When Sunday Is Three Days Long

When can a single day become three days?

It isn't a riddle found on the SATs. It's Big Sunday, the massive annual volunteer effort that did indeed start out being on a Sunday and now unfurls over a busy three-day weekend.

That 2012 weekend is Friday, May 4 through Sunday, May 6. Some 50,000 volunteers turned out to work on projects across the state in 2011, so don't be surprised to see that impressive number eclipsed this year. It is almost a certainty that if you yourself are not a volunteer that you'll see someone in a Big Sunday or Big Sunday-related t-shirt if you're out and about over the weekend.

So, what are the projects volunteers take on? It's a true gamut, that's for sure. Past outings have included hosting a senior prom -- that's for seniors, not high school seniors -- as well as goody basket delivery to those in need of a goody basket. Tree planting, animal care, and cooking and cleaning at a Long Beach AIDS care facility are three past haps.

But the best part about Big Sunday, beyond running into all of those people wearing the t-shirts, is that it is no longer three days but all year long; the efforts continue across the calendar. Meaning that if you didn't sign up you can still help out.

So the riddle really is this: When does a day become three days become a full year? When it is Big Sunday, of course.

And if you see someone out in a tee over the weekend, be sure to thank them.