The Maroon Volunteer Center is preparing for its seventh annual Big Event Saturday.
The Big Event is an event where over 1,000 students partake in a day of community service at over 30 different partnering locations throughout the Golden Triangle.
Several of the organizations partnering with the Maroon Volunteer Center include the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge, Habitat for Humanity, the Heritage Museum and the Clay County Animal Shelter in West Point.
Meggan Franks, assistant director of Student Leadership and Community Engagement, said she is looking forward to the event.
“I’m looking forward to getting 1,000 MSU students, faculty, staff and community members engaged in our local community, giving them the opportunity to give back and then assisting 30 of our community partners and nonprofits, and getting a volunteer project completed for the semester,” Franks said. “One thing that I like to see is that students that you wouldn’t necessarily see becoming friends.”
One of the students taking part in the Big Event is Emily Morgan, a junior political science and criminology double major from Oxford. Morgan said she is excited for the Big Event.
“I think it’ll be a good way to do some community service, especially with our student organization here on campus,” Morgan said. “It’s a good day to spend time together, but also support our community.”
One of the students who will not be taking part in the Big Event, but has participated in the past is Joseph Noonan, a graduate student majoring in biochemistry from Southaven. Noonan said he enjoyed his time serving the community and had some interesting experiences.
“[My favorite part] was getting to interact with students that I would normally wouldn’t get to interact with,” Noonan said. “(My favorite project was) mulching the cemetery across from Little Dooey and stuff, and just getting dirty.”
As for advice to this year’s Big Event participants, Noonan said it is a great experience for students, regardless of who they go with.
“They offer teams if you want to do it with friends, but otherwise, going individual is still a great experience,” Noonan said. “Plus, who doesn’t like a free t-shirt?”
Morgan said her favorite part of the event is how students are clueless about what project they will do until the 11th hour.
“My favorite part about the Big Event is that you don’t really know exactly what you’re doing until the day of,” Morgan said. “So you don’t have any experience, and you go and you serve willingly.”
Today is the deadline to register for the Big Event. All participants will receive a free t-shirt. The check-in process starts for the registered volunteers at 2 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m. Friday at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore. The projects start at 8 a.m. Saturday, and continue throughout the day. More information, including how to register, can be found online at www.mvc.msstate.edu.