Sage Villone, a junior movement science major, quickly realized how her class project could impact the Fort Worth community.

Villone was assigned a project to “change the world” with a dollar in her public address class. Knowing she wanted to do more than a fundraiser or pop-up shop, she began brainstorming on how she could impact the greater community—prompting the formation of Bags of Joy.

Bags of Joy allows students to donate money, snacks or candy into drop boxes in sorority and fraternity chapter houses. Members of the club will then compile all of the goodies into little gift bags. These bags are then handed out to students and teachers at elementary schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District with a C or D rating.

“The goal is to create moments of happiness that these children can remember,” Villone said. “We know that not everyone is able to live a privileged lifestyle as most TCU students do, so we feel called to give back to the community surrounding us.”

The club’s first event was for Halloween.

“Our first delivery was amazing,” Villone said. “We were able to pack all 450 bags in around two hours, thanks to our volunteers.”

She said that the delivery was special because they met the faculty members of the school, who “emphatically showed their gratitude.”

Villone plans to host two events per semester: Halloween and Christmas in the fall and Valentine’s Day and Teacher Appreciation Week in the spring. She hopes to expand the club to eventually carry out events at various elementary schools around Fort Worth. By involving various groups on campus (Greek life, athletes, honors college students and even others), Bags of Joy hopes to gain passionate members from all areas of campus.

Bags of Joy is set to debut officially in the Spring of 2025.