Leaves falling in Big Rapids signify that it’s time for students to group up, grab a rake and give back to the community.
Rake N’ Run, which was held on Oct. 26, is an annual event in which students volunteer to rake the yards of residents of Big Rapids.
The Student Alumni Gold Club (SAGC) makes the event possible by organizing and planning every detail of the event.
Nuclear medicine technology senior Jeremy Heinrch is the head of the Rake N Run committee and is in charge of making sure everything goes smoothly.
“I think that Rake N’ Run is so successful because of the fact that everyone wants to volunteer to help out our community,” Heinrich said. “It just makes you feel really good when you see the look on the person’s face when you ask if you can rake their yard for them. They are genuine and grateful.”
So many students participate in Rake N’ Run that Heinrich said it was like the “fall version of the Big Event.” Rake N’ Run is a simple way for students to get involved outside of campus, which isn’t always prioritized in the busy schedule of a college student.
“Not often does an entire campus come together. What is even more special is the fact that we are uniting to help the community around us,” plastics engineering sophomore Andrew Klarecki said.
Big Rapids residents aren’t told when Rake N’ Run is going to take place, so it immediately brightens their day to have students show up and clean up their yard for them.
“I find Rake N’ Run enjoyable because it is a random act of kindness Ferris students can give,” senior biology student Mel Kocefas said.
Heinrich said that the Big Rapids residents they help out are always appreciative.
“Last year, we got a number of letters and emails from people throughout the community thanking SAGC for putting on the event,” Heinrich said. “I’m just glad that I can say that I’ve done my part to make the Big Rapids community better.”
When it’s not Rake N’ Run season, students in SAGC are active on campus in other ways though the student leadership program.
“We kind of bridge the gap between alumni and current students at Ferris,” Heinrich said.
SAGC members volunteer at many events on campus, especially ones directed at Ferris alumni. Aside from Rake N’ Run, SAGC hosts Philanthropy Day and Cover the Seal, an event that raises money for the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
“I joined SAGC my sophomore year, and since then I have gained a lot of best friends and mentors,” Heinrich said. “The networking opportunities that SAGC offers has opened so many doors for me that I cannot begin to count them.”
SAGC members are extremely proud of the work that they do and to be a part of an organization they love so much.
“The SAGC offers students a chance to stand out from the student body and make a name for themselves,” Klarecki said. “Being the face of the student body for the alumni association, I get to remind people what it is to be a Bulldog. That is something I take great pride in.”