Farewell to Tom
Tom joined Signal Hill Rotary in June of 2015. He served as our club president from 2019 to 2020, and he has been a guiding force in our club ever since.
His self-deprecating humor, quick wit, and good nature filled our meetings with laughter and tight-knit camaraderie. He is relocating to Rancho Mirage with his loyal German shepherd. He will be leaving our club as a formal member, but he will always be our friend.
Visiting Charles Parks
Frank, Kiran, and Les visited our only honorary club member, Charles Parks, and his wife this afternoon. Charles has been a member of our club since 2015, after being invited to join by the past president Bob Mendoza.
Charles has been less active in the club after his retirement, but he had returned to the club as guest speaker in the past. Les reached out to him to invite him back as guest speaker, but we found it better to visit him at his house.
Les presented Charles the Rotary pin, and we shared stories of our Rotary years together.
Celebrating Rotary Youths
Signal Hill Rotary Club celebrated the members of the Interact Clubs at Jordan High School and Sato Academy at the end of the school year at Straw Hat Pizza tonight. The Jordan Interact Club, lead by Ricardo, shared their many fundraisers and projects through their inaugural year with the Rotarians. The Sato Interact Club was lead by Auriel.
Sofus is our current Rotary exchange student from Greenland, shared his experience with the Interactors. Raj and his parents also attended the event, sharing his experience at RYLA.
Long Beach Pride Parade 2025
Joining the members from the Long Beach Rotary Club, Les and Kiran celebrated pride with thousands of spectators in the annual Long Beach Pride Parade. Frank and Kathy were part of the parade as well with their own organizations.
Rotary Mental Health Walk
Rotary clubs from Long Beach, Signal Hill, and Lakewood worked together to coordinate the second annual mental health walk at Granada Beach in Long Beach. Community partners joined the cause to promote mental health awareness for participants and Rotarians.
Many of those who participated in the event expressed interest in joining the Rotary club. A gust of wind brought down the Rotary tent, and Christian was just walking by but immediately stepped in to help us to wrangle the tent back into a manageable configuration. Andre is a premed student in Long Beach, who joined us at the beach cleanup that took place immediately following the walk. We may have two new members joining us in the near future.
Garden to Table at St. Lukes
Kathy connected us to the garden project at St. Lukes, which also provides a shower facility for the people in Long Beach experiencing homelessness. Frank and his wife, along with Les, attended the event that served fresh produce directly from the garden. The idea behind the garden is to create a safe and peaceful space for the clients at St. Lukes, who often experience a scarcity of beautiful natural space in their lives. It also provides an opportunity to grow something for the community.
We are coordinating future volunteer opportunities with Reverend Antonio Gallardo at St. Lukes at the Saturday shower program.
RYLA 2025
Ken and Les spent another great, wonderful, fantastic weekend in Idyllwild to support the RYLA students in self-discovery and the development of leadership skills. Frank brought Sofus, the Rotary exchange student he’s hosting from Greenland, to the camp as well.
Thank you, District 5320 and all the Rotarian volunteers who made this camp possible for the students. This is a life-changing experience for many of the campers.
WomenShelter of Long Beach Leads with Love
WomenShelter of Long Beach celebrated its annual fundraiser with a well-attended gala at Hotel Maya. Our own Frank Dunnick and his wife have been involved with this organization for years, and the Long Beach charitable community united to support the victims of domestic violence. Rotarians from Signal Hill, including Frank and Les, attended the event with their spouses.
Rotary Beach Cleanup - Spring 2025
Jose coordinated the first of many beach cleanups this morning at Rosei’s Dog Beach. We plan to keep the same stretch of beach clean on a regular basis.
Plastic trash consisted of the majority of the artificial debris on the beach, followed by Styrofoam cups and latex balloons. Surprisingly, there were plenty of roses and rose petals, perhaps from romantic picnics or beach marriage proposals.
District Training 2025 at Chapman University
Kiran, Ken, Les, and Ihor rounded out another educational and inspiring district training on a Saturday morning. Sofus, the Rotary exchange student from Greenland, also shared the unique perspective on his experience as a high school student in America.
Our club has satisfied the eligibility requirement for district grant, with fund going toward our 4th Mutt Run in 2026.
