BU students will have plenty of choices to participate in service learning on April 25. Graduate assistant and area coordinator Shevonne “Shevy” Booze is planning and promoting the Big Event with the help of several students.

The Big Event was started at Texas A&M University for college students to say thanks to their communities. It will give Baker students a chance to say thank you to the Baldwin City and Lawrence community.

Students can volunteer at the Baldwin City Community Theater and clean out the theater office or work in the Baldwin City Public Library, washing windows and checking shelves for misplaced books. Other volunteer opportunities include the Baldwin Primary Center Carnival, ComfortCare Homes, Homespun Hill Farm and the Mobile Soup Kitchen that will be in Baldwin City.

Senior Heather Wright got the ball rolling for this event by contacting organizations in the community to see if they were interested in hosting student volunteers.

“I encourage all of our students to participate in the Big Event because it’s a great way to give back to the community,” Wright said. “We have an awesome community of businesses and organizations that support our student body, and donating our time to them is a really simple but meaningful way to say we appreciate them and all that they do for us.”

Students can sign up for The Big Event at www.bakeru.edu/bigevent.

Senior Hannah “Liz” Jordan is the student intern for The Big Event. She has been working closely with Booze to organize activities and encourages students to come volunteer.

“There are opportunities all day, so even if students want to participate in other events that are happening that day, it’s possible to do both,” Jordan said. “It’s my hope that we are overwhelmed with volunteers so that the Big Event can continue to grow.”