iVolunteer is a network of local editors whose job it is to be in-the-know and who know the best causes and projects to get involved in our cities.  We find and vet not just what volunteer opportunities are available, but what’s worth doing each week.  We also come across some great ways to make a difference in other ways too: with what you buy [Get & Give], what videos you watch [Watch This] and what inside scoop you need to know [Know This].   We’re strictly editorial.  There’s no pay for play.  Our mission is simple: we want to make volunteering easier and more fun to do.  So you, too, can say:  iVolunteer… do you?

Stacy Twilley, Creative Director + Founder
“I created and co-founded Modern Luxury Media, the largest city magazine publishing company in the U.S.  We published 33 magazines in 14 cities, and for 13 years, I worked with the coolest, local, in-the-know editors in each of our cities.  We reported on only the best that each city had to offer – restaurants, fashion, parties, travel, shopping, culture.  I had the inside scoop in the cities I lived in and visted frequently.  But something was always missing.”   Stacy founded iVolunteer.org because, as a busy working mom of three (yeah, she had three kids in those 13 years, too) she found that she spent more time SEARCHING for volunteer opportunities, than actually volunteering. “That’s when it dawned on me:  I had the perfect inside scoop here too!  I knew all these young, hip editors who knew the best places to volunteer and make a difference in their cities.  I created iVolunteer.org to share what they know.  Now iVolunteer with International Medical Corps as a global ambassador, and with my family at Beyond Shelter, a domestic violence shelter for homeless women with children in Los Angeles.”

Lisa Ling, National Correspondent
“Much of my career has been spent focusing on social issues overseas, but now I find myself reporting on these same issues right here in Our America.  I believe so passionately in volunteering locally – there’s such a need!” Lisa Ling is National Correspondent for iVolunteer.org and has been involved with iVolunteer since it began.   Lisa’s television series on OWN, called Our America, is in its second season and she was field correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, and contributor to ABC News’ Nightline and National Geographic Explorer. “iVolunteer with St. John’s Shelter  and Covenant House. I am awed and inspired by the tireless work that they do.  Sister Margaret at the Covenant House in L.A. is my idol.”

LeAnne Bagnall, Senior Editor – Los Angeles

“As a native Angeleno, being iVolunteer’s Los Angeles Editor is a dream job.  I get to seek out the best causes and projects in Los Angeles for an already socially-conscious audience.”  LeAnne Bagnall is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in North Valley Magazine, Holistic Life Magazine, and Positive Impact Magazine.  She has also worked with the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce’s Riordan Volunteer Leadership Development Program.  “Currently, iVolunteer with a really fun group that sends care packages each month to our deployed troops.  We’re called The Pinup Angels: Pinups Supporting Our Troops.”

Brooke Ward, Editor – Chicago
“One of the things I love most about Chicago is all of the opportunities to give back—and the people who are so passionate about it. Volunteering helps make up the fabric of this city, and doing it connects you on a deeper level to the community.” Brooke Ward is ivolunteer’s Chicago editor, a freelance writer for ESPN and Chicago Tribune’s blog site, and the creator of the blog A Lightly Charmed Life. She’s lived in Chicago for seven years and volunteers every summer as a counselor at a camp for kids with cancer. “It’s hands-down my favorite week of the year. I can’t wait to connect people in Chicago to these kinds of experiences.”

Darla Murray, Editor – New York
“As an entertainment reporter in New York City, I have had the opportunity to interview some of the industry’s most fascinating people and attend some of the city’s most exclusive events. While I love the excitement of the entertainment world, I know there are issues much more important than weight-loss secrets, baby bump rumors, and extravagant weddings, which is why ivolunteer.” Darla Murray is a frequent contributor to OK! Magazine, Life & Style Weekly, New York Magazine, and Shape.com and is proud to be a part of the iVolunteer team as the New York City Editor. “I think volunteering is the best way to feel connected to your city… and as it turns out, fall in love! I met my amazing boyfriend while volunteering at an after school literacy program in Harlem. ”

Shane Martin, Los Angeles Contributor
“Volunteering has gotten much more creative in the last few years. It’s not just your mamma’s Junior League! I mean, when you can host a dodgeball game to fight AIDS, you can see we’ve come a long way!”  Shane Martin is iVolunteer’s Senior Editor, Editor-In-Chief of the online publication, The Supper Hero, and contributing writer for Angeleno Magazine.  “iVolunteer with a non-profit called The Eagle Rock Yacht Club.  We create Dodgeball teams and leagues to help get kids off the street and into community recreations centers for some good clean fun.  And we have a ton of fun doing it.”

Alex Abramian-Mott, Los Angeles Contributor
Alexandria Abramian-Mott is iVolunteer’s founding Los Angeles Contributor, editor-in-chief of Angeleno Interiors and a frequent contributor to the LA Times. She has written for House Beautiful, Sunset, Wallpaper, among other publications. “iVolunteer for Upward Bound House, one of my all-time favorite L.A.-based organizations that provides short- and long-term housing for homeless families with young children. It’s incredibly moving to see families go from living on the street to being able to create a loving, secure home of their own.”

Kirta Carroll, New York Contributor
Kirta is a freelance writer who recently relocated to New York and is finding lots of ways to get involved in her new city. “iVolunteer is a great opportunity for me to explore my new city and really get a feel of the place.  I’m finding all sorts of volunteer projects here – and share only the best of what I find each week on iVolunteer!”

Libby Lowe, Chicago Contributor
Libby Lowe is a freelance writer and editor and is best known for her stories about yoga, non-profits and travel.   “iVolunteer as a pen pal for In2Books where I talk books over email with a grade school student.  I also volunteer as a social media expert with Yoga Bear, a national organization that helps cancer survivors get free access to yoga.”

Chris Alves & Craig Fowler, Our Web-design heroes!

When we’re not saving babies from burning buildings and posing for photos with large trophies you can find us locked away in our downtown office making the internet work. The time normal people have reserved for  sleeping is usually spent planning and organizing events for the Non-Proift we co-founded– The Eagle Rock Yacht Club– a grassroots campaign and advocacy organization backed by a few hundred people who are committed to bettering the lives of kids and adults in Los Angeles through dodgeball and creative activities.

Louie, the iVolunteer Dog

This was no Dog’s Life:  Louie was living for years in the North Hollywood Target Store parking lot, dumpster-diving with a shattered back foot after getting run over by a car. Open Heart Rescue found him, amputated his foot and nursed him back to health.  When we met him at their Sunday Pet Adoption at the Larchmont Farmers Market right outside our office, it was love at first sight! Now this tough little three-legged guy spends his days in the lap of luxury, iVolunteer-style, in the arms of our editors and wearing cashmere doggie sweaters.  Although he still prefers to eat out of the garbage can, he has become very fond of Stacy’s 600-thread-count sheets. Louie’s iVolunteer favs: Runyon Canyon, Open Heart Rescue, Spot! on LaCienega, and his old digs, Target.