Texas A&M University School of Law students, faculty and staff and their families participated in the law school’s fourth Big Event on March 4. This annual service project is an opportunity for Texas A&M Law to say "Thank You" and give back to the community.
More than 200 volunteers worked at 10 sites around Fort Worth: Boys and Girls Club; Salvation Army; One Safe Place; Liberty House; Fort Worth Parks; Fort Worth Botanic Garden; Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge; Rolling Hills Tree Farm; Morningside Children's Partnership; and Catholic Charities.
3L Laura Falco, this year’s Aggie Law Big Event Director, said this was the law school’s largest turnout since starting this tradition in 2014. She said the community really enjoys seeing the law school out and about helping those in need and with different service projects.
“Each group [of volunteers] may have a different experience, but they all feel the same seeing the looks on the faces of those who we help,” she said. “It is truly selfless service.”
Morningside Elementary was especially excited to see the students, she added.
The law school started its Big Event project the week leading up to March 4 by adopting Morningside Elementary, said Shawna Smith, Program Coordinator for Student Affairs.
“Some of our student volunteers went to Morningside on March 2 to bring over 200 donated children’s books for their Dr. Seuss birthday event,” she said.
This year was Smith’s second event, and she said she anticipates it getting better every year.
“I’m already excited to see what we accomplish in 2018,” she said.
For those who didn’t volunteer this year, Falco strongly encourages everyone to at least consider it.
“If you talk to anyone who has participated in Big Event before they can tell you that it is such a great event to be a part of because you get to help give back to the community,” she said. “It's always a fun time doing community service with fellow law students.”
About the Big Event
The Big Event is an Aggie tradition. Now the largest one-day, student-run service project in the nation, the Big Event started at the College Station campus 34 years ago with six Aggie undergraduate students. In 2016, more than 22,700 Aggies participated system-wide. The Big Event has expanded across the country and around the globe with 110 other schools in the United States and schools in Europe, Australia and Pakistan participating. Learn more.
Exemplifying the Aggie core value of selfless service, The Big Event provides students, faculty, staff and their families with the opportunity to give back to the community in order to thank them for their support of the school.
The Big Event is organized and run by students.
More photos available on our Facebook album.
- Article by Jennifer Nassar, Communications Specialist, Texas A&M University School of Law