RYLA 2022
Albert, Andy, Kiran, and Les went through another transformative experience mentoring high school students at RYLA. This was the first in-person RYLA since the pandemic, and it had the best of both worlds—online and in real life.
The campers grew so much, but the Rotarians were just as inspired and transformed.
Let’s meet up on June 11th at the Doheny Beach reunion!
The Old and the New
We welcomed one of our past club president, Ivy Yang, as the guest speaker this morning. She introduced us to Opportunity International, an organization aimed to end extreme poverty.
We also welcomed Ed Cockrell to his first Signal Hill Rotary meeting. Ed had been involved with many Rotary activities in the past, including participating in RYLA during high school and founding an Interact club at his high school.
Wild Smiles
Dr. Steven Holmstrom, an exotic animal veterinarian dentist, shared his life-long experience helping wild creatures big and small to better teeth.
Dental hygiene is not merely a cosmetic concern when survival hinges on the ability to hunt and chew food in the wild. Dr. Holmstrom saved hundreds of lives when he restored functions to his patients, including sharks, sea lions, sea otters, bears, lions, and tigers. He was a pioneer in the field of veterinarian dentistry. In fact, he literally wrote the textbook in this specialized healthcare.
Oakdale Rotary
During his road trip to Yosemite, Les stopped by Oakdale to attend the Rotary meeting there. It’s not a large club, as there were about 15 people in attendance, and we met at the Oakdale Country Club (which happens to be located adjacent to the property Les was staying at). Apparently, a rodeo was about to take place that weekend, and it’s the talk of the town.
Apparently, there’s also a Oakdale Sunrise Club that I did not attend, but it remarkably resembles our club.
Interestingly, the guest speaker was the organizer for Love Oakdale, our counterpart for the Love Our Cities organization. Their lunch buffet was a three-course meal, including salad and dessert (the apple crumble was amazing), and it only cost $17!
Too bad that they did not have any leftover fried testicles from last week’s fundraising event, which raised $25k for the club.
Loloma - Keeping Paradise Healthy
Bob Sykes shared his story of finding paradise and then making it heaven on Earth. Bob co-founded the volunteer-based non-profit more than twenty years ago and he has been coordinating medical missions to the remote islands ever since.
President-elect Les Young plans to take his entire family for a medical mission with Bob in 2025.
My Rotary Destiny
The incoming club president, Les, wants to share his extraordinary Rotary narrative with the world. It’s written in the stars (and also on the skin).
Back in the Saddle Again (without masks!)
All of our members survived the devastating omicron surge through our community, and mask mandates have been relaxed throughout California. We are meeting in-person again at the Black Bear Diner after a two-month hiatus. Lakewood Rotary and Long Beach Rotary also resumed in-person meetings in the same week.
We appreciate each other’s company and our speaker Michael Savoy this morning, who briefed us on the current state and roles of the Board of Accountancy.
Homeless Count 2022
Les and Frank joined 250 volunteers to take a survey of the homeless population in Long Beach starting at 4:00 a.m. this morning.
The US census is unable to track the homeless cohort, and the pandemic had a significant impact on this vulnerable population. It’s up to the volunteers to document their need and allow appropriate allocation of resources to assist them.
Long Beach Post also featured a comprehensive report on the effort.
Shaken, not Stirred
Today's guest speaker was Jia Wang-Connelly, SE, CE & PMP Senior Structural Engineer with the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission (California Governor's Office of Emergency Services). Jia shared the purpose and functions of the state commission, and interesting facts and figures about seismic safety and emergency services.
