The Big Event

(May 8, 2011) Through the more than twenty five year sister cities relation with Kameoka the people in both communities have shared a great deal about their culture and customs with people in their sister city. One area where we in Stillwater have excelled has been in volunteering.  Japanese culture encourages giving back when someone does something for someone else. During the years OSU-K existed in Kameoka the OSU faculty teaching there offered to present lectures, teach conversational English and other things without receiving anything in return but there was almost always something given back, either a gift or money. But through the years our friends in Kameoka have seen the spirit of volunteering so prevalent in our culture. Recently many senior citizens in Stillwater were the recipients of hours of volunteer help by hundreds of OSU students. The Big Event which was held on April 16 and is a time when many students from across campus go out into the community and give of their time and energy to help in whatever they’re ask. On that day five young women came to our home and did a great job in raking and bagging leaves, cutting and bagging trimmings from shrubs and bamboo, cleaning flower beds and cleaning rain gutters. All five are freshman, four of the five are engineering students, and three of the five are out of state students so they had no real reason to go out on that day other that the fact they are young people with a lot of class and a giving spirit. The five were Heidi Stair and Chelsea Cantrell  from Claremore, Rebecca Purvis from Houston, Stephanie Wegener from McKinney, Texas and Justyne  McMath from Fort Sumner, New Mexico.  They are but five of hundreds of kind and caring OSU students but they are the five that came to our home and touched our lives that day and we thank them very much.