Schools
'Big Sunday' Weekend in the Valley
Three days of service brought out 50,000 volunteers for 500 projects across the state. Patch dropped in on two projects in Valley communities.
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Skies were gray but temperaments were sunny in Sherman Oaks and North Hollywood last Saturday when I visited two of the 500 projects that were taking place in California from San Diego to San Francisco all weekend long.
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Volunteers with Project #33 were sweeping, scraping, weeding and bagging up leaves, trash and cigarette butts along with members of the and the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association to help clean up the neighborhood’s business district.
Approximately 60 people came from neighborhoods and schools far and wide. By half an hour after their start time they were so far flung I only saw a handful within walking distance of the registration table in the US Bank parking lot on Ventura Boulevard near Van Nuys Boulevard.
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The Beautification Committee cleans up The Village at Sherman Oaks quarterly but this time got a hand from Big Sunday, which provided supplies, refreshments and stylish T-shirts. Local merchants also chipped in with coffee, bagels and cream cheese.
Over at project #123 it was a slightly different story. in North Hollywood gets a thorough facelift only once a year, and that is thanks to Big Sunday. The campus was overrun with staff, students and parents planting gardens, scrubbing down the play equipment and hosing off the pavement.
Big Sunday provided cleaning and craft supplies, refreshments and T-shirts. They also allowed the coordinators a pre-approved reimbursement budget for incidentals including the well-deserved pizza lunch served after the hard day’s work.
LAUSD budget cuts have reduced the school’s daytime maintenance staff to one part-time worker, and the night crew has to cover three campuses. So Big Sunday weekend gives families and faculty a chance to work together to beautify their school.
“Big Sunday’s mission is not just community service, but also community building,” wrote Big Sunday founder on the organization’s website after the weekend was over, along with a reminder that volunteer opportunities are listed there year-round.
