Baylor Celebrates 30 Years of ‘Steppin’ Out’ Into the Community

Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia
Media contact: Lori Fogleman, (254) 710-3321
WACO, Texas (Sept. 24, 2015) – In 1985, a group of Baylor University students gathered some friends to serve Waco for one day. Little did they know that 30 years later, Baylor would be celebrating three decades of the Steppin’ Out service event.
This fall, the time-honored Baylor tradition will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7. Steppin’ Out is a program designed to serve the greater Waco community through twice-annual volunteer service days, offering students the opportunity to go beyond the familiarity of Baylor campus into the city of Waco.
It is an “opportunity for neighbors to get to know neighbors,” said Sara Long, student director of the Steppin’ Out steering committee.
Steppin’ Out is one of the largest one-day community service projects on an American college campus and is nationally recognized for its commitment to service.
“Our hope is that Steppin’ Out will be more than just a day that it would be a starting point for students to become involved in the community or a continuation for those who already have a passion for service,” Long said.
Various student organizations and majors sign up in groups to partner with Keep Waco Beautiful, the city of Waco and more than 140 local organizations. Each semester, the event connects more than 2,500 volunteers to between 60 and 175 different worksites.
“I think Steppin’ Out is an important tradition because it is an opportunity for students to step outside of their norm of class and meetings and into the community that we are a part of whether we realize it or not,” said Kelsie Murphy, a senior speech pathology major from Rockwall, Texas, who has participated in Steppin’ Out since her freshman year.
“Steppin’ Out is an opportunity to see the Baylor community rally around something that is bigger than the university setting we often isolate ourselves in,” said Sydney Findley, a senior outdoor recreation and leisure services major from Waco, Texas. “It not only serves as a way to support the Waco community, but becomes a unifier in which all types of students can work together towards a common goal.”
For more information, contact Steppin’ Out or visit www.baylor.edu/engage.
by Bethany Harper , student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 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 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.