Southern Miss Alumni Association Launches Alumni Community Service Initiative
Fri, 01/25/2019 - 11:07am | By: Nicole Ruhnke
On Saturday, Feb. 23, University of Southern Mississippi alumni across the Southeast are invited to participate in community service as part of the Southern Miss Alumni Association's Doing GOLD Work initiative.
Held on the same day as the University's annual community service day, The Big Event, alumni have the opportunity to serve their local communities while representing Southern Miss.
“During their time at Southern Miss, students are provided many unique ways to connect with the institution and the Hattiesburg community,” said Jerry DeFatta, executive director of the Southern Miss Alumni Association. “In the 2017-18 academic year, Southern Miss students contributed more than 108,000 hours of community service to the Pine Belt; however, after graduation there are very few opportunities for alumni to invest in their communities as a group. Doing GOLD Work provides a unique avenue for alumni to connect with Southern Miss in a new and meaningful way.”
Organized community service projects are being hosted by Alumni HUBs and the Association's GOLD Council (graduates of the last decade) in the following locations:
Gulfport, Miss.
Armed Forces Retirement Home | 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Hattiesburg, Miss.
Born Learning Trail at Chain Park | 9 a.m. – Noon
Jackson, Miss.
MS Food Network | 9 a.m. – Noon
Mobile, Ala.
Feeding the Gulf Coast | 9 a.m. – Noon
Covington, La.
Northshore Food Bank | 9 a.m. – Noon
“In this first year of Doing GOLD Work, we are excited to have events planned in key cities where many of our alumni live and work,” said DeFatta. “We do understand, however, that many alumni have the desire to serve their communities in the name of USM, and we encourage all alumni to participate in this day of service by choosing a service project to complete. We look forward to hearing about the impact alumni will make by Doing GOLD Work.”
Registration for Doing GOLD Work events can be found at SouthernMissAlumni.com/UpcomingEvents. For additional information about this initiative, contact the Southern Miss Alumni Association at 601.266.5013 or email alumniFREEMississippi.