By TENA L. COOK, CSC Marketing Coordinator
CHADRON – Chadron State College’s 11th annual The Big Event (TBE) will take place April 15, according to TBE Graduate Assistant Kinsey Smith of Windsor, Colorado. The event will be from 9 a.m. to noon, originating on campus and then fanning out in the community.
Jobsite Assistant Kamilla Montenegro of Las Vegas said The Big Event is a student-led day of community service when CSC students, faculty, and staff volunteer at job sites in Chadron.
“It's a whole day dedicated to connecting the college with the community to demonstrate our gratitude for the people and the community of Chadron,” Montenegro said.
Online registration for job site applications opened March 1 and will close March 31. Volunteer registration also opened March 1 and will close April 7.
The Big Event typically has 400 volunteers that serve at about 50 job sites.
“We respond to jobsite applications on a first-come, first-serve basis. It's a fairly simple application process. We just ask for a description of the help and number of volunteers needed,” Smith said. “We're really excited for another big event this year and making it bigger every year. If you just want a little bit of help that day, it's our way to say, ‘thank you’ to the community.”
The teams can help at public parks or clean, sort, paint, or organize inside public businesses, museums, or buildings that house non-profit organizations.
“TBE volunteers are not allowed to enter private residences, use power tools or climb on ladders, for safety reasons. Anybody who wants us to paint fences, rake leaves, pick up branches or trash, we're looking for jobs like that,” Smith said.
The event originated in Texas.
“In 1982, at Texas A&M University, a couple of students decided they wanted to give back to the community and they made it an annual thing. Then it spread across the country and even internationally. Today, more than 125 colleges and universities around the world host The Big Event,” Montenegro said.