree, Ott retrieved the furniture and stored it in her attic until Ayot returned.

When Ott moved into her current position, she decided to start the Furniture Store program.

"It not only allows us to help the international students, but we also get to know them a little bit better," Ott said. "Most domestic students who access the program are those in transit, whether it be career change or divorce, or they just don't have enough money to afford it."

"I got a couch, an armchair, a table, etc., they basically furnished my apartment," said Caroline Kamau, furniture recipient and member of the Student Family Friendship Program. "It has benefited me personally, but I don't know how much other students take advantage of it."

Kamau suggests that students be told about the program at their orientation. Delivering the furniture has never been a problem.

"We have a pool of volunteers, so if we need help moving furniture, we can send out an e-mail and have more people than we know what to do with," Ott said.

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