SMU’S Mustang Heroes to raise
homelessness awareness with Build-A-Box event

DALLAS (SMU) – SMU’s Mustang Heroes is offering students a chance to participate in the childhood art of fort building while supporting a local charity.

The Build-a-Box event will be Thursday, Sept.19 from 6 p.m.- 9 p.m. on the Boulevard in front of the South Quad.

SMU's 2012 Homeless Awareness event.

The high-spirited event welcomes all students to create teams to build and decorate forts using boxes. The event was developed in an effort to increase poverty awareness and raise money for Vogel Alcove, a charity organization dedicated to providing free quality child development services for homeless children.

The event was inspired by last year’s “Sleep in a Box” event that raised $3,600 for Vogel Alcove. Fantine Giap, president of Mustang Heroes, says homelessness is an issue that is relevant to and prevalent in the Dallas area and [Mustang] Heroes created this event to demonstrate SMU’s commitment to supporting and giving back to the community.

Along with building forts, students can enjoy food from Raising Cane’s, unlimited photo booth pictures and can purchase raffle tickets to win Mustang Heroes shirts, a gift card to Nosh Euro Bistro and a Texas Legends Basketball gift basket that includes an autographed ball and game tickets. No formal sign-up is required, but there is a $5 per person participant fee that will be donated to Vogel Alcove.

Giap says the organization hopes to raise $1,000 for Vogel Alcove this year and inspire students to serve their community through any organization. Speakers from Vogel Alcove and Mustang Heroes will be featured.

About Mustang Heroes

Mustang Heroes is a SMU student organization dedicated to creating sustainable and engaging volunteer opportunities for students. It welcomes all students and participates in several weekly service projects in the Dallas community.

About Vogel Alcove:

For nearly 25 years, Vogel Alcove has provided free, quality child development services for Dallas’ youngest victims of poverty: homeless children six weeks to five years old.  Vogel Alcove is the only free comprehensive early childhood education program in the city of Dallas whose primary focus is to provide free childcare and case management for children and their families residing at 18 local emergency shelters, domestic violence shelters and housing programs. 

— Alyssa Eubank