Actor Kirk Douglas gives children at the Lillian Elementary School a high five in Los Angeles Wednesday, May 28, 2008 (AP Photo/Nick Ut) Since 1997, actor Kirk Douglas and his wife Anne have donated about one playground renovation per week to Los Angeles area schools. Yesterday at Lillian Elementary School in South LA marked their 401st and last. The playground project began in 1997 "while Anne Douglas was reading in the Los Angeles Times......

Photo by Julie Wolfson/LAist Big Sunday is the largest annual citywide community service event in America. Volunteers of all ages are lending a hand to projects at hundreds of different sites throughout Los Angeles. From homeless shelters to schools, senior centers and public parks, LA will be full of community spirit. Throughout the city children will be setting up lemonade stands to raise money. So get out and volunteer and buy some lemonade too. Go......

It’s easy to forget that there’s a thriving literary scene here in LA. It’s also easy to lose sight of the fact that there are people who are committed to doing good, making change and making the city a better place for the next generation. 826LA manages to combine all of these things at once. The brainchild of hipster deity Dave Eggers, the family of non-profits now known as 826 National was originated in......

After yesterday's citizen forester training, we decided to join a tree planting up in Lake View Terrace in the Northeast Valley to see a citizen forester in action. A teenage girl led it for her Girl Scout troop, planting 25 trees at the Lake View Terrace Recreation Center. Supported by TreePeople, the morning was a cinch. It began with sign-ins and registration, followed by opening remarks and training. Then groups spread out to plant......

Everyday, the Mayor's office sends us his schedule. Alarm goes off at 5 a.m., snooze is hit for another 9 minutes. 5:09 a.m., snooze button, part 2. Okay, it's not that detailed. However, with Big Sunday (are you volunteering?), the mayor is busier than usual for a weekend. He has six appearances from 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. ranging from hanging with the Black Eyed Peas at Paramount Studios, giving trees away with the......