Numerous events are taking place today in Los Angeles County to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Los Angeles is giving back with volunteer events, museum tributes and city celebrations. Read on for details on how you can participate in today's national holiday. more ›

Long Beach is looking for a few good men and women to be volunteers for their upcoming fourth annual Bicycle Count. Count events will happen on Thursday, October 20 and Sunday, October 23. more ›

Pablove Shutterbugs, a photography program for pediatric cancer patients, is currently recruiting volunteer photography mentors for their fall L.A. session from September 17 through November 5. more ›

Los Angeles, it is time to roll up your sleeves, and pitch in. From getting down and dirty (in community and school gardens) to using some old fashioned elbow grease (to clean up communities) there are hundreds of opportunities to do some big time good as part of Big Sunday this weekend. Once again, volunteer brigades all over the city will take on tasks aimed at improving where and how we live. more ›

On August 26, 2009 the largest wildfire in Angeles National Forest and Los Angeles County history erupted. The Station Fire burned over 160,000 acres of the forest during the course of several months. After two years of letting the forest heal and coordinating the Angeles Mountain Restoration, Forest Aid: Angeles, a partnership of TreePeople and the U.S. Forest Service, is ready to start planting. more ›

It's been 25 years since the first Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was commemorated in America. Now, it's not only a federal holiday, but also a day of community service. Don't fret if Monday isn't a work holiday for you, there's plenty to do this weekend. Whether you choose to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of service or a day of leisure, here is a list of things to do. more ›

In what appear to be unrelated incidents, scandalized former City of Bell Manager Robert Rizzo has lost his volunteer job as a parking lot guard at a Huntington Beach museum, and has been spotted on video at a nearby bar drinking while still on duty. Losing the volunteer job came as a result of the ousted civic leader being outed by LA Times' columnist Steve Lopez. more ›

Ousted former City Manager for Bell, and the purported ringleader of the corrupt "Bell 8," Robert Rizzo has a new job, as reported by the LA Times' Steve Lopez, who met up with the disgraced civic leader while he worked a shift as a parking lot guard at the International Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach. more ›

Homeless population counts will be taking place at the end of January in Los Angeles County and separately in Long Beach and Santa Monica, and each count is in need of volunteers to help out. The counts are mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and take place every two years. more ›

Emblazoned with vibrant, cheery colors and eye-catching patterns, Los Angeles County's lifeguard towers have now been returned to their basic blues, marking an official, albeit calendar-challenged, end to the "Summer of Color." more ›

The season of thanking others and spending time with your family - whether you'd like to or not - is upon us once again. While it'd be easy to get snarky and eye-rolly about trudging off to spend Thanksgiving with family and all the potential weirdness that might ensue, chances are that if you're reading this, you have it far better than many in Los Angeles, crazy family or not. more ›

The California Coastal Commission's annual Cleanup Day is considered the world's largest trash-collecting event, and today tens of thousands of volunteers of all ages and walks of life spent the morning on the shore of the Pacific pitching in to get rid of all the junk left behind. more ›

It's an international annual event that draws some 14,000 people in Los Angeles County who altogether pickup around 300,000 pounds of trash from the beaches and inland waterways. Coastal Cleanup Day is September 26th and local organizer Heal the Bay is calling for action, asking people to a few hours that Saturday morning. more ›

Take a hike with Tony Valois in the Santa Monica Mountains and you're likely to see things much differently than the average hiker. For Valois, a volunteer with the National Park Service, the mountains are a living, breathing and ever-changing landscape of beauty, wonder and excitement. What's this flower? He has the answer. How about this grass? Yeah, he knows it. What can be said about this tree? Nothing gets beyond him and if he doesn't know, he'll be quick to figure it out. more ›

This weekend is Big Sunday in Los Angeles, which means there are hundreds of opportunities for you to get involved with community improvement projects, big and small. more ›

Of the five islands that make up Channel Islands National Park, it's one of the smallest that has some of the biggest problems. 17 miles off the coast of Oxnard is Anacapa Island. The 1.1 square-mile series of three large volcanic rocks that shoot out of the ocean is the birthplace to most all seagulls you see on Southern California beaches and many of the pelicans found throughout the West Coast, as far as Alaska. more ›

This is no April Fool's joke. If you want to go to Coachella and for whatever reason haven't gotten yourself tickets, here's your chance. LAist is giving away one pair of Festival Passes to this year's event, which takes place April 16th through 18th. more ›

Last month we told you about "Summer of Color," a massive project that will turn 155 lifeguard towers on 30 miles of California coast into vibrant floral pieces of public art. Bringing together volunteers from the community, the Project of Hope is working every Saturday from now until May to paint the panels that will then be affixed onto the lifeguard towers. more ›

Now here's a reason for L.A. politicians to finally pay attention to the unfinished Core Trail plan, which would giver hikers and equestrians the right-of-way along Mulholland Drive through the city (are you listening Sierra Club member Paul Koretz?). A report released today by the National Parks Conservation Association says visitors drawn to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area--it spans 153,000 acres from Runyon Canyon to the Santa Monica Pier and Point Mugu--spent more than $17 million in 2008. more ›

If you've made helping out a priority in 2010, but don't know where to begin, grab a $5 bill and head over to Downtown today from 11-4 to check out dozens of great options at the CityLabs Community Fair event. more ›

If you thought you could save some bucks and whoop it up at Disneyland on your next birthday thanks to the theme park's freebie, you're too late. As the OC Register's OC Deals Blog reminds us, "the last day you could go to Disneyland for free on your birthday was Dec. 31." more ›

The 31st annual bald eagle count in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains is slated to begin next weekend and will take place over occasional weekends until mid-March, and the effort is in need of volunteers to take part, reports abc7. The U.S. Forest Service needs people to help them count the eagles, and no prior experience is needed. In fact, Forest Service spokesman John Miller says all you'll need is "some warm clothes, a pair of binoculars and an hour to spare for each count." If this is you, give Matt McDonald with the Forest Service a call at (909) 382-2933. more ›

Today's LA Times offers "a cautionary tale" about the sin of gluttony and the perils of indigestion. In a chapter easily culled from the teachings of "When a Word to the Wise Isn't Always Sufficient," tomorrow's likely feasting can be the cause of great intestinal woes, and the bread-and-butter of area emergency rooms. 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 ›

One year ago this Thursday, the Freeway Complex fire broke out. The 30,305-acre fire destroyed 314 homes. Two years ago this past Sunday, the Santiago Fire ignited, eventually burning through 28,517 acres and destroying 14 homes. more ›

A volunteer opportunity for those who can handle the adrenaline: "Ventura County Search and Rescue East Valley Team 3 (VCSAR 3) is comprised of highly dedicated and skilled volunteers who are able to respond to wilderness emergencies in Ventura County. VCSAR 3 team members are extensively trained in search techniques, technical rope rescue, tracking, swiftwater rescue, communications, winter operations, urban search and rescue, and search management." more ›

Whether you live in the Valley or near the coast, we are all connected. That piece of trash sitting in an Encino curb could easily be swept into the storm drain system or L.A. River, traveling to the beach and into the Pacific Ocean. This Saturday, Heal the Bay and other organizations hope for 15,000 volunteers at more than 70 inland and beach locations for the 25th annual international Coastal Cleanup Day (and the 19th for the event to happen locally). more ›