A little snow couldn’t stop Ut Prosim in Blacksburg. As we celebrate 15 years of The Big Event, we’d like to say thank you to all the volunteers, committee, and exec that made this past weekend possible.

See the official recap video:

See our story in The Roanoke Times: http://bit.ly/1N4b5vx

Photos & Video by our Visual Communications Team (Robbie Ashton, Katherine Fairbanks and Stephen Edelmann)


Saturday, 12:00pm UPDATE: Thank you to the thousands of Hokies who came to the drillfield this morning for One Big Day, One Big Thanks. We are incredibly proud to live out Ut Prosim by giving back to the community, even on a day like today, typical Blacksburg weather, with bursts of snow and sunshine. If you are a resident with a project and have not heard from your team, please call 540-440-1244 and speak with someone at our headquarters.

Saturday, 8:30am UPDATE: The forecast appears to be cooperating with us. Volunteers, please check-in to the Project Tent and visit with sponsors by 10:00am. Opening Ceremonies start at 10:00am and tool distribution is from 10:35am - 10:45am. We encourage you to layer up in many layers and we look forward to a great day! Thank you so much for your support!

Saturday, 7:30am UPDATE: The safety of our volunteers is our primary concern. We continue to monitor the weather and will make a decision at 8:30am. We have no plans to cancel at this time. We will post all updates on our website. We appreciate your understanding in this matter and we look forward to a great day! Thank you so much for your support.

Saturday, 5:00am UPDATE: The Big Event begins with registration at 9 AM. Please give yourself ample time to scrape your car of any light snow that may have stuck overnight. We look forward to seeing all 9,200 Hokies giving back to over 1,200 residents.

Bundle up in layers and we will see you at 9am on the Drillfield!


The Big Event is this Saturday, April 9th! We look forward to serving you this weekend. Here are a few important reminders for the day-of. Please also note that we are receiving hundreds of emails and calls and we are responding as quickly as possible. Please read carefully below, which may answer any questions.

Day of Logistics

  • Volunteers will arrive between 11am - 12pm
  • Volunteers can stay and work for up to 4 hours
  • Volunteers will bring all requested tools with them
  • NO POWER TOOLS ARE ALLOWED
  • If there are any issues on the day-of, please call our Headquarters at (540) 440-1244

Weather

Currently the forecast is calling for a cold, windy day with a chance of precipitation. The Big Event is NOT cancelled at this time and will only get cancelled if the weather becomes dangerous for volunteers.

If your project cannot be completed in cold weather, we suggest looking for other tasks volunteers could complete inside such as washing windows or basic indoor cleaning. We have told the volunteers to dress appropriately for the weather so most outdoor projects should go on as planned. With that being said, please take the well-being of volunteers into account. Please give volunteers ample time to warm up while working at the job site.

A Few Disclaimers

  • The homeowner must be on-site this Saturday, volunteers cannot work at a job site that has nobody present.
  • If the project requires digging, call Miss Utility at 811
  • Students can only use ladders up to one story and they cannot us power tools

If you have any more questions visit our homeowner FAQ section at vtbigevent.org/residents/faq.


Even with the colder than usual weather, it is very imperative that your entire team shows up to the drillfield as over 1,200 residents are relying on Hokies to live out Ut Prosim. Each volunteer and team has already been matched to jobs and no-show teams reflect very poorly on Virginia Tech and The Big Event.

Preparing for The Big Event

- It will be cold and windy outside so please dress appropriately. Some jobs will occur outdoors, but feel free to take breaks and warm up while working on your project.
- Bring water
- Coordinate where your group will meet the morning of (be as specific as possible!)

Check-In On Saturday

- Check-in is at 9am sharp at the large tent in front of War Memorial Hall
- Check-in tent is divided by the first letter of your team name

Fun Things on the Drillfield

  • FREE t-shirts for all volunteers!
  • Photo Booth
    • Come take pictures with your team!
  • Sponsors Booths (stop by to get free things):
    • The Retreat / Terrace View / Campus Cookies / Coca Cola
  • Opening Ceremonies
    • The Low Techs
    • President Sands
    • Vice President, Dr. Perillo
    • Blacksburg Mayor, Ron Rordam
    • The Big Event Directors

Perks of Being a Volunteer

April 9th: Buy 3 Cupcakes get 1 Free at Gobble Cakes
April 9th: 10% off at Green’s
April 9th-16th: 25% off at Sycamore Deli
More to be added, stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter for updates!

*Must be wearing Big Event t-shirt*

The team captain’s meeting powerpoint is located here: http://vtbigevent.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Team-Captains-Meeting-PP-2016.pdf

Please review it and if you have any questions and check out our FAQ here: http://vtbigevent.org/volunteer/faq

We look forward to seeing you Saturday!