The Big Event at Virginia Tech is a student-run community service effort that has grown into the 2nd largest event of its kind in the nation over the past 13 years. Every spring, thousands of students, faculty, and staff come together to complete hundreds of community service projects throughout Blacksburg, Christiansburg and the New River Valley.

Projects are completed regardless of need or socioeconomic status; instead, it is The Big Event’s goal to simply say, “Thank you.” Seeded in our university’s motto of Ut Prosim (That I may serve) students and community members come together for a truly unparalleled experience.This year we expect to have over 1,100 projects completed by 7,100 student volunteers like yourself.

The Big Event: “One Big Day. One Big Thanks.”

Volunteer registration will open up mid-January, usually around the time that Spring Classes start. While you’ll be able to signup until about late March, try to register as early as you can!

On our registration page, click “Create a Group”. This effectively makes you the team captain, thereby you will be responsible for inviting people to join your group, accept requests from people who want to join your group, and attend the team captain meeting.

Yes, the more the merrier! Follow the same process that you would if you were a student. However, when asked for your “PID”, create a unique username and when it asks for your “ID number”, put your cell phone number.

You can sign up as many participants as you wish. However, we may split your group into two or more projects depending on its size. Any teams with only one member will be merged into the individuals group when registration closes.

Yes, all individuals will be placed together and complete jobs.

You have no responsibilities (other than to form your team!) until team captain meetings. Each team captain needs to attend one meeting. Team captain meetings are held in the GLC Auditorium on the following dates:

Mon Apr 6, 2015: 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Tue Apr 7, 2015: 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Thu Apr 9, 2015: 8:00pm – 9:00pm

This set of numbers and letters (such as 11A2B-00001), similar to a password, allows you to immediately join a premade team. The team captain is given the access upon creating his/her team, and it is included in their welcome email. You can enter the access code on our registration page under “Join a Group”.

In our registration page under “Join a Group”, click “Request to Join Group” and you can choose a group based on team name. Note: Your team captain will have to approve your request to join his/her team. Once they approve you, you will receive an email with instructions on signing up.

Most are yard work such as raking, shoveling, mulching, etc. No power tools or ladders will be used, and all of our projects are pre-checked to ensure safety for all volunteers. Some could be inside such as cleaning, window washing, etc. Please dress appropriately.

You will work for a maximum of four hours. Typically, you will arrive at the work site around 11 AM and thus work until 3 PM at the latest. The homeowners are aware that you are not supposed to work longer than that allotted amount of time. Once the job is completed, you can return your tools at the drillfield and you’re done!

Yes! When you register as a volunteer, it will ask if you need any special accommodations. If you are allergic to any pets or have a disability, be sure to list it here. We will then match your team to a suitable project.

Yes, if your team needs a ride, we can drive you to and from your project. We do ask that groups provide their own transportation if they are able as this will reduce the amount of time groups wait for a ride from The Big Event.

You may want to bring a water bottle to stay hydrated. But no, all tools will be provided based on what your project recipient has requested. Remember that you are not allowed to use ANY power tools while at your project. This includes but is not limited to: lawn mowers, weed whackers, drills, leaf blowers, and so forth.

Unfortunately, if there is bad weather at the discretion of The Big Event Executive Committee, the event will be cancelled and not be made up.

Yes, after The Big Event has concluded, email us at bigevent@vt.edu and we’ll get you covered.

Email bigevent@vt.edu. All inquiries will be handled within 24 hours.

We will pair you to a job that has been requested through our website. All jobs that are assigned have been checked and approved by our staff. You will find out your assigned job on the day-of The Big Event during check-in on the drillfield.

When the team leader is starting the team, they can invite up to 50 email addresses to join their team at a time. If you try to enter more than 50, it will create the group without a team captain and cause an error. Please avoid this by inviting people in batches of 50 or less, or only send yourself an invite and then forward it to your listserve.