The Big Event will provide community service Oct. 18 in Lawrence
LAWRENCE — To foster a greater connection between the University of Kansas and the Lawrence area, The Big Event at KU will stage a day of engagement and service next month. There are several ways that KU students, faculty and staff can get involved to say thank you to the surrounding community.
The Big Event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 18, with volunteers meeting at the Burge Union before dispersing to job sites. Volunteers may sign up as a group to represent their area of interest or as an individual to be paired with others. All volunteers receive a T-shirt, free breakfast and four community service hours.
Job site recruitment
The Big Event is non-need based and accepts job sites from across the Lawrence community including homes, agencies, businesses and parks. Any faculty or staff member not enrolled as a full-time student at KU is eligible to receive service from The Big Event if they are within the city of Lawrence. Volunteers can complete any job that does not involve power tools and are safe to complete. Jobs typically include gardening, yard work, cleaning out garages, painting and similar tasks. Complete the job site registration to receive service or join our newsletter to stay in touch for the spring event April 18, 2026.
Volunteer itinerary for The Big Event
9 a.m.: Volunteers arrive to the Burge Union and check.
9:30 a.m.: Groups will head down to the tool area based on their job site number, and event organizers will collect contact information from one group member.
10 a.m.: All groups should be heading to their job site.
At this time, photographers and videographers will meet at the stage to receive site addresses for locations where partners have agreed to have media present for marketing purposes.
2 p.m.: Volunteers will wrap up their work at their assigned job site and return to the Burge Union to return any tools used. Some groups may finish early but will still receive four community service hours.
To learn more about The Big Event, contact Hannah Smith, executive director, at tbe@ku.edu. Learn more about volunteering on The Big Event website and follow The Big Event on Instagram.
About The Big Event at KU
The Big Event is a non-need-based student group that connects the KU campus with the Lawrence community by hosting KU’s largest single day of service. By recruiting thousands of student, faculty, and staff volunteers to work at hundreds of local job sites during one day of service, Jayhawks are able to say thank you to the community that surrounds them all year. The Big Event volunteers provide a helping hand to Lawrence residents, businesses and organizations by completing projects in their neighborhoods.
About The KU Memorial Unions
The KU Memorial Unions, a not-for-profit affiliate of KU, operates the KU Bookstores, KU Dining, KU Event Services and KU Union Programs. Its major campus facilities include the Kansas Union, the Burge Union and the DeBruce Center. Proceeds resulting from Union services are reinvested into KU student initiatives. For more information about the KU Memorial Unions or any of its services, please call Jack Kredo at (785) 864-2592.