BIG Event 2026: UToledo Students Give Back to the Community
- Laila Drummond
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
By: Lauren York
TOLEDO, Ohio – While most college students may spend a Saturday morning catching up on sleep, hundreds of UToledo Rockets were awake and ready to work at 9:30 a.m. The Student Recreation Center's basketball courts were transformed into a room filled with high-energy chatter and volunteer spirit.
BIG Event 2026 the largest service day of the year.
For a majority of volunteers in attendance, ‘One Big Day, One Big Thanks’ isn’t just a slogan; it’s a mission. From local community gardens to the porches of long-time Toledo residents, the impact of the day is measured in more than just hours worked–it is seen in the strong bonds between the university and the city.
Vanessa Heck, President of the 2026 BIG Event, transferred to UToledo during her freshman year, and fell in love with the event. She noted that the day is about giving back the hospitality shown to students.
“The Toledo community supports us all year long, so we really love getting to come together and say thank you to them,” Heck said. “They do so much for us, they show so much hospitality, and so, we're just really grateful for all their support, and it's also just a great way to give back to the community in general.”
The event involved dispatching volunteers to about 20 different job sites across the community. A form was provided online for anyone in need of volunteers.
The impact of the day was felt deeply at local community landm arks like the Bancroft Hills neighborhood and various community gardens. At one garden, UToledo alumni Allison Wood’osmun and Curt Osmun watched as students tackled the “labor of love” that keeps their neighborhood gathering space thriving.
“I love the UT BIG Event because they come here and do this work for the neighborhood and the whole city,” Wood’osmun said.
Toledo Grows, which is the non-profit organization Wood’osmun is part of, has served the community since 2011. Their gardens provide open produce beds and a “sharing shack” for the local homeless population. Having younger people show up to help maintain such a crucial resource is, as she puts it, “great.”
Some students had a late night with the basketball game the night before, and were up well past midnight. Despite this, the enthusiasm remained high with the volunteers.
“Getting up early just shows my dedication, or my entire chapter’s dedication, to helping out in the Toledo area,” Zach Worden, Vice President of Programming for Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Working in the Bancroft Hills neighborhood, just behind the engineering campus, made the service feel personal.
“In my opinion, all service is good, but service near Toledo is pretty important to me. It makes me feel more connected,” Worden said.
Similarly, Kaydence Sheldon, Community Service Director for Chi Omega, mentioned that the event shifts the perspective of being a student.
“It helps a lot to be able to see the whole community come together to help out for just one big cause,” Sheldon said.
Dr. Sammy Spann, Vice Provost and Dean of Students, has seen the event grow through the years. Inspired by a Texas A&M model, the program started at UToledo in 2001 with around 200 volunteers and has now more than doubled in size.
“The BIG Event connects our students to our community,” Dr. Spann said. “Our mission to improve the human condition and to do more is absolutely what is embedded in these students today. I’m proud of them for showing ‘Rocket Love’ to our community.”
As the clock struck 2 p.m. and the tools were packed away, the physical work was complete, but the community connection remained. The impact of the BIG Event is measured in more than just hours worked–it is seen in the strong bonds between a university and the city it calls home.