This year marks the 10th anniversary of Project MOVE (Miner Opportunities for Volunteer Experiences), UTEP’s annual volunteer community service project.

Project MOVE started in 2009 with the idea to promote community service, help students understand more about where they live and create a friendly environment between UTEP students and El Paso community.

Students have done all kinds of voluntary work in the past 10 years, from landscaping gardens, organizing food pantries, painting houses and visiting hospitals among other volunteer activities.

Ofelia Dominguez, director of the Center for Civic Engagement at UTEP and co-chair of

Project MOVE, along with Assistant Director Jennifer Lujan, hopes to have more students and organizations sign up for the event this year.

Dominguez told The Prospector how this event is not only important for UTEP students, but for the community in general.

According to Dominguez last year, around 1,500 students, 30 staff members, alumnus, friends and faculty participated.

Eder Perez, a UTEP student majoring in applied mathematics, participated last year and was assigned a project to paint a house for the nonprofit organization, “Rebuilding Together.”

“It was a fun thing to do – socially fun because I meet some people and it was a good feeling when we were done, you know that we helped our community,” Perez said.

Perez is the president of the Queer Student Alliance and is trying to get everyone from his club to sign up and attend this year’s Project MOVE.

In 2018, 50 projects were completed from different nonprofit organizations. One of them was “Rebuilding Together,” a non-profit organization that helps low-income, elderly and or disable homeowners to maintain their homes, to extend the opportunity to live in a decent and independent life.  

“For our anniversary, the goal is to have 100 projects where volunteers can help their community, and more faculty and students than last year,” Dominguez said.

UTEP graduate student Daniela Salas learned about Project MOVE while attending orientation this January.

“I think is important to serve our community and is a good way to do something different,” Salas said.

Project MOVE designed a new logo to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It will continue to use its hashtag, #UTEPSERVES.

Project MOVE will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 13 and will coincide with National Volunteer Month. All volunteers get a free T-shirt.

Project MOVE sign-up days will be held in the Union East Building 12:30-3 p.m. March 8 in room 102A and 9 a.m. to noon March 15 in room 102H.