The BIG Event

On a snowy Saturday morning on the first weekend of April, I took part in “The Big Event.” The Big Event is a student-run day of service that has grown into the largest event of its kind in the nation (from their website). It’s also the day where the University schedules its incoming freshman orientation. Coincidence? On my way back to use the bathroom at the main hall on campus, I heard a father ask one guide, “what’s going on over there?” I didn’t hear the response, but I’m sure it was an enthusiastic reply about how great the Hokie spirit is. 

For me, it was a volunteer opportunity that I had been looking for. About a month earlier, I contacted the YMCA to see if they had any volunteer options, especially ones with local schools, and they did, but it was from 3:30-5:30 or something around the time when I was at studio. I had studio every day from one to five, so I couldn’t do that. They didn’t have anything on the weekends. At the start of this year, I talked with one professor about potentially setting up some type of mentorship program with local schools to expose kids to architecture that wouldn’t have any exposure. However, it has gone nowhere because the director of the school was temporary and was not in a position or afforded the time to begin an endeavor like that. So, when The Big Event booths popped up on campus, I stopped by, learned about it and I signed up immediately. 

On the day of the BIG event, I didn’t have a group, so I signed up alone and was put with five others. Two of which happened to be in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies; a fifth year architecture student and a third year industrial design student. We were assigned to a house fifteen minutes outside of Blacksburg, and our job description was to “rake out the leaves along his 6/10 of a mile driveway and trim small limbs over the driveway.” We picked up six rakes from the tool distribution line and waited for one of the drivers to take us there. The driver was a student volunteer. It was all really well organized. 

When we got there, we initially passed his driveway. It was a wooded gravel road, pushed back from the main road. We crossed a stream and then had to climb up his mountain-driveway. At the midway point, the homeowner, an old man with a rake in hand, was already working. He stayed out the whole time we were there. His name is Arty, and he goes by Art. He’s a 96-year-old veteran and is in incredible shape and mind for someone his age. He has an ATV that he uses to get up and down his driveway. During our labor, we had made our way to the bottom, clearing the leaves and digging a little drainage ditch. We heard the ATV start up and saw him come slowly around the corner to inspect our work. He was amazed at what we had done. He was so appreciative, and we were only two hours into it.

We started at ten and the latest we could stay was three. We had started midway and made our way to the bottom and based on what we us done, he would have been happy with that. But, we said no way! And went up the mountain/driveway, clearing the leaves and water run-off ditch to his house. At some point, he went up to his house, and came back down with a note and said if you guys want pizza after, call this number and my daughter will order you some. I think we were there until about 2:30. The freshman driver who came to pick us up had a lot of trouble finding the address. Once we got back, we dropped off the rakes and then walked to the student center to eat the pizza that the daughter had ordered for us.

A spring day that started with snow and ended up being a fantastic experience.