Go Baby Go
Go Baby Go is a national, community-based research, design and outreach program focused on providing accessible, inexpensive and common-sense solutions for movement modification for children with limited mobility. This student-led organization benefits the children, their families and caregivers, student-volunteers and co-directors Lynn Hollaway from the occupational therapy (OT) department, Sandra Kemper from the speech and communication disorders department (CSD), and Leah Lowe from the physical therapy (PT) department.
The organization began at UCA in 2021 after community partner Arkansas Children’s Hospital approached Hollaway with the idea of making the modified cars for children with mobility limitations. Student volunteers from the different departments enthusiastically began work on establishing the program, and the first annual “Get Your Keys” event was held the following April, 2022.
The children who benefit from these specialized cars get to move and play, many for the first time. Their parents and caregivers get to see joy in the children’s faces while their core memories are being developed. Student volunteers benefit from seeing their work come to fruition and the impact it has, in addition to training on teams and learning how to provide comprehensive care to patients in the future. Co-directors of the event observe student leadership and experiential education in action as children move and cheers come from delighted faces all around, knowing that they have done much more than assist in building cars for kids — they are building a better standard of health care in Arkansas.
The Big Event
The Big Event at UCA is a student-led organization that provides volunteer services to complete projects submitted by Conway community members. This annual event takes place on the second Saturday of March, with student volunteers, faculty and staff going out into the community and completing services including clean-up, yard work, painting and small renovations at no cost to the community members.
The Big Event was started at UCA in 2014 by alumna Kaitlyn Thompson Chisena ’16, ’18, after attending a student leadership conference at Texas A&M, where Joe Nussbaum founded it in 1982. In 2018, The Big Event marked its first year as a Recognized Student Organization (RSO) on campus. This past spring, the organization grew to include 770 UCA volunteers and 85 job sites around Conway.
The Big Event takes applications from Conway residents around winter break. Then, the committee members sort through the requests, form job assignments and estimate the number and type of tools needed. When event day arrives, volunteers meet with their assigned groups on UCA’s campus, gather their supplies and go out into the community to serve.
Supported by volunteers, donations and community partners, this RSO is dedicated to “giving back to the Conway community through selfless acts of service,” said The Big Event’s president, Madison Speight. “We want to connect UCA students with the Conway community and give back to the town that gives so much to us throughout the school year and beyond.”
Meal Packing
Co-hosted by UCA’s Office for First Year Experience and Living Learning Communities, the Meal Packing event took place Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in the Thomas Courtway Student Recreation Center. The goal was to pack 100,000 meals to be distributed by community partner Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), a nonprofit organization founded in 1987 that combats childhood hunger around the world. Tacos 4 Life sponsors the event.
Executive Director of the Office of Outreach and Community Engagement Lesley Graybeal and Director of First Year Experience Lindsey Shurley have been collaborating to host this event on campus for several years. The first meal-packing event was held in fall 2022, and it has since become an annual event every fall. And, it continues to grow each year.
“The event has definitely grown over time, and last year, for the first time, we were able to pack more than 100,000 meals, and have grown from 192 volunteers in 2023 to more than 300 in 2024 and 2025,” Graybeal said.
Shurley said the event also benefits UCA’s first-year students by allowing them to make connections to each other and the community.
“Our first-year students, particularly, are looking for a community, especially those first few weeks on campus. It creates an opportunity for those students to spend two hours working together, talking to each other and creating a shared experience. Students get to work towards a common goal here on campus and have an impact on the global community,” Shurley said.
Relay for Life
Relay for Life (Colleges Against Cancer), established at UCA in 2012, is a volunteer-based Recognized Student Organization (RSO) that raises funds for the American Cancer Society and spreads awareness about cancer on campus and in the local community. The committee organizes numerous awareness and fundraising events throughout the year, hosting more than 20 in 2025.
This year’s Relay for Life walk was held on Saturday, April 5, 2025, with the theme “Get in the Game: Find a Cure.” The 2024-25 event committee was comprised of 54 students and led by seven members of the executive board. They obtained nearly $8,000 in sponsorships from 23 businesses in Conway and surrounding areas, raising $25,729.19 for the year. Relay for Life has raised a total of $175,466.17 during its time on campus, all going to the American Cancer Society to further awareness and research.
Relay for Life was presented the CLAWS award at UCA’s Board of Trustees meeting in May of 2025. CLAWS, an acronym for Celebrating the Lofty Achievements of Our Wonderful Students, is awarded to one or more exceptional students or recognized student organizations.
Laney Sellers, 2024-25 Relay for Life president, said, “This was a great honor and testament to the growth that Relay for Life has experienced over the years,” she continued as she reflected on this amazing organization. “Cancer has touched the lives of so many people and left devastation in its path. As an organization and a community, we are able to come together and fight against this disease with the hope of a future where no one has to hear the words ‘You have cancer.’”