Almost 40% of Angelinos are immigrants – and we’re betting they’ve got some great stories to tell. So we’re giving our August Awesome grant to help build La Burbuja – “the bubble” – a portable sound booth to record the stories of Latin American immigrants in Los Angeles as part of Sonic Trace, a KCRW radio project from indie producers Anayansi Diaz-Cortes and Eric Pearse Chavez. According to them: It begins in the heart of Los Angeles and crosses into Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Part radio, part video, part mapping project, Sonic Trace asks ¿Por qué te vas? ¿Por qué te quedas? ¿Por qué regresas? Why do you go? Why do you stay? And, what makes you return?… By recording and broadcasting their stories, Sonic Trace hopes to broaden and amplify the voices involved in the immigration debate and expand knowledge and understanding about immigration in our community. Holla that. Plus, La Burbuja will look like exactly that – a bubble! Our 1K is just the start – Anayansi and her team need 5K more to build this big round shiny orb of storytelling goodness. Give a few bucks over at their Kickstarter project to help them reach their goal. And come celebrate… read more →

LA are you ready for the biggest awesomest picnic ever? In May we gave away 1000 to  Danny Cohen and Farley Elliot to build one giant kick-ass picnic . We’re excited to announce that the wait is up : LA get ready for one yummy afternoon and join Danny, Farley and the Awesome Board for a colossal good time:

Don’t we all dream of being awesome parents? The Los Angeles South Bay chapter of the Awesome Foundation is pleased to announce that our first grant – awarded on July 7, 2012 –  will support parents everywhere in getting one step closer to that dream. No, its not free tickets to Disneyland. Pearent.com is an interactive platform that incorporates the ideas of child psychologists, educators and researchers of the Pear model of parenting.  The grant will be used to create interactive visual modules that demonstrates how to bring out the inner awesomeness of every child. It is one small step for the Awesome Foundation and one giant step for parents everywhere.

This month’s Awesome grant goes to Randy Peterson and Ageless Art – Randy’s small but growing program helping seniors in assisted living facilities uncover the artist inside. Randy started with one student 3 years ago and now serves over 200 LA-area seniors a month – many saddled with serious neurological and health issues but, says Randy, with creativity just waiting to bust out: I’ve seen people who really have no mobility and expression come to life through art. THAT is worth a thousand bucks in paint brushes. Here’s just a few of thousands of works created by Randy’s students. Later this summer, we’ll update you on an Ageless Art Gallery showing – stay tuned for more info!  

What would make LA stop, drop and …eat? Well this months Awesome LA winners, Farley Elliott and Danny Cohen, think they have the answer: one giant kick-ass picnic. In a city that is far too often characterized by its traffic, and its residents constant rush to get from point  A to B – these two awesome individuals want to given LA a reason to stop for a bit, enjoy the day and break the bread with their fellow Angelenos! In their own words: Picnic baskets, blankets, kites – all the makings of a classic picnic, but on a massive scale. Baskets as big as a sofa, Paul Bunyan-sized sandwiches and enough grapes to make Caesar blush. It’s a giant picnic in size, scope and mission. There will be food, games and an open invitation for anyone and everyone to stop by and meet their neighbors. Here’s a few more awesome facts about these two picnic-neers : 1. They are improvisers at the amazing Upright Citizens Brigade (clearly they know how to have a good time!) 2. Have you heard of Minutiæ ? If you haven’t you should check this brilliantly satirical magazine that Danny and Farley co-edit! 3. They’re simple… read more →