By Beckett Rakes | Staff Writer
Twice a year, Baylor students trade their usual Saturday routines for rakes, paintbrushes and hammers as they come together to serve the Waco community through Steppin’ Out.
Started in spring 1985, Steppin’ Out began as a weeklong series of service projects across Waco. Students helped paint and repair homes, using tools ranging from rakes and brooms to spades and shovels. As the event gained more traction, it eventually condensed into a single day each semester, bringing hundreds of volunteers together to complete projects throughout the city.
Santa Clara, California, senior Isabella Zailer, co-director of external communications for Steppin’ Out, said the event connects student volunteers with projects based on the needs of local residents and organizations.
“We have about 1400 volunteers that we’re going to send out into the greater Waco community to help do whatever they need to do,” Zailer said. “So if that is yard work, or painting, I think one time we built some furniture, whatever it is that greater Waco needs us to do.”
As participation has grown, Steppin’ Out has developed additional organizational roles to coordinate its expanding operations. The group now has three technology-focused positions: materials and logistics, volunteer and outreach, and communication and engagement. Coordinating hundreds of volunteers across projects in Waco requires careful planning to ensure each site gets the help it needs.
“The biggest challenge for us has always been being able to make sure that we’re matching the amount of size with the amount of volunteers that we have,” Zailer said. “No matter what, those people are going to get the help that they need or that they want, because that’s what we do.”
The work extends beyond individual homes to organizations throughout Waco. Canton sophomore Elise Elliott said Steppin’ Out also helps bring attention to the needs of local organizations through its service opportunities. She will be volunteering with her sorority Saturday.
“One of the projects we’re doing is for organizations in Waco,” Elliott said. “Steppin’ Out is really good at bringing awareness to the community.”
For Zailer, the event is an opportunity for Baylor students to contribute to the city surrounding their university. She said service isn’t limited to campus initiatives; it also means recognizing the needs of people living beyond the university.
“We, as Baylor students, can help give back to the town that gives so much to us,” Zailer said. “I think that’s where the heart of the foundation is: being able to give back to people who aren’t able to do things for themselves.”
Although volunteering may require students to give up part of their weekend, Zailer said the time commitment is small compared with the difference it can make for those receiving assistance.
“Those four hours of your life have a lasting impact on people,” Zailer said. “Something so small to us can be so big to someone else.”
For returning volunteers, that impact can become personal. Building relationships with residents and site owners over repeated visits allows students to see how their contributions affect the people they serve.
“You start getting to know a site owner, you start talking to them, and you realize what a big impact this has for them,” Zailer said. “Four hours for you can mean a lot more than four hours to someone else.”
