Down syndrome is a disorder that many can recognize, but few in the general public really understand its cause and health complications. It occurs when a child is born with an extra copy of chromosome 21. The genes function normally, but having an extra throws the delicate balance of the body off, leading to health issues, mental disabilities and the distinct facial features identified with Down syndrome. This Saturday, Oct. 11, the Down Syndrome Research......

Photo by nailmaker via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The "theme" of this week's PhiLAnthropist is giving back by donating goods. With so many organizations in LA in need of different items, it's hard to know where to go. The following is a brief list of some solid organizations that could use a few things. And even though they have not been specifically listed, many, if not all, of these organizations offer a variety......

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......

Since billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad has funded Los Angeles institutions such as LACMA's BCAM and UCLA's Stem Cell Institute, Curbed LA asked its readers what he should spend his money on next if it were to be a civic project. The "Subway to the Sea" won with overwhelming results....

There is nothing like combining fashion and philanthropy. Tomorrow night, the Los Angeles flagship store for Martin & Osa is have a launch party for the opening of their store in Century City. The stylish fashion company has generously donated $5,000 to Step Up Women's Network and the event will feature shopping (optional), cocktails and bites, and time to mingle with friends and to meet new people. While Step Up Women's Network is for......

Dr. Jane Goodall. Photo courtesy of Roots and Shoots. This Sunday, September 23rd, Dr. Jane Goodall (primatologist, ethologist, author, researcher, and United Nations Messenger of Peace extraordinaire) be speaking at Griffith Park as part of the Roots and Shoots Fifth Annual Peace Day. Dr. Goodall, who is most famous for her research on chimpanzees in Gombe, will be leading a parade of giant home-made dove puppets and speaking at this free all-ages event. Roots......

Quote of the week: 'Who are YOU?" said the Caterpillar. This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, 'I - I hardly know sir, just at present - at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.' – from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Good Benefits The Players Toast Awards at the......

Up for a little do gooding and want to meet some good people along the way? Check out Philanthro Productions event at the Cabana Club tonight. Called "STRUT: A PARTY AND FASHION SHOW BENEFIT FOR CAMP HEARTLAND," it's $15 donation at the door. Philanthro Productions is a new company that is working on engaging people to find out how to give back while still having fun. So they throw events around town, you have......

Quotes of the week: “There are two kinds of people in this world, the givers and the takers. The takers eat better, but the givers sleep better.” – Danny Thomas "A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle." - Benjamin Franklin “The time is always right to do what is right.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Good Art California Design Biennial 2007 August 19 – September 30, 2007 Pasadena Museum of......

According to the Down Syndrome Research and Treatment Fund (DSRTF) website, about one in every 800 American babies is born with Down syndrome and approximately 350,000 people in the U.S. have this condition today. Down syndrome is caused when a child is born with an extra chromosome, more specifically an extra copy of chromosome 21. The genes are all normal, but having an extra throws the delicate balance of the body off, which leads......

Summer is coming to a close and we don't know about you, but we're feeling a little charitable. As nonprofits gear up for their busiest season with traditional calls to action for annual funds and holiday donations, we are going to bring you a few other ways you can become involved, and hopefully, inspired to give a little bit back too. Do you have an event, benefit, item for sale that you would like......

GOOD Magazine launched 6 issues ago on September 12, 2006, raising $383,760 through subscriptions for non-profit Choose GOOD partners. Here's the good in Los Angeles from their first anniversary issue released this week: Volunteer 4 hours of your time, get a free ticket to see Beyonce and The Game via Boost Mobile Rock Corps. Well, that already happened in LA a few months ago. Next time, next time. 7,370,880 6-inch tacos equals 698 miles, the......

Worthy Sounds is an event company dedicated to bringing people together through music and tonight are hosting an event tonight called "Green Spirits." It is their intention raise awareness about sustainable opportunities and help people get involved. Held at The Gibson Showroom, five diverse music acts will be performing, there is a silent auction and an eco-spa suite sponsored by Jurlique. Net proceeds will benefit Tree People. To RSVP, email: worthysounds@gmail.com. Details: When: Tonight,......

Here on LAist, we've written before about how to make your party socially conscious and in particular how to throw a shoe party. It is in that same vein that Tom's Shoes is planning a night of shoe parties across the country. The date is set for Saturday, July 28th, 2007 and here's the deal. Throw a good ole summer party to get friends together. Sign up to be a host. Invite a bunch......

Last night I attended a screening of the 2006 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winning documentary God Grew Tired of Us, directed by Christopher Quinn. Fine, maybe I went because Brad Pitt was listed as one of the producers and I thought he and Angie might show, which they didn’t, but it was still worth the trafficky drive up the 405 freeway to where the screening and a panel discussion were scheduled......

The Red Hot Chili Pepper’s legendary bassist Flea, walks through the front door of the Silverlake Music Conservatory’s sun-filled lobby. He’s in the process of putting a shirt on over his tattooed torso and he looks like he’s still recovering from headlining Saturday's show at Coachella. Flea is back at the music school that he established in 2001 to talk about the upcoming fundraiser May 5 at the Henry Fonda Theater. Called the Hullabaloo, the......

City Year is coming to Los Angeles this fall and is hosting their first annual "Alumni and Friends Fundraiser" Tuesday night in the Foundation Room at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. So what exactly is City Year? Founded in 1988, City Year's signature program, the City Year youth corps, unites young adults ages 17 to 24 in a year of full-time rigorous service during which they work in diverse teams to......

The BR!CK Awards celebrate young people making our world better and is the first award show if its kind to be televised on national television. Tune in to The CW tonight at 9pm or set your Tivo to see for yourself! The show is only one-hour long and is claiming limited-commercial interruption. Hey man, whatever floats your boat. Both citizen activists and celebrities will be there. The list of winners can be seen here.......

Paolo Davanzo is an enthusiastic, avuncular man whose passion for filmmaking and education has resonated for half a decade from a brick building on the corner of Sunset and Alvarado. He’s like an Eastside Willy Wonka minus the creepiness. His factory isn’t churning out chocolates, but instead for the past five years, he’s been helping people from all walks of life make cinematic confections at the Echo Park Film Center (EPFC). EPFC is a......

I attended The Good Shepherd Center's Gala this past Saturday night at the Beverly Regent Wilshire as the guest of my mentor whose company had sponsored a table. I am lucky enough to attend quite a few galas but this particular evening knew nothing about the organization before I got there. I was so impressed with both the presentation, the attendees and the experience overall. Their video really hit home to the problem of......

In my quest to bring a charity component to all social gatherings, first described here, I was faced with finding just the right fit for a recent house party. It was a celebration of new jobs, a birthday and we were expecting about 75 people. I wanted to make it fun and easy for people and did a little research and decided to do a shoe drive. In the evite with all the other......

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to make all social gatherings "good" and have a socially conscious aspect to them. And why not? If people are going to get together for a party, birthday, brunch, networking -- it seems easy and fun to try to incorporate a certain "give back" quality. And I know, fun can be described as different things to different people, but for this do-gooder, well, I just couldn't resist.......

"We cannot talk about urban transport until we know what kind of city we want, and to talk about the kind of city we want, we have to know how we want to live." Honestly, the event tonight is worth 10 categories. Crime, transportation, traffic, your commute, green printing, sustainability...Los Angeles, listen up. We don't have to live in a city plagued by traffic woes! Imagine real solutions and ideas and a room full......

This past week, I was looking back for information on one of my posts and my eyes glanced down to the bottom and I realized, good god, it's been 1 year since I started at LAist. 3 editors, 2 apartments, 2 day jobs (you think blogging pays all the bills, think again), countless music shows, music festivals, restaurants, art openings, day trips, networking events and here I am. For those who say you can't......

If you love the ocean and want to support the people out there every day trying to protect it, you have no choice but to attend the party next weekend celebrating the reopening of Heal the Bay's Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. From the official site: Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium will celebrate the completion of a new roof with a reopening event on November 18th from 12:30 to 5:30pm at the Aquarium......

If you find yourself going east down Sunset today near Downtown, you might want to pull over at that Burger King near that BBQ joint, because there's something very sweet happening there today. From 6 a.m. to midnight, the owners of the BK at 700 W. Cesar E. Chavez Ave. have decided to donate all today's sales to the family of a slain LAPD officer who died last month. Landon Dorris was investigating an......

Cold Stone Creamery is hosting their fourth annual World's Largest Ice Cream Social and it's today! From 5-8 pm, help yourself to a FREE ice cream cone from Cold Stone. Lucky for us, there are lots of locations in Los Angeles! In exchange for the free cone, you will be asked to make a donation to the Make-a-Wish Foundation and 100% of the proceeds nationwide will go back to them. The free scoops will......

Come on and get your GOOD. GOOD Magazine, that is. The buzz is has been strong on this newly-launched magazine, the creation of Ben Goldhirsh. You maybe have read the inspiring piece on him in last month's LA Times - or you might have read the interview LAist had with him prior to that (thanks Adrienne!) He is also the founder of Reason Pictures, so yes a very busy guy. This Saturday is their......

Another Southern California trendsetter has passed away. According to the August 19, 2004 issue of Women's Wear Daily: "Retail innovator Marcia Israel-Curley, the founder of the young women�s specialty retailer Judy�s, died Tuesday morning of a stroke. She was 83, according to longtime friend Warren Cowan. Also a civic leader and philanthropist, Israel-Curley was best known for creating the Van Nuys, Calif., chain that revolutionized the way young, fashion-hungry women in California shopped for......