Big Sunday happily welcomes you to Our Really Big Community Calendar.
We try to include all kinds of volunteering and helping opportunities for all kinds of interests, talents, passions, and ages! As you’ll see, these include volunteering opportunities (one-time and long-term) as well as the chance to support a nonprofit by attending fundraising events. Plus, of course, we include all of Big Sunday’s homegrown events, too! Whoever you are, and whatever you do, there is someone out there who could use your help.
If you have questions about our calendar, or would like to add a listing, please contact calendar@bigsunday.org or submit your event/opportunity via the button below.
Do you love the show Wipe Out? Come volunteer for the Insane Inflatable 5K with the American Cancer Society! You will receive a volunteer crew t-shirt, lunch and snacks and access to the Insane Midway for games and activities. The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life is the charity of choice for this event and will receive a donation for providing volunteers! Volunteers must be 18+ years old – bring your friends and have an insanely fun time! For more information or to sign up, contact Sophia Martini (sophia.martini@cancer.org) or 925-451-8189.
All are welcome to attend a pancake breakfast benefiting the Emerson Avenue Community Garden! $6 for adults, $4 for kids (6 and under), and there will be a prize raffle!
If you're interested in becoming a member of their community garden, they'll have all the information you need to join!
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Are you an animal lover? If so, don’t miss the chance to volunteer with Ahead With Horses every Saturday (unless otherwise noted) at their Shadow Hills facility.
Please note AWH is CLOSED the following Saturdays: 2/13/16; 3/26/16; 5/28/16; 7/2/16; 9/3/16; 11/26/16; 12/24/16 and 12/31/16.
Volunteers will assist in providing our developmental therapy to children with disabilities.
Duties include: Leading horses, spotting (walking along side the horse), grooming, cleaning tack, weeding, raking, etc.
Volunteers must be at least 12 years old and if under 18, an adult must come to sign a liability release form at their first session.
Dress code: must wear closed-toe shoes, long pants and a shirt with sleeves (t-shirt is fine; no tank tops). If planning on staying the entire day (which is not mandatory), please bring water and a sack lunch.
Questions? Please call Michelle at 818-767-6373.
Audubon California’s 4000-acre Starr Ranch Sanctuary in southeast Orange County is pleased to invite you to join them as a volunteer "Weed Warrior." Weeds can alter habitats and have negative effects on wildlife. Volunteers help remove periwinkle, English ivy, and English plantain using non-chemical methods.
No experience necessary. Training and tools provided. Please wear clothes that can get dirty, long pants, close-toed shoes and layers for changing weather. Bring snacks and a picnic lunch, if you wish. A personal water bottle, a hat and sunscreen are strongly recommended.
Adults and children ages 8 and older are welcome. Children must be accompanied by adults. This opportunity fulfills community service requirements. Please take a look at their volunteer days from January 2016 through May 2016. Find the dates that work for you. Reserve your place by clicking this link http://goo.gl/forms/5AQCO3GsGm or by sending your name, available dates, number in party, source you found the opportunity from, and phone number to Sandy at sdesimone@audubon.org.
2016 Saturday Volunteer Days
9 am – 12:30 pm each date (*except April)
- January 9 & 23
- February 6 & 27
- March 19 & 26
- *April 9, 16, & 23 (1:30 pm – 4:30 pm)
- May 14 & 21
If you can’t find a date that works for you and would still like to volunteer, it is possible to volunteer with the organization any day during the week, Monday – Friday. Please reply with a suggested date to Sandy at sdesimone@audubon.org and she will get back to you.
Instructors: Crescent Farm Staff- Leigh Adams, Yara Herrarte, John Latsko, and Horticultural Supervisor Jill Morganelli
Free for members / Free for non-members (with arboretum admission)
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Don’t miss the LA Arboretum’s Crescent Farm Series!
Learn about water conservation and sustainable gardening, with hands-on experience! The Crescent Farm, located in the heart of the Arboretum just west of Baldwin Lake, is a reclaimed landscape where they explore new and ancient horticulture techniques for water conservation and food production. This is an educational training series. Please bring gloves, drinking water; wear close-toed shoes and a hat.
February 27 – Xerigation
Xerigate don’t irrigate! The focus is spot-on watering techniques that achieve the best results for your landscape. In this workshop we will cover how different types of soil absorb water, correct irrigation emitters for specific planting scenarios, and strategies to get water to problem spots and irregularly shaped beds. Tour the Crescent Farm at the Arboretum for a demonstration of how to create a vibrant ecosystem when only watering two days a week. Convert your yard into a proper California landscape, live within the restrictions and save money on water bills!
March 12 – Drought Tolerant Lawn Alternatives
Reimagine your lawn with interesting, vibrant alternatives! Explore cool and warm season grasses. Create a colorful four-season meadow with California native seeds. Consider evergreen options that are highlighted through low growing ground covers and a variety of subshrubs. For those who are not interested in turning your yard into a “drive by Arizona liquor store” gravel pit experience, this workshop is a must.
April 16 – Opening Ceremony
May 21 – Weaving Workshop
Learn to use your bio-mass (plant waste) to create garden structures. Simple weaving techniques can use leaves as cordage, branches as trellises, tomato cages, shade shelters, and various long lasting leaves as weavers. Design and build compost structures, plant guards and soil traps in your own Crescent Garden.
June 25 – Crescent Farm Plant Tour
The Crescent Farm at the Arboretum horticulture team put their minds and imaginations together to create an amazing drought-tolerant plant palette. We are happy to present our arid climate orchard and short-season fruit and vegetable production surrounded by a California native-based landscape of meadow and low water lawn alternatives. Not only beautiful, these plants provide habitat for an amazing insect and wildlife population. The flora and fauna here were sourced from local nurseries and are readily available for your own yards.
For more information, please contact Education Manager Ted Tegart at 626-821-4624 or ted.tegart@arboretum.org or visit http://www.arboretum.org.
You’re invited to the grand re-opening of the newly renovated Arboretum Library. Take a tour of the beautiful space. You’ll learn about their wonderful book collections, children’s library, early nursery catalogs and much more. Enjoy Steve Rushingwind Native American flute music and make a toy kaleidoscope. Free with admission; members free. Questions? Please contact Susan Eubank at 626-821-3213 or susan.eubank@arboretum.org.
Are your children animal lovers? If so, don’t miss this opportunity! Join the good folks at the John C. Fremont Library and read books to dogs. BARK is an all-volunteer program that encourages children to increase their reading skills and self-confidence by reading aloud to certified therapy dogs. Studies show that reading to these dogs actually leads to improvement in reading skills! Younger children may also attend. For more info, please contact Children's Librarian Megan Katz at 323-962-3521.
Conspirare's Grammy® award-winning Artistic Director & Conductor Craig Hella Johnson will premiere his groundbreaking new work Considering Matthew Shepard on February 27th at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. Following a 2014 Grammy for Best Choral Performance, and a recent nomination in the same category, Conspirare will deliver a poignant concert experience, inspiring hope, compassion and empowerment.
In October 1998 a shocking hate crime was committed against Matthew Shepard who was brutally beaten and left tied to a fence to die.
The singers and instrumentalists will lead the listener through a tapestry of musical textures in this contemporary oratorio with styles such as chant, choral movements, arias, folk and theater songs.
Conspirare is a Grammy® award-winning vocal ensemble that creates exceptional concert experiences and recordings. With the world-class artistry of its extraordinary voices and the incomparable direction of conductor Craig Hella Johnson, Conspirare performances are musical magic.
Tickets at: http://conspirare.org/event/considering-matthew-shepard-2016/
A video message from the composer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwW9W44CWPg
Conspirare: A Musical Experience Like No Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTETEd1Ntns
Women writers and directors in the entertainment industry constantly encounter roadblocks when attempting to advance their careers – even when they are just as talented and capable as their male counterparts. Women actors have a similar problem simply because the number of female roles is significantly less than for men. Friend of Big Sunday Amy Lloyd and her business partner Christina Gray have combined efforts to combat this issue with a special IndieGogo campaign for their production company “Chicks Who Make Flicks.” This organization is working to do its part to increase visibility and provide more opportunities for women. The production company creates films made by women, films that tell great woman’s stories, films that capture the voices of women from all over the world and at every stage of their life. Their goal is to create an environment that supports, encourages, and celebrates talented female filmmakers. For more info on how you can support this great cause, please visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/chicks-who-make-flicks-a-film-production-company#.
Come meet the STAR volunteer readers Isaac and Savannah at John C. Fremont Library! Children are invited to read stories together and learn how to earn a free book. Books come alive for kids when they share the fun of reading with STAR library volunteers. For more info, please contact Children's Librarian Megan Katz at 323-962-3521.
