More than 2,000 students filed into The Pavilion early Saturday morning to participate in the largest community service project in Ole Miss history, the eighth annual Big Event.
Mary Morgan Coburn and Savannah Smith, this year’s co-directors, welcomed students and thanked them for volunteering.
“Our mission is simple: to show our gratitude to our community,” Coburn said. “It’s supposed to just be a fun day of service.”
Smith, who has participated in Big Event each year of her college career, said that similarly to what she has seen in the past, Ole Miss students go above and beyond to give back.
Anna Holt Shaw paints a fence for the Meisenheimer family during the annual Ole Miss Big Event this morning. The Big Event, Ole Miss’ largest community service project, allows students to come together to benefit the Lafeyette-Oxford community. Volunteers were spread out at an estimated 250 jobs today. Photo by Hannah Hurdle
“I think that the high number of volunteers who registered to serve on the day of really says a lot about how students in the Ole Miss community really want to give back and serve others,” Smith said.
Smith said she was happy with the way this year’s 250 registered projects turned out.
“This year honestly ran very smoothly,” Smith said. “We had a record number of projects in the community this year, and I think that it was a great success.”
Oxford native and Big Event group leader Carson Luke said she decided to participate in the Big Event because of how much the community means to her.
“It’s where my younger sister and cousins are growing up, and I want to do anything I can to keep it a beautiful place for them and the people that live here,” Luke said. “Being a resident of Oxford myself, I think students forget sometimes that Oxford isn’t just Ole Miss – it’s a community of families that deserve a beautiful town.”
Luke said she enjoys seeing the community come together to give back to her hometown.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to see the university and Oxford as one, and this meshes the two populations and lets the people of Oxford know that the students really do care about the community and want to be an active part,” Luke said.
Chelsea Boone paints a fence for an Oxford family during the Big Event on Saturday. Photo by Hannah Hurdle
Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said he was excited to be a part of the annual day of service and thanked the students for giving up their time to give back to a community that has given so much to them.
“I know it’s Saturday morning and it’s going to be a busy day, but we’re going to do some great things,” Vitter said.
The chancellor talked about how quickly the Big Event has grown and how he hopes to see it improve even more through the years.
“As Ole Miss Rebels, service and community engagements are key values to our institution because the impact that we make touches not only our community but really our nation collectively, and with these opportunities we have a responsibility to reach out and make a difference in our world,” Vitter said.
Mayor Robyn Tannehill said she was thankful to live in a community that had so many students who were willing and eager to give back.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Brandi Hephner Labanc (right) tills dirt with students outside the Lafayette County Fire Department. The Big Event, Ole Miss’ largest community service project, allows students to come together to benefit the Lafeyette-Oxford community. Volunteers were spread out at an estimated 250 jobs. Photo by Ariel Cobbert
“Students are such a vital part of the Oxford community, and it’s so important to leave things better than you found it, and that is what you’re doing today,” Tannehill said. “You learn a lot of stuff while you’re in college about your major, about how to move forward in a career, but you’re also learning over these four years how important it is to be a good citizen.”
Head football coach Matt Luke was also in attendance to thank the students for their time and to remind them of the importance of giving back to their community.
“Part of what makes Ole Miss special is Oxford, and part of what makes Oxford special is Ole Miss,” Luke said. “It really is a community, and we are a family.”
Luke agreed with the mayor and said students should strive to improve a place like the university as much as possible during their time spent there.
Jack Blumenthal and Haughton Mann wash County Fire Station 15’s trucks during Big Event on Saturday. Photo by Jeanne Torp
“One of my definitions of success is – and I tell my players this all the time – you have to leave a place better than you found it,” he said. “Everybody here knows that Ole Miss is special because of the tight-knit community, and what you’re doing today is just going to help that.”
Ole Miss’ Big Event is the largest day of volunteer service in the state of Mississippi.
