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.
Welcome Kathy!
Kathy officially joined our club at the end of February with an unanimous vote for her membership by the board of directors. We celebrated her membership this morning with a small ceremony to welcome her into our club.
After completing our club business, we learned from Ashley Craig about the potential danger of microplastic in our environment and strategies on how to minimize our exposure to these chemicals.
Signal Hill Homeless Count 2025
Ken and Les volunteered at the Signal Hill homeless count, along with a sergeant from the Signal Hill Police and the city commissioner. Having just volunteered at the Long Beach homeless count in January, Les was impressed that the city of Signal Hill is functionally free of homelessness. After driving around for almost two hours, covering residential and commercial neighborhoods, there was not a single homeless encampment to be found. Not a single person experiencing homelessness was found on the streets or parks.
In the surrounding blocks of Long Beach, homeless encampments were abundant, creating such a contrast between the two cities.
Bulldog Beauty Contest 2025
Bethany, Les, and Ricardo volunteered at the 2025 Bulldog Beauty Contest organized by Justin Rudd at Rosie’s Dog Beach. Volunteers overcame multiple obstacles at the event, including a large trash pile and multiple bulldog contestants experiencing vomiting and diarrhea.
Undaunted by the challenges, the show went on and many dogs got recognized for their gorgeous physical attributes and irresistible personalities.
Donation to Long Beach Animal Care Services
Ken and Les formally presented the donation from the Mutt Run to Long Beach Animal Care Services today. 70% of the event proceeds came up totaling $5,645. Ken came up with the brilliant idea of getting a giant check to present to the director of LBACS. T-shirts from the Mutt Run were also gifted to the staff working at Long Beach Animal Care Services.
The check is now prominently displayed at the entrance of Long Beach Animal Care Services. Registration for the 2026 Mutt Run is now open, which will take place on February 21st.
