2023 Long Beach Pet Fair
The annual pet adoption event is organized by the Long Beach Animal Care Services, the Cat Cove, and the Little Lion Foundation.
Les, Kedra, Jesse, Frank, Jose, and Bethany took turn hosting our booth while promoting the Mutt Run to potential sponsors and participants. Most importantly, it was blast being surrounded by so many cute animals.
The Dog Days of Guatemala
Kindness and poverty weren’t the only things I found in Guatemala. What was unexpected was the sheer number feral dogs roaming the streets of Guatemala. They’re in every corner of the land, both urban and rural.
What’s also surprising about these feral dogs is that they’re largely friendly, if not a bit shy sometimes. This is a direct contrast to the feral dogs in Taiwan which I grew up with. Taiwanese feral dogs, unfortunately, were often mistreated by humans forty years ago, so you can’t fault them for being skittish or vicious. The Guatemalan feral dogs intermingle with people and dogs unmolested, and they’re naturally more trusting growing up in this friendly environment.
One of the dogs even joined the kids on a pick-up soccer game in an ancient plaza, and another one volunteered to be my pharmacy technician at a make-shift clinic in a remote village. I did catch him sleeping on the job often.
Local Hope - Guatemala 2023
After being postponed three years, Les’ family finally went to Guatemala to get directly involved with the service projects Signal Hill Rotary has been supporting since 2017.
Leslie Baer Dinkel’s original vision now inspires generations of Guatemalan and volunteers so the poverty-stricken highland community can thrive without having to export its labor force to other countries for financial opportunities.
It began with clean water, followed by education and healthcare. Financial independence is the final step for a thriving local community that preserves the rich cultural traditions of the Mayan heritage while empowering women.
President Les is already organizing a group of doctors to return to Guatemala in 2025 to have an even greater impact on the healthcare inequity of the region. The smile of just one Guatemalan child can transform our lives. Imagine the resonance of a group of children singing and dancing upon our arrival to San Martin.
Transition Celebration
The Signal Hill Rotary rang in the new Rotary year tonight with new members, new (and old) leadership, and a potential new satellite club at the Beach House in Seal Beach.
Les is grateful for all the support and guidance in the past year, and he welcomes the opportunity to serve the club again in even more exciting ways.
2023 RYLA Reunion
Alumni of the 2023 RYLA, Interactors, Rotarians, and (hot) dog lovers gathered at Doheny Beach in Dana Point to rekindle their friendship and camaraderie at a firepit.
2023 Rotary International Convention in Melbourne
President Les attended the Rotary International Convention in Melbourne. It was an eye-opening experience and an inspiration interacting with Rotarians around the world.
It’s a timely reminder that the Rotary movement is a world-wide phenomenon, and the impact of each club project could be amplified many magnitude when scaled up.
Guests Galore
At this week’s club meeting, the guests (7) almost outnumbered our club members (8) in attendance.
It’s heartening to see the club thriving. We’ll need more chairs for future meetings!
District Conference 2023
District 5320 celebrated another Rotary year at the Renaissance in Newport Beach. Events included the hospitality night, building prosthetic hands for injured civilians in Ukraine, and packing food for the hungry. Renowned teacher Erin Gruwell captivated us with the stories of her students from the best-selling book The Freedom Writers Diary.
Randy, Fredy, Kiran, and Les attended the conference.
Club Social at Ten Mile
Jason Samia and Reynaldo Soriano joined our club social at Ten Mile Brewing Company. We talked about our personal reasons to join the Rotary and how our lives already shared a destiny. We are all driven by our passion to serve our community and enrich each other’s lives.
