Howard Payne University is still accepting project requests from community organizations in the greater Brown County area for the annual William B. Dean, M.D. Lecture Series and Community Impact Day on March 29. As part of the day’s activities, service projects will be conducted by HPU personnel and student volunteers from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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 Trey Oakley, 1999 HPU graduate, who serves as president and CEO of Methodist Children’s Home in Waco.

“This annual event is a wonderful opportunity for Howard Payne University to directly support many of the organizations that serve our community,” said Dr. Cory Hines ’97, HPU president. “Last year’s event was such a positive experience for so many, and we were pleased to have 400 volunteers serving 16 site locations. We look forward to partnering with more local organizations and assisting the local community again this year.”

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.