Orange Seeds to hold The Big Event this Saturday
The annual day of community service is organized by Orange Seeds, a community service organization for first-year students
Orange Seeds will hold their annual day of community service, The Big Event, this Saturday from 9-2pm. The Big Event is the largest student-run community service event on Syracuse’s campus.
Orange Seeds is a leadership empowerment organization for first-year students. It was founded by Trevor Mason in 2004 and has had significant success on campus. The organization seeks out the most motivated and passionate first-year students, many of whom are involved in multiple other organizations on campus such as Student Association, OttoTHON, and First Year Players.
The Big Event takes Syracuse students to multiple sites across the city of Syracuse to give back to the community. This year, students will have the chance to volunteer at Meals on Wheels, the Chadwick Residence, The Rescue Mission Thrifty Shoppers, Habitat for Humanity, F.O.C.U.S., and the Huntington Family Center.
The Tab had the opportunity to speak with Greg Mytelka and Taylor Williams of the 2016-2017 Seeds class about the planning that went into The Big Event and what the Syracuse University community can expect from the day of community service.
Taylor Williams and Greg Mytelka
The point of Orange Seeds and The Big Event is “to escape the bubble of Syracuse University and try to connect students with the actual Syracuse community.” Greg strives to help students “understand the issues that lie within the city” of Syracuse beyond the hill. “Months of planning” went into The Big Event, according to Taylor. The Seeds attend bi-weekly meetings and are in contact with “over forty non-profits and community organizations to narrow it down to 15 organizations” that will host volunteers for The Big Event.
Taylor decided to join Orange Seeds this past fall because she had “never done community service and figured it would be a cool way to get started while also making twenty-three new best friends during her freshman year.” Greg joined because he had always been involved in community service throughout high school and “wanted to be surrounded by other people who are passionate about giving back to the community.”