The student council at Texans Can Academy - Fort Worth Lancaster Avenue organized an event, named March Gladness, to give back to the surrounding community. March Gladness is similar to a garage sale but with free items donated by staff and students at the school. The event was recently held. at Texans Can Academy - Fort Worth Lancaster Avenue’s campus.

Staff and students at the school donated clothing, toys, shoes, beds, sheets and more that they were able to part with but that others in the community may want or need. The items were sorted on tables in the school’s parking lot to allow neighbors to “shop” through the items. The students sorted the donations, set up the tables and volunteered at the event. School staff members accompanied the students.

Members of the community started lining up down the street an hour before March Gladness opened. Students had shared news about the event through social media, by notifying other nonprofit organizations, and walking throughout the nearby streets spreading the word to the surrounding neighborhood. The campus is located on the same street as two homeless shelters, Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County and Presbyterian Night Shelter.

“Our students enjoyed helping others and creating happiness among their neighbors,” said Texans Can Academy - Fort Worth Lancaster Avenue’s student advisor, Martisha Smith. “We were overwhelmed by the amount our staff and students donated and how hard the students worked toward hosting this successful event.”

Celebrating 34 years of providing the highest quality education for all students, Texans Can Academies are graduating thinkers. Texans Can Academies are a unique network of 14 charter schools located in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. The schools are tuition-free, open enrollment, public high schools of choice serving students who have struggled in a traditional high school setting. Texans Can Academies offers students, aged 14 to 21, a second chance at earning their high school diploma instead of a General Education Development (GED). To date, more than 151,883 students have been given a second chance at life with the opportunity to pursue their dreams.