LSU Mobilizes More than 1,600 Volunteers through Geaux BIG Baton Rouge
May 2017
Leadership LSU Students serving at the Family and Youth Service Center
LSU held its fifth annual Geaux BIG Baton Rouge on Saturday, April 1st. Geaux BIG
Baton Rouge is implemented and planned by an LSU student organization by the same
name, and is supported and advised by LSU Campus Life.
LSU President F. King Alexander, Vice President of Student Affairs Kurt Keppler and
Baton Rouge Metro Councilwoman Barbara Freiberg were present for the kickoff.
Approximately 1,690 LSU student, faculty and staff volunteers donated their time
and energy to provide support to over 70 different sites in the Greater Baton Rouge
area.
Homeowners and nonprofits across East Baton Rouge Parish submitted requests for help
completing a variety of jobs in fall 2016. Geaux BIG Baton Rouge organizers assessed
each site to develop work plans and to mitigate safety concerns, and volunteers were
divided into teams suited to each site’s needs. According to the Independent Sector’s
2016 data, this single day of service will provided a benefit to the local economy
equivalent to more than $115,000.
“I am proud to have seen first-hand the impact that Geaux BIG has had on the Baton
Rouge community in my time at LSU and am excited to see the positive results Geaux
BIG will bring to the community this year and in the future,” said Chris Fuqua, executive
director of Geaux BIG Baton Rouge 2017.
Geaux BIG Baton Rouge is an organization that plans and implements the largest single-day
service event at LSU that unites the university community and Baton Rouge residents
through service in order to express appreciation for the community’s support. Campus
Life enhances student learning through innovative initiatives that enrich the student
experience through three tenets: leadership, service and involvement.
This article is adapted from a press release by LSU’s Alison Satake. For the original article, please visit: http://www.lsu.edu/mediacenter/news/2017/03/31campuslife_geauxbig2017.php