Madison House organized The BIG Event, in which more than 350 student volunteers worked on projects throughout Charlottesville, including gardening and painting at local schools, churches and nonprofit organizations.
or hundreds of University of Virginia student volunteers, Saturday was one BIG day to give a BIG thanks at The BIG Event, the largest day of community service for college students nationwide.
Madison House, UVA’s student volunteer center, organized Charlottesville’s version of The BIG Event, bringing together members of the University and local communities for the day of volunteering.
“The BIG Event gives hundreds of UVA student volunteers the opportunity to come together and show their gratitude for the incredible support of the Charlottesville community,” fourth-year student Emily Brown said.
UVA President Teresa Sullivan kicked off the day of service Saturday morning at John Paul Jones Arena, saying, “Ensuring that students have opportunities for ‘high-impact’ educational experiences, such as those afforded by volunteer service, is a major focus of our plans for UVA.
“As a hub for student-volunteer activity at UVA, Madison House provides an essential service to both the University and the Charlottesville community.
In fact, many community partners say they would not be able to deliver their services well without the assistance they receive from Madison House volunteers.” Fourth-year student Rawan Abdelrahman, left, who serves as assistant director of community outreach at Madison House, helps sign in volunteers at JPJ Arena, where student groups gathered before heading to their volunteer sites.
The volunteers helped complete projects at sites throughout Charlottesville, including local schools and churches, nonprofit organizations and private homes.
The Vietnamese Student Association raked and planted at the city’s Burnley-Moran Elementary School’s City Schoolyard Garden.
“We are proud to bring hundreds of individuals together in a day of service to build relationships and make tangible differences in the community.” This was Madison House’s third year organizing The BIG Event, which has its roots as a Cavaliers Care initiative, now an optional alumni volunteer service event for UVA clubs.