OU volunteers gearing up by thousands for Big Event
ANNUAL EFFORT INVOLVES COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS

BY JAMES S. TYREE Comments 0
Published: March 26, 2009

Karin Jonsson plants monkey grass at Alcott Middle School during the 2006 Big Event. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO BY JACONNA AGUIRRE

NORMAN — About 4,900 University of Oklahoma volunteers plan to swarm central Oklahoma, from Guthrie to Purcell, on Saturday to perform community service projects.

Multimedia

Photoview all photos

The Big Event, the university’s annual day of community service by students, staff and faculty — and starting this year, alumni — is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. on the North Oval.

After hearing comments there from OU President David Boren and others, the volunteers will disperse to spruce up schools, parks, public facilities, nonprofit agencies and others in need.

Kaleb Potter, associate chairman for The Big Event, said there are about 135 job sites this year. Most are in or near Norman, although others such as the Guthrie library and Yukon parks are farther out.

"Last year we had a lot of ice storm damage stuff,” he said, "but this year we’re back to more regular jobs like cleanup and landscaping.”

Texas A&M University started the Big Event in 1982 and the idea has spread to scores of universities. OU observed its first Big Event in 1999. It has grown from a few hundred volunteers to as many as 4,700 people last year.

Potter said response from student groups and individuals has grown to the point where it’s tough for organizers to find enough projects. Organizing started months ago and all volunteers will fill a community need.

Organizing the event — from finding business sponsors and identifying work sites to enlisting volunteers — is going smoothly, even with more people involved, said Amanda Holloway, University of Oklahoma Student Association president and a Big Event officer.

"Not only do we have more volunteers, but the quality of students planning the event and volunteering for it has been amazing,” she said.

More information about the Big Event for businesses and sponsors, community groups, and volunteers can be found at http://bigevent.ou.edu.