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.
SoCal Quilts of Valor cuts and sew quilts to present to military Veterans to thank them for their service, welcome them home, and help them in their healing. They also trim quilts when they come back from quilters and attach the binding and label, then they get hand stitched and washed in preparation for being awarded. The group meets every Thursday, except holidays. Come for as long as you can! For more info, please contact Barbara Winkler.
Join the City Impact Lab for a special impact tour of the world’s most famous neighborhood, Hollywood! Led by Angela Babcock, Stratiscope’s Director of Community Engagement, participants will start out at the EaCa Alley (located north east of the intersection of Selma and Cahuenga) and end for a complimentary cocktail at St. Felix of Hollywood. The tour will include a look at innovative uses of public spaces as well as exclusive peeks into hidden Hollywood treasures.
Ages: 1st – 4th Grade
Are your nieces, nephews, cousins or children curious about marine science and animals?
Heal the Bay's Santa Monica Pier Aquarium offers Spring Break Camp. Campers will explore the Aquarium environment through hands-on science. It's fun. It's educational. And it's almost here!
Heal the Bay members get a discount. Scholarships are available.
Heal the Bay members:
- $65/day
- $300/week
Non-members:
- $70/day
- $325/week
Questions? Please contact Jackie Cannata, Camp Director, by email at jcannata@healthebay.org or via phone at 310-393-6149 x 106. We look forward to hearing from you.
Become a volunteer for Meals on Wheels West (MOW) Los Angeles and help deliver meals between 10:15 am and 12:30 pm any Monday – Friday! Student volunteers are always welcome at MOW. Younger students can help with various tasks in MOW’s office or be paired with one of their regular drivers or with a parent to help deliver food to clients. High school and college students who already are licensed drivers are especially appreciated as reinforcements to MOW’s regular corps of volunteers. MOW is happy to record your community service hours and send that information to your school.
NOTE: This is an ONGOING weekly volunteer opportunity!
On April 15th, join Heal the Bay and the Boys & Girls Club to design something amazing in celebration of Earth Month.
Teams will compete to create the most creative sand structure fitting the ocean theme. You are masters of design, but do you have what it takes to work on the sandy shores with curious onlookers standing by?
Over 1000 volunteers will be working to clean the beach while you are designing your creation, and all will assemble at noon to see the finished products. Prizes and merriment to follow!
This year, teams will also have the opportunity to host a few youth members looking to get out of their neighborhoods and onto the sand with you. They can learn about new career paths and the science behind design work.
Sign up your team today!
For more information or to purchase tickets over the phone, please email Danie Eley at deley@healthebay.org.
STEWARDS AND JR. STEWARDS HABITAT RESTORATION
The Bolsa Chica Land Trust Stewards and Jr. Stewards meet twice each month – the first Sunday and third Saturday – to restore native habitat at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. Take part at 9 am (till noon). Meet at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve North Parking Lot (3842 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach, CA).
Come plant and water native plants, remove non-native plants, pick up trash and other maintenance tasks. Help the Bolsa Chica Land Trust heal our local environment! Please “dress for mess” with long pants and closed toe shoes (like sneakers) and plenty of sunscreen. That’s it! You’ll be taken care of from there with plenty of instructions, tools and equipment, information about the ecosystem, and water and snacks. All are welcome, but please note, there is limited access for those with physical disabilities. For groups of 25 or more, please call ahead to 714-846-1001 or email Erin@bclandtrust.org extra equipment & snacks can be provided. Volunt
eer slips are available for school credit.
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.
Upper River / April 15 / 9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Bette Davis Picnic Area | Sepulveda Basin @ Balboa Blvd
Tujunga Wash @ Haines Canyon Channel
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.
PROTECT WHAT YOU LOVE
Heal the Bay’s Nothin' But Sand Beach Cleanup is a great opportunity for you and your family, friends or associates to get involved. All you need to do is show up…and bring a bucket if possible!
- General Admission: You can register up to 19 people under the General Admission ticket type.
- Group Leaders: You can register groups of 20-100 people under the Group Leader ticket type.
- Overflow Admission: When Heal the Bay’s general admission sells out, you can still register, however you will be responsible for bringing your own cleanup supplies: a bucket or trash bag, and a garden glove or latex gloves. Please bring your own water to this event to prevent dehydration.
- All cleanup volunteers must have a signed waiver form.
- Bring cash if you plan to park in the lot (there is no discounted parking) or come early to find street metered parking.
- Volunteers 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Volunteers under 18 must have a waiver signed by parent or guardian.
- Service hour forms will be signed by the beach captain at the end of the cleanup. Service Hours cannot be verified after the event concludes.
- Help Heal the Bay make Nothin’ But Sand a zero-waste event! Bags, garden gloves, water, and healthy KIND Snacks (while supplies last) will be provided, but you’re encouraged to bring your own cleanup supplies and a reusable water bottle to reduce the environmental footprint.
- Please be prepared to be outside for 2-3 hours. Beach weather can be unpredictably hot or cold, dressing in layers is recommended. Volunteers are encouraged to bring a filled reusable water bottle to stay hydrated, and to bring a snack in case of hunger. Water is available at all cleanups.
- If you have any questions or concerns please call 800 HEAL BAY x148 or send an email.
Note: NBS is a rain or shine event. Cleanups are only cancelled for lightning or thunderstorms. The cleanup will still be held in light and steady rain.
More Information
Have questions about Nothin' But Sand Beach Cleanup?
Contact Heal the Bay
Oil Painting: Capture the Beauty of Nature
Saturdays, (6 week sessions):
January 14 – February 18
February 25 – April 1
April 8 – May 13
May 20 – June 24
1:00pm – 3:30pm
Ron Pettie, Instructor
$69 Arboretum members / $79 non-members (includes Arboretum admission)
All materials are included.
Capture the beauty of nature! The instructor will guide a beginner to draw and paint with confidence. More advanced students will be able to paint independently at their own pace and will be able to choose their own subjects.
Each subsequent six-week class will explore other areas of painting such as landscape, still life, domestic animals, structures, deserts, and seascapes. Master artist Ron Pettie will guide you on this adventure.
At the end of a six-week session students will learn the following:
- Composition styles
- How to read a color chart
- Color mixing
- How to use the grid system and the rule of thirds
- Use of dark and light values and gray scales
- Learn a variety of techniques for painting , including using different brushes and the palette knife for texture and depth
- How to use the magic frame on photographs
- Self-Critiquing – Standing back and squinting
- Choosing a signature
Reservations REQUIRED; To register please call the Education Department at 626-821-4623.
Don’t miss the Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary’s 2017 “Weed Warriors” Saturday Volunteer Days! 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 under 13 must be accompanied by adults. It fulfills community service requirements
Please sign up via the link: https://goo.gl/forms/hOcNhQmHFzXUHdHm2
For more info, please email jrosales@audubo.org.
Schedule
January 21; February 11 & 25; March 11 & 25; April 8, 15, & 29 (1:30pm – 4:30pm); May 13 & 20
9am – 12:30 pm each date (*except April)
Beginning and Ending Time: In January, February, March and May the time is from 9 am – 12:30 pm. In April the time is from 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm.
