If you've been secretly hiding a pair of old school roller skates under your bed, now's the time to whip 'em out and ride. This Thursday, UNITE!, Team Prohomo, Mouthfeel, Sir/Ma'am, and Alien She will bring together a rainbow assortment of queers for Roller Disco, a skate party and volunteer drive at the Millenium Youth Entertainment Complex. more ›

Daniel Morrison, an architecture student at UT, will be exhibiting "Cardboard Sky", an installation that the artist considers to be similar to a "very large puzzle". Nearly 20,000 pieces will be laser cut from discarded cardboard boxes and when assembled, will reveal a photo-mosaic that will decorate the streets during Art City Austin. Morrison and Art Alliance Austin are rallying volunteers to help assemble "Cardboard Sky". The pieces will be pre-cut and relatively simple to fit together, so everyone is encouraged to come out and lend a hand. The community puzzle piecing will take place at 416 W. Cesar Chavez Street from 6-10pm on Thursday, April 15th. Stop by to lend a hand - come for the art, stay for the free beer! more ›

This coming weekend, whether you have Monday off or not, consider spending some time serving the community in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. This year, the United Way Capital Area's volunteer action program, Hands On Central Texas, has coordinated with local non-profits, parks, and schools to provide service opportunities for Saturday, January 16th. Prospective do-gooders can review and select projects from a list that includes park beautification projects, school garden clean ups, landscape restoration at the French Legation Museum, and remodeling a garage at Out Youth to transform it into a library space. Nationwide volunteer opportunities can be found at MLKDay.gov and include Central Texas projects taking place on Saturday and Monday. Volunteers who need a more flexible schedule, or better yet, are looking for longer-term opportunities can learn about area non-profits at I Live Here I Give Here and browse ongoing projects from Hand On Central Texas. more ›

As you sit down to write your annual letter to Santa, consider taking a turn behind the sleigh's reigns by fulfilling someone's holiday wish. Many local non-profits have put together wish lists of items that would be particularly useful in helping fulfill their missions. Other groups are making your holiday shopping a little easier by suggesting gift ideas that also give back to the community. For other charity ideas check out our post about holiday volunteering and our roundup of organizations providing services to the area's most needy. As always, visit I Live Here, I Give Here for a comprehensive list of area non-profits. more ›

Yesterday we profiled some organizations that are providing services to our community's most needy who are looking for donations this holiday season. Today we're highlighting groups with volunteer opportunities that are just as helpful as cash donations. Although we might not have extra funds this year, many of us find ourselves underemployed with time to spare. We can't think of a better way to use up some of our free time, give back, feel useful, and gain some valuable experience. more ›

If you haven't had a chance to check out the Moose Lodge yet, here's your chance. Austin's Museum of Digital Art is hosting a mixer for creatives (geeks, musicians, artists, residents of 78704) on Friday; offering cheap drinks, live music and raffle prizes. more ›

It's that time again! If you're interested in volunteering to help with registration, information, trade show and more, and also have 30 hours to spare SXSW week, you have until this weekend to get your application done. Download your application online, and show up for crew selections at the volunteer call at the Hilton Hotel downtown on Sunday, Jan. 25 between 2 and 5 p.m., or Jan. 26 between 6 and 9 p.m. More information at volunteer.sxsw.com. more ›

Austin Green Art, our local purveyors of public art with an environmental edge, recently moved into their brand spanking new studios near 35th Street and Mopac. They're looking for volunteers to help 'em out with various and sundry moving-in activities around the mammoth 4,000-square-foot space—things like painting, pushing boxes, setting up the office, gardening, etc&mdash. They're hosting a workday this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. "Drop in anytime" to help out. more ›

SXSW is now accepting volunteer applications for 2008, and this year, veterans will have to update their records on the site in order to file. The site offers a simple three step process for starting or updating your volunteer information. more ›