Biannual Steppin’ Out Encourages Collaboration Between Baylor Students and Waco Community
Students will volunteer and “step out” across the city to give back to Waco neighbors
(Robbie Rogers/Baylor Photography)
Contact: Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin, Baylor University Media & Public Relations, 254-327-8012
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WACO, Texas (April 3, 2024) – More than 1,450 students will volunteer at over 50 sites around Waco during Baylor University’s biannual Steppin’ Out community service event from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 6.
A beloved Baylor tradition, Steppin’ Out is a student-led day of community service specifically dedicated to helping Waco residents. The biannual event began in 1985 as a week of service leading up to a University-wide day of service. Since then, the event has transformed into a one-day event each semester, where students can practice leadership skills by giving back to their community.
“Steppin’ Out is a unique opportunity that helps Baylor students from organizations across campus serve Waco and love our neighbors together,” said Sydney Trampedach, a senior health science studies major and director of the Steppin’ Out Planning Committee. “This event embodies key Baylor values, as it combines tradition, service and community.”
Student volunteers will be tasked with cleaning, painting, organizing, gardening, trimming trees and cleaning yards at a wide range of worksites, including churches such as First Baptist Church Elm Mott, Bosqueville Methodist Church and Family of Faith Worship Center; various individual homes in Waco-area neighborhoods; and other organizations and nonprofits such as Compassion Ministries of Waco, Piper Center for Family Studies and Child Development, World Hunger Relief Farm and Waco Independent School District.
“Year after year, we have site owners who come back enthusiastic about Steppin’ Out,” Trampedach said. “We have over 50 sites this semester, including many returning sites.”
Supported by the Office of Missions, Service and Public Life, the event provides students with an opportunity to connect with the Waco community through direct service, which has become an integral part of the Baylor experience. Steppin’ Out has become nationally recognized as one of the largest collegiate community service projects in the United States.
For more information, visit the Steppin’ Out website or contact steppinout@baylor.edu.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.