The Texas A&M baseball team scraped, painted, and landscaped the home of Bryan resident Cordia Hanks Saturday morning as part of their yearly service event Paint-a-Thon
Since establishing the Paint-A-Thon in 2006, head coach Rob Childress has repeated the tradition every year.
“We talk to our players all the time about making an impact in our program, the university, and also in our community. he Bryan-College Station community is incredibly supportive of our program,” Childress said, “For us to kick off the season and this being the first thing we do as a team, has a special merit.”
The homes selected each year come from a pool of different organizations such as United Way, Elder Aid, Meals on Wheels, and local churches. Once selected, the Aggies come out at 7 a.m. and provide whatever service is needed until the project is completed.
Evelyn Ross, resident of Bryan and daughter of Cordia Hanks, said she was very appreciative of the Aggies’ service.
“I thought it was real stand up of them,” Ross said. “We’re very grateful that they are doing it and it just shows a lot of character on their behalf.”
Because A&M’s large-scale service project, The Big Event, takes place during the baseball season, Childress said he thought it was necessary to host a project of their own scale in order to give back to the community they call home and receive abounding support from.
“This is kind of our ‘Small Event,’” Childress said.. “This is kind of our way we can join in.”
Sophomore pitcher Asa Lacy reflected on his past two experiences at Paint-A-Thon
“Looking back on the pictures from years past and just the smile on their faces when they come out and see the finished houses is a really good feeling,” Lacy said.
Since 2006, annual Paint-A-Thon has provided service to eight houses in College Station and six houses in Bryan.