Another collection of holiday gift ideas that give more...and many of these are perfect for those of you who like to save it last minute...and perhaps not even leave the house! Check out PhiLAnthropist Gift Guide Part I for more... more ›

A little over a year ago, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières came to Griffith Park and then Santa Monica to set up their "Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City". LAist visited both "camps" and learned a tremendous amount about the organization, the plight of these refugees and specifically how MSF responds to medical emergencies. more ›

There is no design without action; We design WITH, not FOR; We document, share and measure; We start locally and scale globally, We design systems, not stuff. - From Project H's Mission Statement. We mentioned Project H's Abject Object in last week's PhiLAnthropist Gift Guide. Project H Design is definitely one of coolest organizations we learned about in 2009. And we're quite certain we'll be hearing about it more in 2010, and beyond. more ›

The holiday season is all about giving. We know that. Somewhere in between waking up at 3am for the doorbuster deals, braving the mall crowds and boycotting consumerism all together, we can maintain our "holiday sanity" by buying gifts that support those organizations working to drive social change and improve the lives of others. We've divided this into two parts. Part I lists those gifts for when you actually need to present the recipient with a tangible good, otherwise, you ruined the Festivus...for everyone. In Part II, you'll find organizations that use your donation to give a gift to someone else less fortunate more ›

It's that wonderful time of the year again. Door-busters, pant-busters, wallet-busters. We've included some ideas for some Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities. You know, so you feel less guilty after eating 14 pounds of stuffing or to prevent you from drinking all day and making things awkward at dinner. Or perhaps you want to take part out of the kindness of your heart, because you are thankful to live in the greatest place ever. This list isn't exhaustive, so leave other ideas in the comments! more ›

So AMC's got "Mad Men", "Breaking Bad", and "The Prisoner", and now they're going to produce a series based on the zombie comic book "The Walking Dead". Is basic cable the place for innovation now? --- At the end of July, CBS and the TV Academy had announced plans that segments of this year's Emmys would be pre-recorded so that more "entertainment" components could be included in the 3 hour show. more ›

Yesterday we wrote about the demise of 20th Century Props and the auction of their collection - today we can notify you of another auction occurring in..... 2010! If you are going to ComicCon you should check out the Profiles in History display of "Lost" props that will be auctioned in 2010 and start saving up for that Dharma Initiative bag of potato chips that escaped the clutches of Hurley. more ›

In case you don't have a good reason to drink beer this weekend, hop along, Cassidy, to the Gene Autrey Center in Griffith Park for all the hops and barley you can drink. The admission price of $50 includes food, beverages and live entertainment including the returning Host Bil Dwyer and and an encore live performance by Blackstone Heist. The 21 and over event runs from 3pm to 7pm Saturday, and cabs will be on site in case you have more than a taste and get overhydrated. more ›

From the minute one steps foot inside the Los Angeles State Historic Park, the site of Cirque Berzerk, no minute is left unstimulated. A small crew outfitted in pirate-like burlesque circus costumes greets entering cars. As you walk toward the entrance, distracted by the LA skyline that unfolds ahead, a burst of intense heat startles you and you instantly jump back 5-feet. It's easy to miss the enormous torch towering above; that is until it lets out this fire-breathing roar. Just when it seems like a good time to ask yourself "What the hell is going on?" a giant pale faced 'clown' on stilts drunkenly stumbles your way, looks down at you for a second and keeps going. And at intermission, the 1930's brass band, Vaud and the Villains, put on a show with so much energy, it's not only worth the price of admission, but they leave you tempted to hop on the next flight to New Orleans. One might imagine this is how David Berrent, Cirque Berzerk's executive producer and managing partner, felt when he attended the wedding of Cirque Berzerk's founder's Suzanne Bernel and Kevin Bourque prompting him to "quit his day job" as a TV-producer, and put everything into developing the current show, Beneath. more ›

Exactly one year ago, LAist read Ed Fuentes' blogdowntown article about Estela Lopez and the third anniversary of the Skid Row Neighborhood Watch Walk . He described it as a gathering that brought together "neighbors from surrounding neighborhoods, college documentary filmmakers, social workers, teachers, and city officials, and residents" all part of an effort to "put the spot light on Skid Row" as Lopez, one of the walk's founders, explains at the beginning of each walk. more ›

"When you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, the universe opens up and says, 'yeah, I am going to help you out.'" Mary Fanaro, founder of the LA-based OmniPeace fashion brand, perfectly summed up her experiences since starting the company in 2005. The former event producer remembers waking up one morning after throwing a huge bash for the 10-year anniversary for the Hard Rock Hotel more ›

For his first grade science project, Oscar decided to make root beer. Turns out, the root beer was really good. All the parents and students at the school loved it. So Oscar, with the help from his family, saw an opportunity beyond just a science project, and began researching and taste testing all sorts of root beers. Clever little guy. The result? Margo's Bark Root Beer. more ›

While many not-for-profits are struggling when it comes to funding and donations, one more positive fallout of this little recession is an increase in volunteer hours. LA's Zach Istrin and Justin Bird are perfect examples of this wave of volunteerism. With more time on their hands, they decided to start volunteering, a lot. With hopes of raising awareness and motivating other young people, they began writing about all their experiences on their blog, the LA Karma Project. So for anyone who has been thinking about donating some of their time, the LA Karma Project is a great starting point for reading about some first-hand experiences with different LA organizations, such as Project Angel Food and Shane's Inspiration. Zach and Justin were kind enough to answer some of our questions and offer up some good advice...you can even join them on one of their volunteer adventures. more ›

For a city where the uninformed would quickly say "...but no one bikes in LA", a lot has happened over the past year. Cyclists took over the 10 and the 405. Crank Mob got a little crazier than usual. And on the less upbeat side, lives were lost, inevitably sparking rallies demanding safer streets for cyclists. more ›

Tonight, Causecast.org and Ben Morrison (LAist interview) host "A Cause for Comedy" at the Hollywood Improv. This is the first show in a monthly series which will raise money for local charities. LA's own Project Angel Food (volunteer opportunities) is the first beneficiary. 100% of the proceeds will go to the organization dedicated to providing home cooked meals to those suffering from HIV, AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. As the video below shows, the impact of these services goes beyond just nourishing these people back to health; the customized food deliveries help to instill a genuine sense of hope and caring. more ›

The Soloist, set and filmed in LA's Skid Row, opens nation-wide today. We've written about Skid Row many times with hopes that a continued spotlight on the area will raise awareness and motivate individuals to get involved and work for change, beyond serving meals around the holiday season. The Soloist will certainly brighten that spotlight as it confronts issues of homelessness, poverty and mental illness, and the movie's producer, Participant Media, seems to share our sentiments. They have created two sites, takepart.com/thesoloist and thesoloist.volunteermatch.org that provide an extensive listing of organizations and volunteer opportunities. The first site lists some great organizations downtown while the latter provides people outside of LA with resources for getting involved with their own local organizations. more ›

What happens when you travel to Argentina to learn how to play Polo? You start a sustainable and socially conscious shoe company. Of course. more ›

Back in February, we told you about Twestival, a worldwide "tweet-up" in the name of raising money for charity:water. Over 200 cities, incuding Los Angeles and Anaheim hosted their own Twestivals. What madeTwestival and the partnership with charity:water so great, in addition to the fact that thousands of people came together to make this happen in a matter of weeks, is that 100% of the proceeds raised from Twestival goes directly to the provision of clean and safe drinking water. (And we browsed their financials, they are legit). more ›

Take the concept behind Improv Everywhere and their guerilla style gatherings in public places (like the no pants subway ride) and add an element of activism and a desire to fight social injustices, and you have The Freeze Project. more ›

In just 8 weeks, 3000 cyclists will pedal up San Vicente Blvd. in Santa Monica after a 7-day and 545-mile ride that begins in San Francisco. This year marks the 8th Annual AIDS Life Cycle Ride, a benefit for and co-produced by the LA Gay and Lesbian Center and the SF AIDS Foundation. more ›

As mentioned last week, the procurement of clean and safe water is a big issue. This week, at restaurants all over the city, including El Cholo, Hugo's Il Piccolino, BLT Steak, Hamburger Mary's, AOC, Pasta Pomodoro and many more, you can add $1 or more and pay for the tap water you usually drink for free. more ›

Last Wednesday, GOOD and Knight Pulse partnered up to honor the five individuals they awarded for their involvement in various community projects addressing local and global issues. more ›

On the South side of Melrose, right after La Brea, a small office building displays the word GOOD in big block letters through the large windows. Fittingly, it is the home of GOOD, the magazine 'for people who give a damn'. Founded in 2006 by the then 26-year-old Ben Goldhirsh, GOOD seeks to 'inform' and 'inspire', covering issues from Van Jones and green-collar jobs to street food to providing laptops to children in developing countries to economist Jeffrey Sachs' take on the state of the planet. It's a tough time for journalism, with the recent end of the Rocky Mountain News, Plenty and the elephantjournal, but Goldhirsh is figuring out how to use the tools of today, the energy of today and the climate of today to actively engage people and drive change. The magazine also donates their subscription revenue to one of twelve not-for-profits each year and, according to the most recent issue, has contributed over $1 million to 21 different not-for-profits to date. more ›

Did you know that Monday, March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's Birthday? Did you also know that in his honor the National Education Association hosts Read Across America every year? It's a nationwide reading celebration and schools throughout LA are participating and looking for volunteers to help. more ›

The Watts House Project (video) goes way beyond your average neighborhood beautification projects. It is large-scale "collaborative artwork in the name of neighborhood redevelopment" that seeks to engage a variety of individuals, from the residents of 107th street, to artists, to educators and community members. The project, according to artist and director, will Edgar Arceneaux, transform and remodel all 20 residences on the street through a collaboration with an artist, architect and resident of the property. more ›

With one day left until tomorrow's Twestival, the event is continuing to grow. In addition to the LA Twestival at downtown's 740 Club, now Anaheim will host their own Twestival tomorrow night at the Sheraton Park. more ›

Photo courtesy of Ben Morrison. more ›

Established in 2002 thanks to a donation by warehouse owner Richard Meruelo, Skid Row's Excess Personal Property Warehouse is still the only of its kind in the nation. The Central City East Association created the warehouse out of the need clean up the streets and decrease the amount of homeless encampments by providing Skid Row's homeless with a place to keep their belongings. more ›

Obama's national day of service last Monday hopefully inspired people to get out for more than just one day of service and truly get involved in their communities. PhiLAnthropist wants to help spread the word about the people and organizations in LA working to give back. Send us an email with volunteer opportunities or suggestions. more ›

December's Skid Row Neighborhood Watch Walk was lightly attended, likely due to the tree lighting events happening at LA Live. As always, the walk went on, and as always, the walk was unlike any prior walks. While feelings of sadness, confusion and hopelessness had ensued after previous walks, this one offered a new, fresh and somewhat hopeful perspective. One of the most intriguing aspects of the walk is having the chance to meet, talk to and walk with the individuals that have a true passion and dedication to Skid Row and those who make up the community. more ›