BIG Event 3 is Coming to the Highlands!

SHREVEPORT, La. — Centenary College is gearing up again for the BIG Event!

On Saturday, March 20, Centenary College students, faculty, staff and alumni will canvass the Highland Historic District and help their neighbors with common household tasks while giving back to the community that has embraced the College for more than 100 years.

Event organizers have requested household jobs from residents that live near the College, such as scrapping and repainting shutters, raking, weeding, yard work, picking up trash, cleaning sidewalks, etc. Once the job list is compiled, the volunteers will set out and complete the entire task list. Last year, more than 30 residents of the Highlands area watched as their homes or yards were transformed by Centenary volunteers.

Student Director Jennifer Pate believes the BIG Event is important not only to Centenary, but to the community that surrounds the College.

Jennifer Pate

"Our community is close-knit, caring, and loyal," said Pate. "We have been taught to unselfishly look beyond ourselves and to reach out to the world. This becomes evident as soon as one steps onto campus; take a look at our curriculum, our passions, and our diversity. The Highlands have supported Centenary from the start, and therefore, not only must we continue to give back, but we greatly desire it. We want to build lasting connections with our neighbors, and aid in the restoration of a vital neighborhood."

Jennifer has been involved with the BIG Event the past three years and according to her, it has become engrained in who she is and the person she hopes to become. "Service to my fellow friend, neighbor, or acquaintance is not just a hobby, but a passion," she said. "It is an essential part of who I am. Each year in leading this event, I hope others become inspired. Inspired to serve, lead, and to help their fellow neighbor. The smiles of satisfaction at a project well done are always an extra bonus!"

For more information on the big event, e-mail email or visit http://www.centenary.edu/bigevent.

Members of the Centenary community can also go directly to sign up now.

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and is regularly rated as one of the top colleges in the South. In 2008 Centenary College celebrated 100 years in the Shreveport and Bossier City communities.