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Outreach activities by the University of Maryland (UMD) chapter of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) continue to provide students with the chance to support local communities while helping to get the word out about the mechanical contracting profession and the programs available at UMD.
“It’s about giving back,” says Fitzgerald Walker, director of outreach and recruitment, undergraduate studies, and the chapter’s advisor. “As engineers, these students have a great future ahead of them, and we also want them to understand the importance of engaging with the community.”
Activities during the spring 2026 semester included volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, where members cooked dinner for families of children receiving treatment at a nearby hospital. On April 16, meanwhile, the chapter hosted a sandwich-making event, assembling 2,060 sandwiches to donate to Martha’s Table, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that provides educational programs and food access. The event was sponsored by the marketing agency 260 Digital and also included participants from the mechanical contracting firm Harris and the Mechanical Contractors Association of Metropolitan Washington.
Gabriella Anthony, a May 2026 graduate, led these and other activities in her role as chapter president.
Plans are in the works for students to volunteer for the Special Olympics during the summer and participate in an elementary school book reading in the fall.
The UMD chapter, which netted an MCAA Chapter of the Year award in 2022 and again in 2024, participates in a national-level challenge each year that replicates real-work projects and processes, from drawing up estimates and schedules to identifying the needed equipment and materials. Students will be gearing up for this endeavor during the fall.
The chapter’s service activities, meanwhile, build collaboration skills that are also important for the engineering profession, Walker said.
“Everything we do in the chapter is team-oriented and the students bring those team-building skills to the workplace,” he said. “When you enter the work world, that means collaborating with others.”
June 4, 2026
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