Nearly 1,700 students, faculty and staff from The University of Toledo spent Saturday giving back to the community.
The volunteers spent most of the day raking, painting, picking up garbage, washing windows, and so much more at area residential homes, nursing homes, parks and even on campus.
Alpha Xi Delta and Pi Kappa Alpha, a social sorority and fraternity, teamed up to clean up a local garden for this year’s Big Event.
“It makes the University more visible in the community,” said Anthony Strother, an operations and supply chain management student and director of this year’s event. “We’re already so close with the community, and many local businesses employ our students. This shows that we’re willing to give back in any way we can.”
The collective efforts of the UT students, as well as the faculty and staff who participated this year for the first time, totaled more than 6,400 hours of service.
“Big Event was a really great way to get involved with the Toledo community outside campus,” said Ashley Gearheart, a sophomore communication student, who participated this year with her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. “Picking up trash downtown initially didn’t sound like a very fun way to spend our Saturday morning, but I think we all left with a sense of accomplishment and felt good about our positive contribution to the city.”
The volunteers shared their experience on social media with the hashtags #UTBE and #ServiceSaturday on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For additional stories and photos from the day, follow the Big Event on Twitter at @UToledoBIGEvent.
