It only takes a little to BE BIG, especially during National Volunteer Week! For more than 30 years, National Volunteer Week has been a time to celebrate people doing extraordinary things through service. Do you make regular volunteer commitments? We’ve got some great tips on Scholastic.com for parents; you might also want to take a look at a recent study that shows how kids and teens who are exposed to character education tend to volunteer more.

Meanwhile, National Volunteer Week is the perfect opportunity to BE BIG In Your Community, whether it’s helping your neighbor take out the garbage or coming up with a BIG Idea to help teens get ready for college — just like the 2011 BE BIG In Your Community Contest first place winner, Atnreakn Alleyne and team, did.

Atnreakn’s BIG Idea is to help prepare underrepresented students for college with quality preparation, advising, resources and leadership development to attain higher education and leadership opportunities. BIG or small, what matters is that you are helping make your community a better place for everyone!

If you love the idea of volunteering but aren’t sure how to get started, HandsOn Network, our partner in the Clifford BE BIG Campaign, has action centers all over the country that can help you get involved. Click here for more information!

And, if you have your own BIG Idea, we want to hear it! Enter the 2012 BE BIG In Your Community Contest today for a chance to bring your BIG Idea to life with a $5,000 community grant! – Caitlin Sweeny, Scholastic Media