The Little Event is a multi-organizational, city-wide volunteering weekend that precursors the Big Event, which occurs during the spring semester. This annual event is hosted by Washburn on the second Saturday after school begins and this year the event took place on Aug. 28th.

“It [The Little Event] provides opportunities for students to go out into the community and volunteer,” said Shayden Hanes, Campus & Community Affairs Director of Washburn Student Government Association. “It’s a lot of different sites all over the community so they can see a lot of different aspects.”
Hanes helped organize the event and reached out to different nonprofits in order to truly get a community experience.
Students signed up for this event and were assigned to locations across Topeka. Locations included Central Park, Breakthrough Clubhouse, Brewster Place, Kansas Children’s Discovery Center and Parking Lot Picasso.
Organizations are also encouraged to sign up for this event. The Leadership Institute, WSGA and Sig-Ep members all came together to make a difference.
“We worked so hard and had a great time interacting with the Topeka community,” said Daniel Lopez, Leadership student and team leader for Saturday’s event. “Each of us appreciated getting out there because of the pandemic keeping us inside all the time.”
This event shows how Washburn students and community organizations can create strong relationships through partnership and community.

“I really like being able to feel selfless and the pride that you get knowing that you’re helping people and places that deserve it,” said Alex Seifert, a freshman social work major.
The Little Event had a lot of help from WSGA members, campus organizations, students and the Office of Student Involvement and Development.
With the support from the community and Washburn, the Little Event was successful in making a difference.

Edited by: Katrina Johnson and Madison Dean