By ASIA GRAHAM and TENA L. COOK, CSC
CHADRON – Chadron State College will host its 10th annual The Big Event Saturday, April 9. Both worksite applications and volunteer applications opened March 1 and will close April 1. To receive lunch and T-shirts, volunteers must sign up by March 21.
Dr. Shaunda French-Collins, faculty adviser for The Big Event, said The Big Event alumni are being invited to a recognition dinner April 8 at 6 p.m. in the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center Chicoine Atrium. She asks that any CSC alumni who served on The Big Event staff in the past and did not receive an invitation email her at [email protected].
Sam Parker, associate director of Housing and Residence Life, was a student when The Big Event started in the fall of 2012. He said French-Collins intended to transform the class project he participated in into reality.
“It is encouraging to see the event grow from obscurity to a CSC tradition. The campus seems to have embraced The Big Event,” Parker said.
Parker acknowledges the enormity of the one-day event.
“Our team would breathe a sigh of relief at around 5 p.m. each Saturday afternoon, having coordinated registration, feeding, distribution, and care for 300-400 volunteers over dozens of locations. I must say in that role, visiting sites and seeing the smiles on both the faces of the volunteers and those receiving help was incredibly encouraging to see,” said Parker, who has served as a group leader and volunteer in recent years.
French-Collins said The Big Event wouldn’t be where it is today without Parker’s leadership.
“A lot of students used to say, ‘Sam Parker is The Big Event.’ He presented in Texas and at the American Advertising Federation in Rapid City about The Big Event. He really pitched in and got buy-in from Athletics,” she said.
Alyssa Sanders, coordinator with the Nebraska State Emergency Response Commission said The Big Event set her on the path of pursuing a career in public service.
“After graduation from CSC, I went on to become a deputy state fire marshal and then transferred into my current role as a state emergency manager. To me, The Big Event was more than a single afternoon of volunteer work. It was insight into what a lifestyle of working for the greater good can be like,” Sanders said.
Janessa Carley, third-year The Big Event staff member, said she’s learned a lot as a volunteer.
“The best part of working on the TBE staff is getting to work with a variety of people to achieve the same goal: Saying thank you to the community of Chadron. One of my favorite moments is seeing the gratitude on the community members’ faces when the students arrive at their business or home. Seeing those smiles reminds me why it is so important to me to give back,” Carley said.