Over 1 Million Volunteer Man-Hours: Big Sunday Weekend, America's Largest Festival of Community Service, Celebrates 15th Anniversary May 3-5, 2013 Across CA and Expands into Four Other States; Everyone Helps, Everyone Wins

LOS ANGELES, April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating its 15^th anniversary, the USA's largest community service festival, Big Sunday Weekend (BSW), May 3-5, 2013, will for the first time include projects in four other states, as well as all over California, from San Diego to the Bay Area. Big Sunday's motto is: Everyone Helps, and Everyone Wins. Its mission is to build community via community service. Big Sunday is driven by the belief that anyone, regardless of how rich or poor, how old or young, your race, religion, gender or ethnicity, can help someone else. Big Sunday Weekend, the signature event of the organization, is a time when volunteers of every age, race, religion, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, work together to help others. Since BSW was founded in Los Angeles 15 years ago by Hollywood writer David Levinson with just 300 volunteers, the organization has completed in excess of 1 million volunteer man-hours, and over 5,000 volunteer projects worth several million dollars in donated in-kind goods and services, and skilled and unskilled labor costs. BSW cuts across all social and economic barriers, bringing together tens of thousands of volunteers from all walks of life who work side-by-side at more than 300 unique and diverse projects over one weekend each Spring. Thousands of people work together at hundreds of local, national and international nonprofits, schools and other agencies at varied locations that need their help. Volunteer opportunities exist for every passion, talent, skill and age, lasting anywhere from one hour to two full days. BSW also includes special events such as concerts, book fairs, and blood drives. Truckloads of clothes, books, food, furniture, musical instruments, luggage, toys and other items are also collected and donated. Big Sunday is non-denominational and apolitical, and all events are free to all participants. Projects are funded by private and corporate cash grants and in-kind donations. www.bigsunday.org.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130415/PH94031-a)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130415/PH94031-b)

"In a world with countless challenges that divide us, I love seeing so many people uniting to celebrate what we have in common," said David Levinson, Big Sunday's founder and executive director, and author of Everyone Helps, Everyone Wins: How Absolutely Anyone Can Pitch In, Help Out, Give Back, and Make the World a Better Place. Considered an expert in the field of volunteerism, Levinson is consulted widely by cities, nonprofits and other volunteer groups.

Big Sunday is one of the USA's premiere resources for volunteering year round.
People rely on Big Sunday to help them find meaningful volunteer opportunities; and Big Sunday's nonprofit partners have come to rely on them to place volunteers. It's year-round initiatives include The End of the Month Club to address hunger; Monthly on Melrose to benefit non-profit partners; theBIGlist, an online "non-profit matchmaking microsite" where Big Sunday's nonprofit partners post their "wish lists" and are matched those who wish to help; a year-round Big Sunday Community Calendar with over 1000 volunteer opportunities, and the Annual Big Sunday Holiday Volunteering and Giving Opportunities List, which posts holiday needs and volunteer opportunities during the Holiday Season and is used as a resource by people everywhere who want to help. Big Sunday was named by the Points of Light Foundation as one of "10 national nonprofits that are making a tremendous impact on our country's most critical challenges by mobilizing volunteers…These organizations also demonstrate a collaborative spirit through partnerships with other organizations to help strengthen communities across the nation."

Big Sunday Weekend 2013 Sponsors:
Community Leader: 
The Kauffman Skloff Family
The Rosenthal Family Foundation

Community Builder:
The California Community Foundation
Disney
Kaiser-Permanente
Kalosworks
The Moskowitz Family
Temple Israel of Hollywood
TriNet

Good Neighbor:
Adconion Media Group
JEM Sportswear
Joshua L. and Lisa Z. Greer
Kendall Brill and Klieger LLP
Paramount
Parsons Corporation

Contact: Rachel Schwartz/PR AdvantEDGE Inc.
310.990.2764; Email

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SOURCE Big Sunday