On Oct. 13 Laramie played host to one small part of “The Big Event,” a one-day drive to give back to the local community through volunteer work.
Saturday started early for participants. One long line of 800 students, bundled up in down coats and fuzzy hats, wound its way around the Wyoming Union at the center of campus. Each student was there to register for “The Big Event.”
The Big Event is a one-day volunteer event that hopes to “promote campus and community unity as University of Wyoming students” and “to express their gratitude for the support from the surrounding community.” It consists of students going out to sites, offered up by locals to do…well…whatever is asked within the bounds of reason and legality of course.
Following the line of students up and into the inside of the Union building, it eventually came to snake around the dining area where six tables with six different colors sat at the ready for the barrage of student volunteers. At every one of these tables sat a number of site leaders who were tasked with coordinating a group of sites and controlling the flock of students that would be placed at each site.
“I knew I was going to volunteer anyway,” said freshman and site leader Claire Thomas “so I figured why not take power?’
“They gave me a shirt so now I’m in charge.” Thomas stated with a smile when she was asked about how she felt in her position.
Site leaders often had volunteered for the event before.
“Last year I volunteered and had so much fun that I wanted to try to give it a bit more this year” said sophomore Ashlynn Blare while she handed a pair of gloves to a group of triathlon students who were in her charge.
While students checked in, they were fitted with any tools needed at their designated site. Rakes, gloves, even the occasional facemask were all distributed for any number of tasks.
City residents offered sites for students to work on in the weeks prior to the Big Event. Anything request was accepted as long as it didn’t require power tools. Raking leaves and other casual yard work tended to be the dominant request, but there were occasionally some more niche asks. One group received an assignment to help a man sand a porch and another group was asked to build a split rail fence.
After a hearty breakfast and a brief, yet poignant speech, students set out to their respective projects with site leaders in tow. Thomas took off in her vehicle to check on her groups. Moving down a list of names and addresses, she drove from site to site. Marked with a sign, the houses were easy enough to pick out.
Leaves were raked, fences built and porches sanded. Things came to an end around noon and as tools were packed up homeowner Patricia Smith, a Laramie citizen, reflected on her experience with the volunteers.
“They kept constantly offering to do more and help however they could,” she said with a smile. “I will certainly have them back next year.”
