People of the Earth Krew
Jesse Soria and his krew shared their mission in helping veterans transition from military life to civilian life. They embrace nature and utilize mindfulness meditation techniques to confront PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other struggles common among veterans.
Signal Hill Tree Lighting
Children of Signal Hill brought holiday cheers to the city library with songs and dance during the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
Extreme Makeover
Five Rotary clubs, including Signal Hill, Orange, Irvine, OC Digital, and Fullerton Sunrise, joined the Santa Ana Rotary to beautify three bedrooms at the WISEPlace in Santa Ana.
Rotarians worked together and transformed the rooms with a fresh coat of paint, new decorations, art works, and welcoming care packages to fill their new living space with love and kindness.
The Future of LGB
The Deputy Director of Long Beach Airport, Juan Lopez-Rios, gave us a glimpse into the future of the airport, which is undergoing through phase 2 of a massive renovation project that will make it even easier for passengers to navigate through the beautiful space and get onto their flights.
He also reviewed the latest safety protocol at the airport to keep the passengers and employees as safe as possible. The airport is enjoying a rebound in passenger flights this holiday season. Masking requirement remains in place as we enter into the winter holidays.
Happy Birthday, Dave!
We signed a ginormous birthday card for Dave Swidrak, who is turning 79 this month. The size of the card is directly proportional to our love for him.
Remembering Aiden
Frank Dunnick and Les Young brought their families to Granada Beach on Saturday to honor the memory of Aiden Gossage. Aiden was 16 years old, a senior at Millikan High School. He was killed by a drunk driver on September 4, 2021.
Deaths resulting from drunk driving occurs every 48 minutes in this country. They are 100% preventable.
Aiden’s mother, Lily, gave a moving tribute to her son, who “just wanted to be a good man”. “When a mother loses a son, every morning she wakes up, she dies all over again,” expressed Lily.
Signal Hill Rotary raised money to support MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), along with other sponsors.
Les and Frank at Granada Beach, supporting Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Ultimate Branding
Les Young, being the public image chair and now the president-elect for the club in 2022-23, decided to have some skin in the game. Demonstrating his commitment and loyalty to the Rotary mission, he had the Rotary wheel logo tattooed on his arm.
The process took only about 90 minutes, but his dedication to Rotary will last a lifetime.
Rotary Greeting
During our morning club meeting today, I recorded everyone greeting Dave. Right after the meeting, I visited Dave Swidrak and his daughter Heidi to show everyone’s love for him. Dave and Heidi, we’re thinking of you, even if you can’t be at the meeting with us.
Dave and Heidi saying hello back!
Mayor’s Cleanup
Volunteers converged to the Signal Hill city hall and picked up trash around the city right before the Halloween carnival.
Gently Down the Stream
Steve and his wife from the Long Beach Rotary Club took us vicariously down the stream around the Great Loop by sharing their nautical adventure this morning. The presentation was so captivating that no one objected when it extended the meeting time by half an hour. Thank you.
