On Saturday morning, the University of Wyoming came together to perform acts of service for their town during the Big Event. The Big Event is the largest volunteer event of the year. The university organizes many different student groups and sends them to various places to give back to the community.
Nora Steinke and Ava McCarthy, two members of the Alpha Phi sorority, worked together outside of Ridley’s Market, collecting food for a Thanksgiving food drive. When asked why she does this, Steinke said “Giving back to the community helps other people, but it also is a really nice way for yourself to feel centered. It’s just a really nice way to give back to the community that you live in.”
When asked why she chose this specific event, McCarthy said “With the Big Event, you get assigned random places, but this one is very special. It’s really cool to see all the people of Laramie being so willing to help the community.” The Thanksgiving food drive, organized by Laramie Interfaith, gives the less fortunate a chance to engage in a holiday they may not have had the opportunity to.
Zachary Sullivan, a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity, volunteered at the Lincoln Community Center. Members of Sigma Nu helped rake leaves, winterize garden beds, and paint indoors for the community center’s 100th Anniversary Celebration. Sullivan stated, “I personally do this because I really do enjoy giving back to the community. I enjoy giving back to the people who give so much to us. Our fraternity has a lot of alumni here in Laramie, so to give back to the people who helped us, really means a lot to them. I feel like everyone benefits from events like this, including the volunteers.” The Big Event offers an opportunity for students to feel more connected to their community, and say ‘thank you’ for all they have done.
There were also members of Alpha Phi at Safeway, collecting food for the Thanksgiving food drive. Home on the Range Animal Haven took volunteers to help build a fence. The Laramie River Conservation District Community Garden had several community members who helped prepare the community garden for winter.
The Big Event was a success for another year. Many groups got done early because of the amount of people that volunteered. An estimated 400 people participated in making their community better.
