By Piper Rutherford | Staff Writer
On Saturday morning, Steppin’ Out will send 1,200 Baylor students from 80 different organizations to serve at 50 sites around the greater Waco area.
Cambridge, Ill., senior Julia Toth, co-director for Steppin’ Out, said that most of the sites are residential addresses or nonprofits.
“For students visiting the homes of Waco residents, they can expect to do yard work or trash clean up,” Toth said. “The work we do with nonprofits can include providing manpower to help at the World Hunger Relief Farm or playing with puppies at the Central Humane Society.”
Toth said there will be a diverse pool of academic, professional and social groups involved in the event.
“There are always a lot of fraternities and sororities involved,” Toth said. “However, there are many other organizations, too, such as Baylor Wake, Baylor Prism, on-campus residential units like Teal and LEAD, the Pre-Law Society, Truett Seminary for graduate students, the National Society of Black Engineers and the Medical Service Organization.”
New Hope, Minn., senior and Steppin’ Out co-Director Cora Roehm said the Steppin’ Out committee is involved in a lot of behind-the-scenes work prior to the event.
“This includes reaching out to the different sites to see if they are interested in being a part of Steppin’ Out and then sending some of our members to make sure that it is safe,” Roehm said. “Most importantly, though, we make sure to speak with the homeowners or those involved with the nonprofit so that they can share their specific needs that we can then work to accommodate.”
Roehm said that as Baylor is a Christian university, students are called to love and serve their neighbors, including those who live right across the street from campus.
“It is so easy to get trapped inside the ‘Baylor bubble,’” Roehm said. “I have so many stories of site owners who are beyond grateful for Baylor students coming and doing the things that they are no longer able to do, such as the elderly who can no longer do yard work anymore.”
Toth said that this day of service fulfills her own passion for volunteering to help others in need.
“My experience with service first began in high school when I volunteered at a veterans’ hospital, which has continued into college, since I am also a member of the Student Foundation and have the privilege of witnessing first-hand the impact of students getting financial scholarships to help with tuition costs at Baylor,” Toth said. “I have learned that service is all about having a selfless and servant-oriented heart to care for others, even if that means simply lending them a hand.”
