articipants work during Big Event in March. Photo: Thomas Graning, The Daily Mississippian
Today marks the beginning of The University of Mississippi’s first annual One Big Week, a weeklong occasion promoting UM’s Big Event and community service within the city of Oxford.
The idea for One Big Week originated in January of this year. Over the past 11 months, the Big Event’s 19 student committee members have been hard at work coordinating the activity-packed week.
“The main goal of One Big Week is to instill the importance of service in our students,” Director Kristin Volker said. “We all lead such busy lives that sometimes we forgot how easy service truly is. We’re hoping through One Big Week we can provide an outlet for service for our students through our Community Service Spotlights.”
Each day this week, a new Spotlight Service Project will be offered for students to participate in.
Today’s project is Habitat for Humanity, an organization dedicated to building homes for people in need. Tuesday will focus on Love Packs, a program whose mission is to provide backpacks full of food for children so they don’t go hungry. Wednesday’s spotlight is on Oxford’s own Leap Frog, a tutoring and enrichment program for local at-risk elementary students.
The week will wrap up with Thursday’s Service Spotlight on the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society.
“These organizations will be at our Union table giving information about how you can volunteer with us this semester, or even into next semester if you’re looking for more of a standing service commitment,” co-director Madison Coburn said.
Coburn and Volker hope students can do their part to make sure One Big Week is a success.
“One thing we really would appreciate from all students, especially student organizations, is promotion through social media,” Coburn said. “Just sharing our links, sharing our videos, changing their banners, changing their profile pictures. That’s one really easy way we would encourage students to help us out.”
Freshman integrated marketing and communications major Rachael Holman is excited about the opportunity to become involved with One Big Week.
“Being a freshman, I don’t know that much about the Big Event,” Holman said. “I’m looking forward to participating in One Big Week and learning more about what I can do to give back to the community.”
As part of One Big Week, the Big Event committee will host an informational meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Union 404.
“We would love to have 400 students there, but if we have six there, at least we’ve taught some new students about what the Big Event is and how they can get involved,” Coburn said.
Volker and Coburn are highly optimistic about achieving their goals this year for One Big Week and the Big Event, which is scheduled to be held in March.
“We’re hoping to raise about $22,000 this year, and we’re hoping to get 3,000 student volunteers and 250 or so service projects to send these students to,” Volker said. “We have very high hopes this year, but with our awesome committee and all of the students that are dedicated to service, I know that we can do it.”
— Lacey Russell
llrusse2@go.olemiss.edu
