More than 1,500 University of Toledo students are expected to turn out for the annual BIG Event community service project to take place Saturday, March 23 at 9 a.m., starting at The University of Toledo Savage Arena on Main Campus. Students will then go out into the neighborhoods surrounding UT and perform projects including painting, raking leaves, washing windows and gardening for Toledo residents.

The BIG Event was a tradition revived in 2010 where 200 students were in attendance, while this year’s expected total will exceed 1,500 students. This year, the event will be working with agencies like Toledo GROWS, Cherry Street Mission and Family House as well as heading into the Secor Gardens and Bancroft Hills neighborhoods to tend to individually requested job sites.

The premise of the Big Event is “One Big Day, One Big Thanks!” We hope that through our small acts of service in the community, we can make a lasting and positive change. The Big Event benefits service organizations as well as individual residential homes. It helps bring students and the community together and we hope to create a tradition that will last for years to come.

The overall director this year, Daniel Janisz says, “The Big Event is more than just a community service event. It is a way to leave a lasting mark on our community. 1,500 students working to improve our community is simply fantastic. The support from our students and community has been tremendous. Every year we hope to grow and to impact more lives in a positive way through simple service, and the Big Event is the way to do it!”

For more information contact Daniel Janisz at daniel.janisz@rockets.utoledo.edu.

Media Coverage
The Independent Collegian (March 22, 2013)
The Blade (March 25, 2013)
FOX Toledo and 13 ABC (March 25, 2013)