D.C. Chapter Makes School Playground More Playful (and More Orange)

By Joseph Washington in Chapters, TXEX on May 25, 2012 at 2:30 pm | No Comments

Early last Saturday morning, six Longhorns gathered at Stanton Elementary School in Washington, D.C., to help improve their community. For the Texas Exes Washington, D.C. Chapter‘s second Texas Exes Care About the Project event, the chapter joined 140 volunteers at Hands on DC Work-a-thon.

Over the course of 35 man hours, their team painted and re-painted games on the school’s playground. Chapter treasurer Robert Wiacek says the group was thrilled to contribute to a top-notch school: “By all accounts, this elementary school is very progressive with high academic expectations for its students; spending a half-day putting a fresh coat of paint on the school was simply a privilege for us.”

Although it’s not exactly unusual for Texas Exes, even in Alaska, to make a name for themselves with their service, it’s important to remember that the spirit starts young. One of the volunteers was a current UT student home for break, which Wiacek calls “a testament to the quality and community spirit of the students coming from our campus.”

For Wiacek, one event highlight was seeing UT banners in the school, encouraging students to attend. Even better, Wiacket says, was that “there was more orange on the playground at the end of the day than there was in the beginning!”

Photo by Robert Wiacek

Tags: chapters, d.c., service, texas exes care about the project, volunteering, washington