VOA标准英语2010年-Big Sunday Projects Put 50,000 Volunte

Each year in late April or early May, more than 50,000 volunteers in Southern California help out at hundreds of non-profit organizations, from schools to community centers, at an annual event called "Big Sunday."  They paint, clean and garden to help local charities.

Volunteers, young and old, cultivate gardens in schoolyards and paint murals in a south Los Angeles youth center, where Kenneth Jones is director. "Today we are having a neighborhood community make-over.  And we have all the community people who have made these collages¹ and stuff for us to hang up in the building," he said.

More than 500 volunteer projects take place on "Big Sunday."  It started in 1999 with a single Sunday, and then expanded to a weekend, says founder² David Levinson. "We have things for whatever people's passion is, literacy, the environment, AIDS,  seniors, animals, veterans, women's issues.  The idea is that everybody will find a place to fit in," he said.

At a school in Los Angeles, neighborhood resident Howie Nicholl is hoeing and raking. "We're helping³ to plant and build this fantastic garden at the 24th Street School, and it's Big Sunday and we're out having a great time, helping out," he said.

Children plant herbs and vegetables that will later be used in the cooking class of school chef Gino Campagna. "The kids are just amazed because they grow the vegetables, they grow the herbs, they got (get) to cook it and they got (get) to eat it.  Our class, in fact, is just before lunch time, and I'm happy to say that when they do my class, they don't need lunch any more because they eat what they make," he said.

Big Sunday organizers say they highlight the volunteer spirit one weekend every year, and encourage volunteers to help throughout the year.

 

1 collages   

n.拼贴画( collage的名词复数 )；杂烩

参考例句：

• My work includes mixed media, paintings and digital collages. 我的工作包括混合媒介，绘画和数码拼贴。 来自互联网
• I love making photo collages. 我喜欢做照片拼贴。 来自互联网

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。