USM preps for annual Big Event

More than 850 University of Southern Mississippi students will be scattered across the Pine Belt Saturday morning for a day of community-wide service at the fourth annual Big Event. 

“The Big Event is a great way for Southern Miss students to give back to the Hattiesburg community,” said event codirector and senior Julia Bradley. “It shows our student body’s commitment to our community through devoting a Saturday morning to serve Hattiesburg.” 

The SGA-sponsored event, which begins at 8 a.m. on Pride Field and will last until about 12:30 p.m., will end with a lunch provided for volunteers. Students who registered to participate will be volunteering both on and off campus, at such locations as Edwards Street Food Pantry, the Salvation Army, Southern Pines Animal Shelter, Thames Elementary School and several other locations. 

“We are overwhelmingly excited about the number of volunteers this year,” Bradley said. “This event thrives on participation and support. Southern Miss students have once again backed the Big Event so we can effectively serve the Hattiesburg community.”

For codirector and junior Jacob Barry, the day of service means doing something for the community he’s come to love.

“I wanted to directly help the students do something,” Barry said. “It is a way to show Hattiesburg how much we care in a big way.” 

Bradley said one reason she got involved with the Big Event is because Hattiesburg is her hometown. 

“I initially got involved with the Big Event when I realized its potential for Southern Miss students to do great things for Hattiesburg,” Bradley said. “The Big Event incorporates community service with not only Southern Miss, but also my hometown.” 

According to Barry, the event represents service on a larger scale at Southern Miss.

“Little community service projects are great, but the Big Event is a way to show Hattiesburg how much we care in one big day,” Barry said. “It is bigger than just me, it is bigger than SGA, it represents the Southern Miss community as a whole.”