Stepping Up for Service

	Members of Alpha Phi Alpha, Baton Rouge chapter, teach Boys & Girls Club members the art of stepping.

The National Sprite Step Off and accompanying Sprite Step Off Service Challenge continues to march across the country supporting Boys & Girls Clubs, all while teaching young people how to step -- a lively, percussion-type dance focusing on footwork, clapping and fun.

Recent stops include Boys & Girls Clubs of Baton Rouge, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago and The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Charlotte. Events will continue with Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in New York, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula in Menlo Park, Calif.

At each service event, sororities and fraternities participating in the national competition take a break from the competition schedule to visit Club members, teaching them to step and offering personal mentoring and reading time with the youth.

The Sprite Step Off Service Challenge, the service platform of Sprite Step Off, is a national service initiative designed to ignite individuals and organizations nationwide to refresh their communities and inspire young people to pursue higher education. The challenge was kicked off under the umbrella of Sprite Step Off, a contest that invites step teams from across the nation to compete against each other, volunteer service hours to Boys & Girls Clubs and support education and healthy lifestyles.

The finals for the National Spite Step Off will take place in Atlanta on Feb. 20.