Cinco de Mayo Parade rolls along Lincoln Blvd. on Saturday, April 30, 2022. The parade was sponsored by the City of Los Angeles.

Cody O'Connor, a 26-year-old cancer survivor from Cincinnati, finishes his “Walk for Hope,” a 9 month cross-country walk across the country on Thursday, April 28, 2022. Walk for Hope has so far raised $100,000 for pediatric cancer patients and shined a light on the ongoing mental and emotional toll that a diagnosis can have on a person and their family. O’Connor kicked off the “Walk for Hope” in New York on June 17th and has walked approximately 3500+ miles of the 3700+ mile journey averaging around 20-25 miles per day. Along the way, media stations in all cities and towns have been covering his journey. At age 14, Cody was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma and had to have his right fibula removed. Doctors told him he would never walk normal again. The “Walk for Hope” stands for overcoming challenges no matter how much the odds may be stacked against you. It's putting one foot in front of the other for just one more step. Cody knows all too well the effects cancer can have on the entire family (they lost their home, etc.) and is appreciative for the support and help they received throughout the community. While he credits his parents, siblings, and physicians for successfully getting him through his battle, the experience revealed what more needs to be done for families facing cancer. In 2018, O’Connor founded the non-profit Champions Do Overcome with a mission to provide financial and emotional assistance to families so that they can be with their loved one in the hospital and continue fighting, without the added stress of bills piling up at home. Current sponsors include Kroger, MyMedic, Altra Running, Dude Wipes, Inifinit Nutrition, Sacan Martian Arts, MyFanThreads and MMA athlete Rich Franklin with donations from Wyndham Hotel and Resorts, ACE, Nuun, Smart Wood, Defy Water, Liquid V and Feedback Audiology Solutions & Consulting. O’Connor had a team of 2-3 people always traveling with him and is staying in touch with followers, supporters, friends, and family via social media and through live videos and interviews along the way. The “Walk for Hope” has taken Cody ten months to complete, which coincidentally was the same duration of Cody’s battle with cancer. Upon his finish, Santa Monica Police Officers, Firefighters, Santa Monica Mayor Sue Himmelrich with other Council Members and other dignitaries met Cody as he completes his last steps at the Santa Monica Pier. 

Santa Monica Police Officer Hassan leads a multi-department K9 training exercise on the Santa Monica Pier on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. Police officers from Inglewood PD and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputies were training the K9's to detect high explosives carried by a person. The K9's can detect body-worn explosives and concealed firearms in a mass pedestrian area from around 50 yards away.

𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐀𝐘: In honor of Earth Day, Jerry and Marissa Rubin with other tree lovers hug the Children's Tree of Life during the 14 annual Earth Day Tree-Hugging event at Palisades Park on Friday, April 22, 2022. The program featured guest environmental speakers, songs, poetry and, of course, a group tree hug surrounding the beautiful New Zealand Christmas Tree which was planted at a public peace rally on Earth Day, 1983. The tree was officially designated via City Council proclamation in 1984 by late Santa Monica Mayor Ken Edwards as "a living monument to world peace", and was one of the first trees in Santa Monica to be officially designated by the City as a Heritage Tree. Jerry Rubin encourages everyone to hug a tree on Earth Day wherever they may be and to speak out about the importance of saving, protecting, nurturing and planting more trees as a crucial element of protecting the environment to combat climate change. Jerry and Marissa Rubin wishes you a TREE-MENDOUS Earth Day and Tree Hugging Day every day!

First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica Senior Minister Patricia Farris leads Easter Sunrise Service at Palisades Park on Sunday, April 17, 2022.

Andrew Scollon, Founder of Floatified, gives Onewheel lessons at Santa Monica Beach on Saturday, April 16, 2022. Floatified offers OneWheel tours, lessons, Birthday parties, team building events, landsurfing therapy for disabled veterans and Mental heath recovery.

Onewheel teamed-up with Meals on Onewheels to do local outreach, collecting and distributing essential goods and food to unhoused neighbors in need in Santa Monica on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Meals on Onewheels has utilized grassroots community support and Onewheels to distribute over 3,000 meals to unhoused neighbors in communities across 15 cities since its inception in 2020. "It all started with peanut butter sandwiches," says Meals on Onewheels cofounder Mike Sierra. "The goal was to feed 100 people. My community needed help. I didn't have the means to fix it myself, so I started sharing the stories online to engage other people's resources." Mike met Evelyn, a videographer, at a Onewheel group ride. She loved the work he was doing and suggested delivering meals on Onewheels and tapping into local Onewheel communities. "Onewheels cut down distribution time 10-fold," says Sierra. "The growing network and the efficiency of transportation allowed us to get a full day's work done in much less time. It opened a ton of doors." Meals on Onewheels has events planned each month throughout cities in California, including upcoming events in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Berkley. Sierra and Caday have plans to expand the program nationwide. "Yes we're giving food and resources to people, but the real blessing is the service," says Sierra. "Going out and doing what we can with what we have for our neighbors. We're serving hope, that's the real mission here." Follow Meals on Onewheels on social media @mealsononewheels Please note, Meals on Onewheels is not affiliated in any way with Meals on Wheels.

Jen Dapper (@jendapperfitness) leads a yoga class during Waves & Wellness at the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday, April 9, 2022.