Every Spring Semester Wilkes University hosts the largest community service day of the year, The Big Event. Student Government puts on this event in an attempt to connect the university to the surrounding community, for the single day of university wide community service.

The Big Event was started by Texas A&M University and has since spread to college campuses around the country.  It has been an ongoing event at Wilkes for the past four years.  This event is still relatively new, and each year the participation, sites and sponsors continue to grow and surpass the previous year.

At Wilkes University, there are as many as 400 participants each year including students, faculty, staff and alumni. The students work in teams for each service project.

Many athletic teams also participate, along with other clubs and organizations on campus. It is a single day to get people from all aspects of the University to come together and show the true meaning of community.

The university pairs with about 25 to 30 residents, businesses and other various sites to help those in need from the WilkesBarre area. The jobs include raking leaves, tidying gardens, other forms of yard work, painting fences and more.

It is a very rewarding day for all involved, and is intended to promote unity between our University and the towns that surround the campus. As students are able to connect with the year-round residents who have welcomed all of us into their community, it is a way to show all of our gratitude.

As well as pairing with volunteers from various businesses as sites, Wilkes will also pair with local business sponsors such as Wegmans, Target, Shoprite and Lowe’s, just to name a few. All of these businesses are the sponsors for the event. As the Wilkes University Colonels, we are always looking for ways to be Colonel and this is just one way to show our true colors.

This year’s date has already been set to April 30, and pre-registration will be coming up quickly, look for it on the Wilkes website. For more information contact Katelyn Jimison at katelyn.jimison@ wilkes.edu.