Over 2,000 served during this year’s Big Event

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Thousands of Texas A&M students volunteered their time on Saturday to help out the Bryan and College Station communities during this year’s Big Event.

The event kicked off in the morning with a ceremony before the students headed out to their respective areas. According to Texas A&M, the Big Event is the largest one-day, student-run service project in the nation. For the past 42 years, Aggies who have taken part in the Big Event completed service projects such as yard work, window washing, and painting for residents. At the end of the day, the organization says it’s all about saying “Thank You.”

This year more than 2,000 residents were served by over 16,000 student volunteers, said Lauren Hamilton, a development committee member for the Big Event.

“It’s an incredible day for the community to kind of be unionized and for the student body to give back to the residents of the area,” Hamilton said.

Planning starts in June and lasts until the day of the event, Hamilton said.

“It’s a team of over 300 people who have so much passion for the Big Event and so much passion for selfless service and giving back to our community that we just organize year round this massive event,” Hamilton said.

Whether it was a student’s first time volunteering or they’ve participated before, there was excitement all around.

Freshman Kate Johnson volunteered with her FLO MSC Fish group to tear down a fence and get equipment to set up a new fence for an A&M graduate and his wife.

“I’m really excited about it, I’m just very happy to be here. It’s a great event and it’s incredible how much they did with it, it’s crazy,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the Big Event brings out people of different backgrounds all with the common goal to serve the community.

“It’s like it really allows you to connect on a deeper level and kind of make this place, not just a school you go to, but more of a home by kind of understanding all of the community needs and connecting with them and all of that,” Johnson said.

For Hamilton, her favorite part about the day is being able to “absorb” all of the selfless service going into the community.

“Knowing that everybody has played their role in the Big Event and at the end of the day there are people being served that don’t normally get served or get the help they need and its just incredible,” Hamilton said.

KBTX even received a few emails praising the work of A&M students who were helping out the community as part of the Big Event.