Big plans for Big Sunday: wellness sessions, expanding space
DAVID LEVINSON, founder and executive director of Big Sunday.
The Big Sunday campus was buzzing on a recent Wednesday morning. The nonprofit organization, whose motto is “We connect people through helping,” moved a scant year-and-a-half ago into a large, airy facility with welcome outdoor space in Hollywood. On this day the front courtyard was stacked with boxes filled with donated books ready for delivery to schools, shelters, and other organizations that requested them. In the activity room, Founder and Executive Director David Levinson checked in with staff members and volunteers who sorted and packed the books before they were carted outside. The fruits of the largest book drive in Big Sunday’s history.
Nearly every day is busy at Big Sunday headquarters.
VOLUNTEERS Michael and Kaala, with Big Sunday staffer Madison Mercer.
Big Sunday was established by Levinson in 1999 as Mitzvah Day, a once-a-year charitable endeavor under the auspices of Temple Israel of Hollywood (TIOH). “Mitzvah” in Hebrew means commandment, the “dos” and “don’ts” of behavior, but doing good deeds is its common translation. By the time it was incorporated as an independent 501(c)(3) in 2008, the name had changed to Big Sunday to reflect its growing inclusivity and broadened reach as a year-round ongoing concern, helping those in need in Los Angeles and beyond.
Accessible Wednesdays
This—and every Wednesday—is Accessible Wednesday. Those with special needs volunteer to help others and gain the satisfaction of accomplishing something worthwhile. As Levinson believes, “Whoever you are, whatever you do, there’s always someone who needs your help.”
There’s Sun Days on Tuesday, when volunteers glue tiny tiles onto large wooden cutout suns designed by local artist Cathy Weiss. The finished mosaics are in demand as cheerful wall décor. A few are sold to help fund the program, but most go to homeless shelters, schools, food banks, and other nonprofits that requested them.
Kindness and compassion are hallmarks of what Big Sunday aims to deliver, both for those receiving help and those giving it. Large volunteer events might start with a free breakfast or end with a dance party. Their newest weekly program, Wellness Mondays, is a gift for volunteers and the general community alike. From 10 a.m. to noon by reservation a variety of healing activities are offered. It could be a presentation on nutrition or ways to combat insomnia, or participants might experience a meditative sound bath or relax with goat yoga. Levinson said, “If there was ever a time we could use a little chilling out and a little comfort, it is now.”
Big Sunday helped the Los Angeles Tennis Club collect aid for a hospital in Ukraine in honor of one of their tennis instructors who is from the Eastern European country. It served a meal in New York City, helped a children’s theater in Nashville, Tenn., and organized volunteers in Shanghai to make gifts for patients in the local hospital. It was a collection site for the L.A. fire victims, even accepting the donations other sites turned down. Levinson stated, “As of March 2024, Big Sunday helped in nearly 400 towns from Huntsville, Ala. to Adelaide, Australia.”
BIG SUNDAY HEADQUARTERS are in Hollywood.
Think Tank
Big Sunday continues to grow. Its new corporate Think Tank Program is hired by businesses to develop their volunteer endeavors. Levinson also plans to add a fully functioning kitchen and an extra building on the property so they can accomplish even more.
Big Sunday’s next large volunteer opportunity is their 14th annual Thanksgiving Stuffing event, also known as the Festival of Gratitude. The day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, from 9 a.m. to noon, an expected 2,500 people from all over the city, will descend on Radford Studio Center in Studio City to stuff 4,500 boxes with food to feed 18,000 people at more than 125 nonprofits and schools. Individuals can also help by sponsoring a bag of food for $35; individual event sponsorships start at $500. Corporations are invited to join the likes of Albertsons, Disney, CBS, and Miramax with a corporate sponsorship of $1,000 or more. The morning will start with a big thank you breakfast.
“These are divided and divisive times,” noted Levinson. “Here we celebrate our differences and find common ground.”
For more information about Big Sunday volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, or to sign up for Wellness Mondays, go to bigsunday.org.
Big Sunday is at 1741 N. Cherokee Ave., bigsunday.org.
Category: Real Estate
