The Big Event Returns to Pittsburg 

By Luke Geier

PITTSBURG, KAN — Pittsburg State University students gather outside of the Crossland Technology Center, the starting point for the day of citywide community service ahead. 

Members of the Student Government Association hand rakes, trash bags and other yard work equipment to cars filled with groups of volunteers, all of whom are eager to get to work. 

They are headed to homes across Pittsburg whose owners signed up to receive free lawn and home services. At the sites, 314 volunteers rake leaves, mulch, clean flower beds and complete a variety of other tasks directed by the 40 homeowners who signed up for the event. 

Appropriately titled the “Big Event,” the annual tradition is Pitt State’s largest day of service, serving as a bridge between the residential and college communities. It returned this April for the 23rd consecutive year. 

Terry Bartlow and his wife are longtime residents of Pittsburg and have been using the service for 3 years. Bartlow said that his age is a growing factor as to why he keeps signing up for the event year after year. 

“I have gotten a little older,” Bartlow said. “I’m fairly physically fit, but it’s nice to have the college kids come out and give me a hand. I can’t tell you how much my wife and I appreciate it.” 

Bartlow said the event is a great opportunity for elderly residents to receive yard care services that they may not be able to complete by themselves. He also said the event gives them the chance to speak with college students. 

“I think it’s just an excellent program to help some of the elders here in town,” Bartlow said. “I think it’s also very refreshing to meet and get to mingle with the college kids, and they’ve just done an excellent job. They’re so nice to be around.” 

Terry and his wife, Janice, are retired teachers and have together taught in several schools in Pittsburg. They said that they love the event to be able to speak with former students who now attend Pitt State. 

“We’ve met a lot of students that have come out to work that we’ve had on either a high school level, or junior high, or grade school level while we’ve been teaching here in Pittsburg,” Bartlow said. “It’s been kind of nice renewing some of our friendships with some of those kids.” 

At Pittsburg State, there are more than 150 registered clubs on campus, including Greek life fraternity and sorority organizations, academic organizations, cultural organizations, religious groups and service-oriented clubs.  

At one house, members of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity participated in a yard cleanup, raking leaves and removing weeds from a home’s yard. 

Junior Student Gavin Holmberg was one of the fraternity members who signed up and said that the event is beneficial not only for recipients but also for students participating. 

“I think the Big Event’s really about helping the community where people need help and extra support with lawn work and just taking care of their house,” Holmberg said. “It gives the campus a reason to go out and do some community service, and it also benefits everybody since people are getting their houses worked on. And then we’re also getting some community service hours and some free food out of it.” 

In addition to serving the community, Holmberg said the event is a great chance for the community to build a stronger connection with Pittsburg State. 

“I think it’s honestly building more trust in the school,” Holmberg said, “seeing that the school isn’t just a place for people to go and get an education and party. It’s also a place where people care about the community. They want to come back and help out where they can.” 

PSU Student Government Vice President Darrel McLeod said the event brings together the school and community. 

“Going out and just helping your average homeowner bridges the gap a lot,” McLeod said. “Getting that chance to go and speak to them and spend two to three hours with them.” 

As a member of the Big Event committee, McLeod says that a lot of work goes into preparing for the day of service. This year, five students in the SGA were responsible for organizing the event. 

“There’s a lot of logistics that go behind it, just making sure that homeowners get the adequate help that they need,” McLeod said. “I had a situation where I went up and talked to one of our homeowners, actually, and she just flat out said, ‘I’ll need probably seven or eight people here,’ and I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll put that down.’” 

While McLeod did not deny the workload that the event brings, he said that it’s always rewarding in the end. 

“It’s a lot of work,” McLeod said. “There’s a lot of moving parts to it, but when it all comes together, it’s worth it.”