This Saturday was The Big Event, one of the biggest displays of organized community involvement annually presented by Parish Proud.
Even with many precautionary site cancellations due to forecasted bad weather, The Big event still made a big impact.
This year, over 1,000 volunteers signed up, the most seen since 2018.
The Big Event’s 12-member executive board and their six faculty advisors spent the last 10 months planning a plentiful way to give back to Lafayette this March.
Following these weather-related setbacks, over 400 volunteers still came out across 11 different sites to do it all.
From cleaning trash in Downtown Lafayette’s Rue Jefferson Street and landscaping at Paul Breaux Middle School to creating kind, handwritten cards and over 1,000 goodie bags with Love Our Schools in preparation for Teacher Appreciation Week.
Kayleigh Murphy, UL Lafayette’s Coordinator of First-Year Programs for the Office of First-Year Experience and advisor for The Big Event said, “I think every year when our numbers grow, it’s nice to see that students really care about their community.”
The big idea behind the Big Event is to keep Lafayette pristine for ourselves and the people soon to come.
In keeping a prideful, long-lived spirit for our home alive, the co-executive director of The Big Event executive board, Kylee Falcon, said, “My freshman year, I participated [in Big Event]. I joined the board my second year, and I’ve been here ever since.”
All across the sites were warm greetings amongst familiar faces. These flocks consist of anywhere from five to 10 people.
The Big Event provides an itinerary, breakfast, all needed supplies, and T-shirts for all volunteers, whether their sites were canceled or not.
For any interested in signing up for The Big Event 2026 can view their Instagram, @ulbigevent, for when sign-up goes live.
Whether for volunteer hours, resume skills, or pure love for involvement, The Big Event is an excellent way to make a lasting impact and a great bonding experience for all students and citizens.
