Howard Payne University’s fourth annual William B. Dean, M.D. Lecture Series and Community Impact Day is scheduled for Wednesday, March 26.

Organizations in the Brown County area are invited to submit project requests. The day will feature service projects conducted by HPU personnel and student volunteers from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Organization requests vary from work projects, painting, landscaping, gardening, sorting, organizing and cleaning.

Project requests can be submitted at www.hputx.edu/impactday. Submissions will be reviewed for eligibility by HPU leadership, and organizations will be notified following approval.

The day’s service projects will be preceded by a message to HPU personnel and students from Leesa Stephens ’80, executive director of Good Samaritan Ministries.

Stephens graduated from HPU in 1980 with a double major in the Academy honors program and journalism. While at HPU she was a yell leader, class officer, member of the Student Senate as well as the features editor of the Yellow Jacket student publication for three years. She was a secondary teacher for 29 years serving as a UIL academic coordinator and coach for journalism, extemporaneous speaking, current issues and events, and social studies. Stephens became the executive director of Good Samaritan Ministries in 2016, where she currently serves.

“This annual day of service has become a beloved tradition on our campus,” said Dr. Cory Hines, HPU president. “I look forward to this year’s William B. Dean, M.D. Community Impact Day and encourage organizations to submit project requests where we can partner together to support our community.”

HPU was awarded a $200,000 grant by the Dean Foundation to establish the annual service event. The Dean Foundation is chaired by Dr. David A. Dean, son of the late Dr. William B. Dean, distinguished Dallas-area pediatrician and trailblazer in conditions affecting children such as dyslexia and polio. Dr. David A. Dean serves as chair of the North Texas Crime Commission as well as president and CEO of the public policy consultancy Dean International, Inc. He served the State of Texas for more than a decade as general counsel to Democratic Governor Dolph Briscoe and Republican Governor William P. Clements, Jr. He also served as Texas Secretary of State under Governor Clements. He earned the Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Southern Methodist University and the Juris Doctor degree from The University of Texas at Austin.