• Baldwin Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center
• Baldwin City Public Library
• CLO Terrace House
• Harvesters in Topeka
• Homespun Hill Farm
• Lawrence Humane Society

Baker Serves will host the Big Event, a day-long event devoted to local community service, on Saturday, April 23.

“I enjoy the Big Event and what it does,” senior Marissa Smith, Baker Serves treasurer, said.

Smith said the Big Event can make it easier for students to participate “on a day when we all are volunteering, and I think it makes it less intimidating.”

The Big Event originally started at Texas A&M University. The purpose is for college students to show appreciation for the areas around campus in a day of service. Any student can get involved.

“It makes me feel like that we really are making a difference,” Smith said.

Freshman Emily Riggs, vice president and student coordinator for The Big Event, said that Baker Serves keeps hosting the Big Event each year because of what it does for the community.

Riggs has worked with Baker Serves Sponsor Gabrielle Garrison since December to plan the event. Riggs got in contact with the organizations, selected the activities, posted them on the website and is currently working on encouraging students to sign up. Baker Serves will make sure there are enough volunteers for 10 organizations.

Freshman Alishah Budinas, the club’s public relations officer, said that she volunteered for the Big Event this year because of “giving back to a community” is important.

“It’s a great way to do something good,” Riggs said. “Volunteering is something that is really special to me and something that I really enjoy doing. So when I was approached about planning the Big Event, I thought it would be a great way to share that love of volunteering and helping people with Baker.”

Smith is equally enthusiastic.

“I would say my favorite part about The Big Event is just seeing the impact that we leave not only on the Baldwin community but the other communities where we volunteer, because generally there are volunteer groups that go out to Lawrence, Topeka, and sometimes even Kansas City, as well. So just kind of seeing the different effects and hearing about how people impacted lives and all of those different releases is really amazing to me,” Smith said.

For information and The Big Event go to its webpage.