Precinct One Street Olympics Summer Games Draw Thousands of Youth

Precinct One Street Olympics
Image: streetolympics.org

The chief executive of SRRE Developers & Builders, LLC, in Houston, Texas, Karun Sreerama is an experienced developer who focuses on affordable housing projects. Active in several community organizations, Karun Sreerama is a former co-chair and volunteer for the Harris County Precinct One Street Olympics.

Over the years, the Harris County Precinct One Street Olympics has grown from a summer-only recreation program to a year-round program supporting underserved Houston-area youth. The organization’s month-long Summer Games program helps youth work on skills like teamwork and good sportsmanship while they are on school vacation. Each year, the Summer Games draw thousands of children from around the area to participate in physical activities like basketball, hula hooping, track, and cycling, as well as lower-key activities like jacks and chess.

The end of the Summer Games is marked by an Olympic-style competition called The Final Event, with games, activities, and award presentations. The Final Event also features an educational component called the Bright Futures Fair, which promotes health, safety, and environmental awareness.

McCombs School of Business Boosts Students’ Career Prospects

Karun Sreerama

As the founding principal of Houston-based SRRE Developers and Builders, Karun Sreerama, PhD, focuses on affordable housing solutions for working class families. Before launching SRRE D&B, Dr. Karun Sreerama received his MBA from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.

McCombs offers a variety of personalized services to prepare students for their professional pursuits after graduation. These include not only career consultants who are available on a year-round basis, but also a peer mentoring program that invites second-year MBA students to share their career planning skills with first-year students. Additionally, students in the MBA+ Leadership program are matched with specialty coaches who help them enhance their communication and leadership skills.

McCombs students are also required to take a course on strategic career planning in their first semester that helps them hone in on their professional goals through self-assessments, mock interviews, and online networking. As they work toward their educational goals, students have the opportunity to mingle with hundreds of potential employers at McCombs’ frequent recruiting events, networking receptions, and career fairs.

Rebuilding Together Houston Offers Funds to Low-Income Homeowners

Rebuilding Together Houston
Image: rebuildinghouston.org

A busy construction executive, Karun Sreerama recently founded a new business entity, SRRE Developers and Builders, LLC, in Houston, Texas. Focused on helping with rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Harvey, Karun Sreerama develops, constructs, and refurbishes affordable housing for working-class Houston families.

Some Houston residents are still dealing with water damage or continued leaks resulting from the devastation left by Hurricane Harvey. One of the available assistance programs that funds home repairs is called Rebuilding Together Houston (RTH). Available to certain residents in Harris County zip codes, RTH focuses its assistance on low-income seniors, veterans and veterans’ spouses, and people with disabilities.

To qualify for the funding, the applicant must be listed on the home deed, live in the home as a full-time resident, and be current on property taxes. Services funded under the program include repairs to the home foundation, the electrical and plumbing systems, and the exterior of one-story homes. In addition, necessary safety-related modifications and bathroom repair needs are covered. To learn more about the program and eligibility requirements, email info@rebuildinghouston.org or call 713-659-2511.

Texas Organizing Project Advocates for Medicaid Expansion to Cut Costs

Texas Organizing Project
Image: organizetexas.org

Karun Sreerama serves as the head of SRRE Developers and Builders, LLC. An accomplished Houston-area builder committed to community service and philanthropy, Karun Sreerama received the 2016 Community Champion Award for Outstanding Civic Leadership from the Texas Organizing Project (TOP). The grassroots organization unites community members to advocate for justice, with areas of focus including health care expansion.

According to the organization’s policy director, Tiffany Hogue, Texas’ Medicaid system is among the most restrictive in the United States. In fact, the Texas Medicaid eligibility standards exclude families of four who earn more than $285 per month. If adults don’t have children, they cannot qualify for Medicaid unless they have disabilities or are pregnant, in addition to meeting specific income requirements.

The current situation of restricted Medicaid coverage leaves many people uninsured, creating more economic problems in the long term. Instead of receiving preventive care and early interventions, people without access to doctors are experiencing devastating symptoms by the time they turn up in an emergency room. Relying on ERs to give care to uninsured individuals instead of expanding Medicaid is the “most expensive and most inefficient use of our tax dollars,” Hogue said. Greater Medicaid expansion is needed to provide more cost-effective care to people in need.