Record Number of Student Volunteer for The BIG Event

TAHLEQUAH Despite gloomy weather and the threat of rain, over 600 student, faculty and staff from Northeastern State University turned out for The BIG Event on Saturday, March 29 in Tahlequah.

Its great that we have this opportunity to go out into the community and say thanks for everything that Tahlequah gives us, said Kristin King Eller, a Sen. Herb Rozell Scholar and one of the organizers of The BIG Event. I know that we can be wild here on the college campus, so this is our chance to show another side of the students and give back to the community.

The volunteers completed another of projects around Tahlequah, including picking up trash along local streets and highways, cleaning up Norris Park, service projects for Help-In-Crisis and the Cherokee County Humane Society, and volunteering to help individuals with projects at their homes.

I was inspired by their hard work and dedication working through the rain and cold weather. They certainly proved themselves that morning, said David Moore, executive director of the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce. The over 100 volunteers I worked picked up more than 400 bags of trash on streets and byways in the community on Saturday morning.

Retired state Sen. Herb Rozell commended the students for taking time out of their schedules to give back to Tahlequah.

Its not easy to get this many college students up this early in the morning, said Rozell. It is important that we all work together as a part of the community.

The BIG Event is a one-day community service project organized by Northeasterns Senator Herb Rozell Scholars. The BIG Event was started at Texas A&M University and has spread to more than 70 other schools. Students at campuses across the nation come together for One Big Day, One Big Thanks, One BIG Event.

4/4/2008

Published: 2008-04-04 00:00:00