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.

Big Sunday Event Giving Opportunity! One-time Volunteer Opportunity Ongoing Volunteer Opportunity
Apr
21
Fri
Get Lit: Classic Slam @ Los Angeles Theater Center
Apr 21 @ 8:30 am – 12:30 pm

300 Poets. 50 Schools.  1 Champion.

Join Get Lit at the largest youth classic poetry festival in the world!  Judges include Neil Hilborn, Duckwrth, Demi Adejuyigbe, & more!  A few happy, helpful volunteers are needed to pitch in with the 2017 Classic Slam and ensure its runs smoothly.  Interested?  If so, please contact Rachel Kilroy at 213-388-8639 or rachel@getlit.org for more info on how you can get involved.  All ages are welcomed!

Schedule of Events:

  • 9 am – 1 pm (quarterfinals)
  • 1 pm – 5 pm (semifinals)

Shifts:

  • 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
  • 12:30 pm – 4 pm
Climate Day LA @ The Theater at Ace Hotel
Apr 21 @ 11:30 am – 6:00 pm

Climate Resolve presents the second annual Climate Day LA,  a day-long event that will bring together over 1,500 Angeleno leaders, advocates, and locals to strategize, implement, and celebrate local solutions to climate change. 

The Daytime Conference is free! Check out the details here.

Get Lit: Classic Slam @ Los Angeles Theater Center
Apr 21 @ 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm

300 Poets. 50 Schools.  1 Champion.

Join Get Lit at the largest youth classic poetry festival in the world!  Judges include Neil Hilborn, Duckwrth, Demi Adejuyigbe, & more!  A few happy, helpful volunteers are needed to pitch in with the 2017 Classic Slam and ensure its runs smoothly.  Interested?  If so, please contact Rachel Kilroy at 213-388-8639 or rachel@getlit.org for more info on how you can get involved.  All ages are welcomed!

Schedule of Events:

  • 9 am – 1 pm (quarterfinals)
  • 1 pm – 5 pm (semifinals)

Shifts:

  • 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
  • 12:30 pm – 4 pm
Apr
22
Sat
Garden School Foundation’s Community Garden Day @ 24th Street Elementary School
Apr 22 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Garden School Fdn. logoGarden School Foundation hosts monthly Community Garden Days. These days are a wonderful opportunity to meet like-minded people from all over the city and spend a morning outdoors helping create and maintain garden classrooms for students at underserved schools. You don't need any experience to join in, just a love of nature and a willingness to get dirty!  In the garden, participants will build, plant, weed, water, mulch, and more. GSF will also host workshops, demos, and fun-filled arts and crafts activities for the whole family. 

For more info, please contact Elizabeth Hall, Volunteer Coordinator, at elizabeth@gardenschoolfoundation.org.

Great LA River CleanUp @ Varied LA locations
Apr 22 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

The Great Los Angeles River CleanUp is the nation’s largest urban river CleanUp drawing over 9,000 of volunteers to fifteen sites over three weekends in April.

This Earth Month do your part – go to http://folar.org/cleanup – and sign up for Friends of the Los Angeles River’s Great LA River CleanUp!!

The group Friends of the Los Angeles River needs your help to activate the entire LA River community for the 2017 Great LA River CleanUp. There’s 51 miles of River and even with the largest urban river clean up in America, there’s always too much trash left in the River. Your help is needed to make a greater impact and cleaner River.

Mid River / April 22 / 9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Arroyo Seco Confluence | Bowtie Parcel @ Fletcher Drive | The Frog Spot | Los Feliz Blvd
Marsh Street Nature Park | Steelhead Park | Sunnynook Footbridge

Lower River / April 29 / 9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Compton Creek @ Artesia Metro Station | Compton Creek @ Del Amo Metro Station
Golden Shore Marine Reserve | Willow Street Estuary

How to sign up
Registration for individual volunteers is available at folar.org/cleanup.

Group registration
Group registration is open to any group of ten or more volunteers and is available at folar.org/cleanup/groups.

Questions?
Contact FOLAR at 323-223-0585 or email contact@folar.org.

March for Science LA @ Pershing Square
Apr 22 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

March for Science is coming through LA. The March celebrates crucial roles science plays in economic growth, environment preservation, and public health. Beginning at Pershing Square, join fellow Angelenos (and Bill Nye!) for a dynamic day of marching for science. 

Learn more about the movement! And check out their cute pins!

Spring Cleaning Event in Alpine
Apr 22 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Creek to Bay Cleanup

Back Country Land Trust’s list of spring events is now available!  This year, their theme is "spring cleaning" for Alpine.  With heavy winter rains, there has been an unusual amount of erosion on the trails, and trash washing down local creeks and streams. BCLT, in partnership with I Love A Clean San Diego, is recruiting volunteers to help clean up this winter's mess and improve local habitats for wildlife and recreation.

Join this community cleanup event this spring and help BCLT to keep Alpine looking it's best for residents and visitors alike. Please plan to arrive 15 – 20 minutes early for event check-in. Certified volunteer hours available for students / community service projects, etc.

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books @ USC
Apr 22 @ 10:00 am – Apr 22 @ 6:00 pm

15_FOB_stk_taglineThe Festival of Books began in 1996 with a simple goal: Bring together the people who create books and the people who love to read them. The Festival was an immediate success and has become Southern California's major literary event. The 2017 Festival will be held on Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23 at the University of Southern California and they would love to have you join as a volunteer.

Last year over 150,000 people attended the Festival, which featured more than a hundred ticketed author events, children’s storytelling, poetry readings, book signings and more than 400 exhibitor booths. The Festival’s success has been due in part to the generous participation of volunteers who welcomed attendees, assisted with registration, staffed author events, supervised book signings and much more.

Time Commitment: Volunteers sign up for one or more 3-4 hour shifts on one or both days.

Requirements:
• The majority of volunteer activities require being on your feet for most of your shift.
• Please wear comfortable shoes and khaki or beige pants or shorts.
• Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older. (You cannot bring children under the age of 18 with you during your shift. )

Benefits: Volunteers will receive free parking, shuttle service from the parking lot and lunch.   Volunteer t-shirts will be provided to wear and keep after the event.

*Please sign up as soon as possible as space fills up quickly and the final deadline for pre-registering as a volunteer is April 5, 2017.

After you express interest in this opportunity, you will be sent further instructions on how to complete your volunteer registration.

Heal the Bay: Earth Day Celebration @ Santa Monica Pier Aquarium
Apr 22 @ 12:30 pm – 5:00 pm

For Heal the Bay, every day is Earth Day, but in honor of the 47th annual worldwide observance on April 22, Heal the Bay is celebrating for a solid week!

Heal the Bay’s Nothin’ but Sand clean-up on Saturday, April 15, runs from 10 a.m. to noon on the north side of the Santa Monica Pier. All clean-up participants will be rewarded with free admission to the Aquarium, which opens at 11 a.m. that day.

On the following Saturday, April 22, special activities throughout the day will commemorate the official day to celebrate our planet, during the Aquarium’s regular hours of 12:30 to 5 pm. Make a biodegradable planter, enjoy a special Earth Day story time at 2 pm, or visit a wildlife station on the west end of the Pier. At 1 pm and 3 pm, join Heal the Bay for “Who Pollutes?”— an interactive lesson in keeping our waterways and ocean healthy. Best of all, admission to the Aquarium on Earth Day will be FREE courtesy of The Albright!

Schedule:

  • 1:00-4:00pm – Wildlife Observation Station (West End of Pier – next to Harbor Patrol)
  • 1:00pm – “Who Pollutes” Presentation
  • 2:00pm – Story Time and live animal presentation
  • 3:00pm – “Who Pollutes” Presentation (repeat)
Apr
23
Sun
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books @ USC
Apr 23 @ 10:00 am – Apr 23 @ 6:00 pm

15_FOB_stk_taglineThe Festival of Books began in 1996 with a simple goal: Bring together the people who create books and the people who love to read them. The Festival was an immediate success and has become Southern California's major literary event. The 2017 Festival will be held on Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23 at the University of Southern California and they would love to have you join as a volunteer.

Last year over 150,000 people attended the Festival, which featured more than a hundred ticketed author events, children’s storytelling, poetry readings, book signings and more than 400 exhibitor booths. The Festival’s success has been due in part to the generous participation of volunteers who welcomed attendees, assisted with registration, staffed author events, supervised book signings and much more.

Time Commitment: Volunteers sign up for one or more 3-4 hour shifts on one or both days.

Requirements:
• The majority of volunteer activities require being on your feet for most of your shift.
• Please wear comfortable shoes and khaki or beige pants or shorts.
• Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older. (You cannot bring children under the age of 18 with you during your shift. )

Benefits: Volunteers will receive free parking, shuttle service from the parking lot and lunch.   Volunteer t-shirts will be provided to wear and keep after the event.

*Please sign up as soon as possible as space fills up quickly and the final deadline for pre-registering as a volunteer is April 5, 2017.

After you express interest in this opportunity, you will be sent further instructions on how to complete your volunteer registration.

How it Works

You can SEARCH by scrolling through the Months or by selecting different Categories or Tag functions. For a totally different view, try the Posterboard or Stream options! Feel free to submit an item for the calendar by clicking the “Submit Your Event / Opportunity” button above at the right-hand side of the page. Questions? Email calendar@bigsunday.org.