On Saturday, student volunteers will work within a four-block radius planting flowers and mulching gardens, painting a mural, and assisting the renovation of local businesses and a church near South Salina Street.

This weekend’s The Big Event is one of the largest student-run events at Syracuse University and has close to 200 volunteers already registered, said Jon Gregalis, public relations adviser for OrangeSeeds and freshman public relations major, in an email. OrangeSeeds, a leadership empowerment program for first-year students, is planning the event and registration is still open.

Following the 2008 recession, South Side community leaders had to suspend plans to rebuild and restore the downtown area, Gregalis said. The Big Event is held to continue those plans through student community service.

Although most participants at the event will be SU students, some State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry students affiliated with the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity will also take part, Gregalis said. He said participants from a range of student organizations plan to volunteer Saturday.

Students willing to volunteer can sign up online. Many students expressed interest and were recruited in person at Schine Student Center last week, Gregalis said.

The event was promoted through Facebook and Twitter pages, along with two flier campaigns in which The Big Event was abbreviated ‘B.E.,’ Gregalis said. He said although there was fear the logo would not be recognizable, it was successful in attracting attention. The response from the event’s Facebook page was better than expected, Gregalis said.

Jubilee Westergaard, director of community relations for OrangeSeeds and freshman international relations major, credited the marketing team with the success of the planning for the event.

‘The marketing team did so well,’ Westergaard said. ‘They put a lot of time into slogans and had so many creative ideas. I don’t think the event would have had so much attention without them.’

Volunteers will be shuttled to and from the SU campus by bus on Saturday. After the day ends at about 2 p.m., volunteers will join community residents and leaders for a picnic, Gregalis said.

To Gregalis, The Big Event is a chance to take a break from schoolwork and help his neighbors and a community in need. The event is an opportunity to better understand the Syracuse area, Gregalis said.

About 20 freshmen were involved with planning the event, contacting the community director and business owners to find out what needed to be done in the area, Westergaard said. She said coordinating the event was a good learning experience.

Through The Big Event, students will be able to get away from campus and reach out to others, Westergaard said. Even four hours of volunteering will be helpful to the community, she said, and it is worth sacrificing a few hours of sleep. 

‘People often get sheltered in their everyday lives on campus,’ Westergaard said. ‘I think it’s nice to give at least one day out of the year to help out, even though it’s early on a Saturday morning.’ 

Elizabeth Brydges, a freshman English education major, said she will volunteer in a group Saturday with the First Year Players, a student-run musical theater organization. She said the OrangeSeeds’ efforts for the event were impressive.

‘It’s an early morning, but it’s for a great cause,’ Brydges said. ‘Just a little bit of our time is going to make such a big difference.’ 

brvannos@syr.edu

Published on April 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Breanne: brvannos@syr.edu | @bre_vann