Big Event on Longwood Campus a Big Hit
Issue date: 4/1/09 Section: Features
By Jordan Maynard
Rotunda Reporter
On Saturday, March 28, Longwood University hosted a program called the Big Event to give back to the Farmville community. This program is hosted on over 70 other college campuses, including Virginia Tech, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Oklahoma. The Longwood Big Event is being hailed as a success by many, including Longwood President Patricia Cormier.
Participants completed numerous jobs including working at Madeline's House, cleaning up Grove Street Park, and working in two residential homes. Big Event director Joshua Rolfe estimated that 80 to 90 people participated in this first annual event. Of those participants, he mentioned that they were approximately half Greek and half non-Greek. Organizations represented at the Big Event include Sigma Sigma Sigma, the Longwood Ambassadors and the Sociology Club.
Lauren Gabor, sophomore and Tri-Sigma sister, said her sorority had a high number of participants, estimated to be around 28 people, which was the largest participation by a single group. Gabor heard about the Big Event through the Longwood Ambassadors and her sorority got together to join. "I worked at Madeline's House and cleaned out this really big shed. We pulled everything out, went through it, sorted it, then labeled it, and packed it away nice and neat," she said, adding that others at that site planted flowers and cleaned up the exterior. "It's nice and aesthetically pleasing now."
Rolfe said that while in the past, organizations have done community service and outreach programs on their own, the Big Event is done by Longwood as a whole, not a single organization. "Longwood University students are making a positive mark in our community."
Tara Coney, operations chair and fundraising for the Big Event, said the Big Event is a "big community outreach program. [Farmville houses] us nine months of the year and we come in and do as we please in their town, so it's a way to say 'thank you.'" She said this year's event was a lot of fun, and that planning for next year's event is already in the works, with Trey Brindle as the director of next year's event. Coney said that this year's event planning started a year ago, kicking into high gear after winter break. Fundraising started in the fall with an event at Sheetz.
Rotunda Reporter
On Saturday, March 28, Longwood University hosted a program called the Big Event to give back to the Farmville community. This program is hosted on over 70 other college campuses, including Virginia Tech, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Oklahoma. The Longwood Big Event is being hailed as a success by many, including Longwood President Patricia Cormier.
Participants completed numerous jobs including working at Madeline's House, cleaning up Grove Street Park, and working in two residential homes. Big Event director Joshua Rolfe estimated that 80 to 90 people participated in this first annual event. Of those participants, he mentioned that they were approximately half Greek and half non-Greek. Organizations represented at the Big Event include Sigma Sigma Sigma, the Longwood Ambassadors and the Sociology Club.
Lauren Gabor, sophomore and Tri-Sigma sister, said her sorority had a high number of participants, estimated to be around 28 people, which was the largest participation by a single group. Gabor heard about the Big Event through the Longwood Ambassadors and her sorority got together to join. "I worked at Madeline's House and cleaned out this really big shed. We pulled everything out, went through it, sorted it, then labeled it, and packed it away nice and neat," she said, adding that others at that site planted flowers and cleaned up the exterior. "It's nice and aesthetically pleasing now."
Rolfe said that while in the past, organizations have done community service and outreach programs on their own, the Big Event is done by Longwood as a whole, not a single organization. "Longwood University students are making a positive mark in our community."
Tara Coney, operations chair and fundraising for the Big Event, said the Big Event is a "big community outreach program. [Farmville houses] us nine months of the year and we come in and do as we please in their town, so it's a way to say 'thank you.'" She said this year's event was a lot of fun, and that planning for next year's event is already in the works, with Trey Brindle as the director of next year's event. Coney said that this year's event planning started a year ago, kicking into high gear after winter break. Fundraising started in the fall with an event at Sheetz.
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