Operation Warmth for Warriors

When Sam Esparza, M.S.Ed. ’23, enrolled in Dr. Mar Magnusen’s Athletic Fundraising and Development class in Fall 2022, he didn’t expect he’d be signing up to break a world record.

“Each fall session, I lead small-scale fundraising efforts with the students, like collecting toys for Toys for Tots or gathering supplies for Child Protective Services,” Magnusen said. “Students also pitch a fundraising idea that they’ve developed over the semester that could be done in the future.”

Esparza wanted his idea to break a world record, and Magnusen knew they could arrange one with the capacity to impact the greater community.

“I’d long been wanting to do something to help veterans, but nothing quite came together,” Magnusen said. “After doing some research, we came across the longest line of sleeping bags; we decided to break the Guinness World Records’ longest line of sleeping bags at McLane Stadium and then donate the bags to help homeless veterans across Texas.”

The pair got to work, first connecting with Kevin Davis, B.A. ’12, program manager for Baylor’s Veteran Educational & Transition Services (VETS).

”We decided to break the Guinness World Records’ longest line of sleeping bags at McLane Stadium and then donate the bags to help homeless veterans across Texas.“

“When Sam and Mar came to me with their vision, I was excited to get them connected,” Davis said. “We were intentional about making sure that we were serving a need, and partnering with Baylor’s Veterans One Stop was the perfect way to do it.”

The group launched Operation Warmth for Warriors through Baylor’s crowdfunding platform, Torch, and raised $13,796.

“It truly was a community effort. People volunteered their time; we were able to get McLane Stadium for free; we negotiated a rate with the distributor; etc.,” Magnusen said. “All of the money raised went toward the sleeping bags.”

On Independence Day, the group gathered at McLane Stadium and lined up 1,203 sleeping bags (about a quarter of a mile long and 3,000 pounds worth), breaking the world record.

“It was amazing to see it all come together,” Esparza said. “It took months to accomplish, but it was worth it.”

Now, the sleeping bags are being distributed throughout the state via Veterans One Stop and the Texas Veteran Commission Network of Peers.

“I’m thankful to work at a university with a mission of servant leadership,” Davis said. “This project couldn’t happen without the Baylor community and we’re all so thankful.”