When Jose “Alex” Alanis applied for his role in the Office of Communications and Community Outreach at Baylor College of Medicine, he stepped into a position that required him to shape its direction from the ground up. 

For the Houston native, that role seemed like a natural fit.  

“I’ve always loved helping and volunteering,” Alanis said. “Four years later, I’m still here.”

National Volunteer Week will be from April 19-25. This week spotlights volunteers who better the community and was established in 1974.

In this role, Alanis coordinates health education events that send Baylor physicians into Houston-area community centers, organizes volunteer opportunities for employees and faculty to put their Volunteer Time Off benefit to good use and oversees the Grocery Resource At Baylor (GRAB), Baylor’s student food pantry. 

What ties it together isn’t a job description, but his genuine belief in the power of connection. Whether he’s linking a Baylor employee to a volunteer organization they’ve never heard of, rallying the College around a toy drive or making sure a first-time GRAB volunteer has everything they need to operate confidently, his instinct is always the same: make sure people have the information and the opportunity they need to accomplish something meaningful. 

That philosophy shows up clearly in his volunteer coordination work. Each month, Alex curates volunteer opportunities with Houston organizations, often aligned with a theme such as supporting women’s charities around Mother’s Day or veterans organizations in November.  

One of Alanis’ favorite traditions and proudest accomplishments is the annual toy drive for BEAR Houston, a College-wide effort that has brought in close to 1,000 toys per year for four years running. 

“Seeing all the toys come into our office and being able to deliver them to kids that need them — that just always warms my heart,” he said.  

Then there’s the GRAB. When Alex joined his current team, building a student food pantry from scratch was his first assignment. He set to work right away, visiting established pantries around Houston and assessing what needed to be done to launch one at Baylor in only a few short months.

What started as a shelf-stable, dry-goods pantry in 2021 has now grown to offer cleaning supplies and hygiene products and include the GRAB Market, a monthly themed pop-up market in partnership with Second Servings, a nonprofit food rescue organization.

Second Servings delivers fresh produce, eggs dairy, meat, sweets and snacks directly to Baylor monthly. Alanis and volunteers then set up tables for students to “shop” for free. Alanis keeps it welcoming and fun with music, seasonal themes and what he simply calls “a vibe.” 

He is humble and quick to credit his colleagues in the Office of Communications and Community Outreach for coming up with innovative ideas and pitching in time and effort to keep the GRAB going – this has helped build it into the success it is today. He also is appreciative of Baylor’s leadership, including Lori Williams, Claire Bassett and Dr. Paul Klotman, who advocated for the GRAB to be established.

Alanis is proud of his daily work to maintain and grow the GRAB, and his reason for caring is straightforward: “Food should not be a worry that students face during their training,” he said. “I want to make sure I’m helping them get through this.” 

Alanis said it is rewarding to help Baylor employees find places where they can volunteer and people to go with to do a common good.

“I feel like more people now have the chance to find out about these organizations,” he said. “Some days, work is stressful. Being able to do something for the community — that’s good for you and your mental health. And be open to making connections across departments. You never know when you’ll need them.” 

Volunteer opportunities coordinated by Baylor’s Office of Communications and Community Outreach are posted on InTouch and in internal communications, like NewsLink and Faculty Commons. Learn more about Volunteer Time Off. Find other community opportunities.

Story by Susannah Russell, assistant director of philanthropic communications in Baylor’s Office of Institutional Advancement and Alumni Affairs