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.
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)
The 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.
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:
- 5 – 8 pm (Grand Slam Finals)
Shift:
- 3 – 9 pm
Each Monday morning at 10 am, we host a fun, hands-on service project at Big Sunday headquarters called MM@10 (Monday Mornings at 10). It’s a great way for folks of all ages to get together to help others. Join us for all the fun!
To RSVP for upcoming MM@10 events, please contact beenish@bigsunday.org. Click HERE for MM@10’s full schedule.
Join us for TM@10 at Big Sunday headquarters where we’ll host a different service project each week that benefits a worthy cause! Enjoy good food, good company and good deeds; everyone is welcome. Some of the groups we’re helping include My Friend’s Place, Covenant House, and lots of shelters, hospitals, and senior facilities around all over town. For more info or to sign up, contact rob@bigsunday.org. Click HERE for TM@10’s full schedule.
The Back on My Feet Annual Foothill 5K Challenge Race isn't your average 5K. Feel the burn as you climb more than 1,000 feet on course, then reward yourself with spectacular 360 degree views of the San Gabriel Mountains from the summit and some discounted brews at the Golden Road Brewing Afterparty once you finish! Registration includes chip timing, a technical race t-shirt, and finishers’ swag.
All event proceeds support Back on My Feet’s mission to increase self-sufficiency among individuals experiencing homelessness and other underserved populations.
Volunteer stations include:
- Packet stuffing – 4/27/17 – 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
- Various Race day position – 4/30/17 – 6:30 am – 12 pm
To register or for more information please inquire here: https://techimpact.formstack.com/forms/5kchallengevolunteers2017
To find out more about Back on My Feet LA and other non-event volunteering opportunities, please visit www.la.backonmyfeet.org.
Event Website: http://give.backonmyfeet.org/5kchallenge
Take part “Sistahs, Sexuality, and Mental Health Wellbeing,” a conference that will take place on Friday, April 28th 2017, from 10 am – 2 pm at the Department of Water and Power located at 4030 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles. This project emerged out of partnerships between UCLA, Healthy African American Families (HAAF), Los Angeles Women’s Collaborative on HIV/AIDS, Fox Hills Ladera Healthy Family Association, Oasis Clinic, and I Choose Life in efforts to address the increase in sexually transmitted infections and diseases (STIs/STDs) that are occurring among African American women aged 50+.
The series of dialogue groups (4 groups of 10-12 African American women aged 50+) to discuss topics about sexual health practices and mental health wellbeing as it pertains to aging has been completed. Responses from the groups were transcribed and the data was analyzed to identify specific themes that emerged that are potential areas of attention and intervention. A majority of the women identified difficulty with broaching conversations about sexual health with their physicians and partners and mental health issues as reasons for why older women in our community may engage in risky sexual practices.
The purpose of this conference is to invite you as well as other members of the community to discuss the research findings from these groups as well engage in a conversation about some next steps for community prevention and intervention. A dynamic panel of speakers have been gathered, including Yolanda Whittington, LCSW (Department of Mental Health), Claudia Spears, RN (Holman Methodist Church), and Nola Thomas, MA who have specific expertise on this topic. Dr. Velma Union (Founder of One-Light International) will moderate the panel session. Please attend!
Click on this link to register and see the program schedule: https://sas50.splashthat.com/
YALLWEST is a Young Adult Literary Festival held in Santa Monica. This year they are bringing in over 125 authors for a weekend of panels, signings, and fun. They also bring in over 800 students from Title 1 schools with their program Books, Buses, and Burgers. This allows students free transportation to the festival, lunch, and a free book of their choosing.
Volunteer hours are between 8:00 am – 7:00 pm and they run in 4-hour blocks.
Tasks:
- Panel Monitoring
- Ticket taking
- Author Signings
- School Escorts
Time Requirement: shifts are 4 hours long, there is a 1-hr training session held the week before the festival
Perks: free parking, a t-shirt, a free ticket to a Festival Ticketed event of your choosing
Sign up: https://www.yallwest.com/get-involved/#volunteers
Questions: email Volunteer Coordinator, Gretchen Schreiber, at gretchen@yallwest.com
Join Food Forward and RESULTS for a day of discussion around food justice, access, and gleaning strategies. Keynote speakers include Robert Egger (LA Kitchen) and Rachel Sumekh (Swipe Out Hunger).
RSVP by April 22! Learn more here.
On Saturday, April 29, Mayall Academy of Arts and Technology needs a few hardworking volunteers to pitch in on various tasks (i.e. painting, clean-up and gardening) and the school’s beautification day. Mayall Academy of Arts and Technology is a Technology Magnet and low-income school located in North Hills with a large population of deaf and hard-of-hearing students and second language learners. To lend a hand, please contact Principal Linda Kim at lkim5@lausd.net.
