The Ole Miss community is gearing up for Saturday’s Big Event, the largest day of community service in the state of Mississippi. For the eighth year in a row, students will complete service projects throughout the Oxford and Lafayette communities.
Approximately 2,150 volunteers are registered for this year’s event. Big Event executive directors are expecting walk-in volunteers as well. Volunteers will offer community service such as painting a daycare at a church, landscaping, cleaning Plein Air and Whirlpool Trails, as well as raking leaves.
Big Event co-director and senior public policy leadership major Savannah Smith said volunteering for the Big Event allows people to be a part of something bigger than themselves while meeting other students and members of the community.
“All year long, the people of Oxford are so wonderful about welcoming us to their community,” Smith said. “This is just a small way that we get to show our appreciation for that. Also, you get to meet so many other Ole Miss students and Oxford community members.”
Though many of the event’s volunteers have participated before, others will volunteer for the first time. Sophomore psychology major Kayla Kehoe is a first-time volunteer. Kehoe said her goal is to make whatever impact she can.
“I wanted to participate in the Big Event to be more involved in the Oxford community,” Kehoe said. “My goal is to make an impact while helping, even if it is only a small amount.”
This large community service project got its start when Ole Miss students and staff visited College Station, Texas, in 2010. Inspired by Texas A&M’s “Big Event,” the students and staff wanted to bring that same idea to Oxford. More than 1,200 students participated in the first Ole Miss Big Event, and it has grown substantially over the years.
Community members who would like volunteers to work on a project must undergo an approval process, according to Smith. Once a project is submitted, a project subcommittee decides whether to include it in the Big Event.
Senior English education major Anna Traylor will serve as a group leader during this year’s Big Event. Traylor said when she came to Ole Miss her freshman year, she was excited to have the opportunity to participate in such a large community service project.
“I’ve always really enjoyed community service in all forms, and the Big Event was such a new and unique concept to me when I came to Ole Miss,” Traylor said. “A whole student body coming together to give back to an entire community just astounded me, and I wanted to become a bigger part of it and encourage other students to participate in it, too.”
The concept of having a large community service project has spread nationwide since these events began cropping up in college towns. Many other universities participate in the Big Event, including Monmouth University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Towson University, the University of Oklahoma and many more.
Traylor said that volunteering in the Big Event is a hallmark of being an Ole Miss student.
“You just can’t be in a bad mood on the day of the Big Event. That’s the best part – there’s a contagious attitude of positivity throughout the entire day, and no matter if there’s rain or shine, you roll with the punches,” Traylor said. “It’s the best day to be an Ole Miss student.”
