Campus, community come together for ‘The Big Event’
Lamar’s biggest community service event, The Big Event, will be held, March 28. Students, staff and faculty are invited to volunteer and give back to the community through a series of tasks.
The Big Event, originally started by Texas A&M in 1982, has turned into a nationwide community service event.
“Universities across the country get a bunch of their students and go out in their local community and volunteer,” Ben Kern, LU director of recreation and wellness, said.
Nonprofit organizations fill out a form listing tasks for volunteers, which are then divided among the groups, Kern said.
“If you’re part of a student organization and you have a bunch of people from your student organization, we usually try to keep people together,” he said. “We try to send organizations to nonprofits that fit what (the organization is) looking to do.”
Tasks include landscaping, clearing debris and cleaning buildings, Kern said. Registration is available online through LU Hub, with a deadline of March 20.
Kern said The Big Event staff will be present in the Setzer Student Center for the next three weeks.
“We’re going to be tabling three days a week, different days, different times, to try to catch as many people as possible,” he said. “But we’ll have fliers with a QR code that’ll take you right to the form.”
Volunteers must register ahead of time, Kern said. A variety of student organizations are listed on the form. However, not every student organization is listed.
“If you want to register with a student org that’s not on the drop-down list, you can (go to) ‘Other’ and say what it is, and we will build that into the form,” he said. “Or you can reach out to our office or any of our student volunteers, and we can make that change for you all on the form.”
Kern said The Big Event is a good way for student organizations to come together to create impact off-campus.
“I would say the main purpose is to be more connected with the community,” he said. “You know, building a culture of connectedness on campus, where you’re not just a Lamar student but you’re part of the Beaumont community. I think it’s important that the university gives back to the community in some regard.”
Nederland senior Elizabeth Drago has participated in the event since her first year at Lamar. She now serves on the executive committee.
“This will be my third year helping with The Big Event on the exec side of things,” she said. “(It) just kind of sounded interesting and sounded like a good way to be involved and give back to the community.”
Drago said the event is a chance to have fun serving with one’s friends in an organization, or to meet new people.”
“I honestly think that Lamar is very special in the fact that it is in the Southeast Texas community — there’s so many resources around us,” Drago said.
Drago said The Big Event is a way to give a thank you to the Southeast Texas area and to serve the community as a whole.
“Invite all your friends, come out,” she said. “My parents have been going every year. They’re both alumni, and so I think if you’ve got any family members, they can sign up and they can get connected with Lamar.”
Volunteers will meet at McDonald Gym on the day of the event and will be provided with breakfast and supplies.
For more information, visit @lu_bigevent on Instagram or lamar.edu/bigevent.