May 2010 Archives

On May 2, 2010 I brought my friends together to celebrate the end of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. In March 2009, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The following months included a lumpectomy, six months of chemo (1 treatment every three weeks), followed by 35 radiation treatments which I completed this past February. It was a harsh interruption in life with experiences that will be long lasting. Throughout the cancer journey, I met many courageous people, both men and women who were experiencing their own journeys. We encouraged and supported one another.
I feel very blessed to have reached my 61st birthday on April 25th. Along the way I learned many things. The most important, not to give up hope, to embrace my faith, to live each day with determination and to control what I could and give the rest to God and my medical team. I feel so blessed to have had my family and friends support me through it all. I thank them all, especially my husband Jim and my loving father, Victorio, who died after I completed my chemo. It was devastating, but I know he is in heaven watching over me. On the left is my dear friend Gay Kennedy Horton.

Nanette Poblete, left, and Nancy Longaza, both from Long Beach, visited the National Theater in San Jose, Costa Rica in January. We experienced sunny weather while our neighborhood in Long Beach was undergoing the "big storm."

Lee and Karen Bishop of Kingman, AZ., Jay and Janna Bennett of Cottonwood, AZ. and Bert and Diane Sellers of Seal Beach on their annual trip to Quartzsite, AZ. The rain and winds didn't dampen our spirits.

Long Beach residents Harriet Miller and Terry Tibor tour the USS Constitution on a fall "Colors Cruise" along our eastern coast last October. Under renovation, our oldest commissioned fighting ship rests at the Boston Naval peer.

Elma Ougland on her 96th birthday with her daughters Betty Ann, Mary Jane and son Erik.
Elma is a Cajun from Vacherie, Louisiana who drove from New Orleans to San Pedro in 1939 to be with her husband Capt. Sigurd A. Ougland in the Merchant Marine. This was very daring for a 25 year old woman who was pregnant at the time and there were no interstate highway. Her husband had sailed from New Orleans to San Pedro on the Richfield oil tanker Larry Doheny.
He was from Norway and they met in Algiers which is across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. Sigurd's ship was in dry dock near the diner where Elma worked. They were married after a three week courtship. Sigurd died in 1967.
Elma has live in the Westside of Long Beach since 1948. Submitted by Erik T. Ougland
Long Beach

Pictured are Olivia (oldest), Adriana (middle daughter) and Tanner (Baby) I am their mother, Jill . Joan is my mother and her name is Joan Miller. My mother does not have the computer capability to send this, so this is why I am involved.
In this day of "throw-away" newborns, I would like to introduce two beautiful little girls who have been "officially" adopted and have joined our family. Olivia, 3 and Adriana, 13 months. Adriana was the first "safe surrender" baby born in Los Angeles Country in 2009. They have joined our family of three adult children and their mates and six other grandchildren. They are a joy to all of us and we relish our time with them. Number eight grandson, Tanner, joined our family nine months and one day after Adriana's birth. Our family is now complete!
I want to thank the mothers of these two beautiful girls for not aborting them and for letting them go because they were unable to care for them. I cannot imagine the pain these women must have felt in giving up these beautiful girls. You can be assured that these children will be raised by loving parents, grandparents and lots of uncles, aunts and cousins. All of our children and grandchildren are "gifts from God".

Jake Fink and Chloe Ruiz count monies received from the Giving Gardens campaign held at Bethany Lutheran School in Long Beach. Students received small boxes in which they collected spare change. The money was donated to the Giving Gardens project at Wheatridge Ministries. Giving Gardens supports the distribution of climate and cultural appropriate seeds, training, planting and harvesting of gardens in Haiti and other countries around the world. The seeds are planted to produce nutritious vegetables and fruits to feed the population. Surplus food from the gardens is sold to earn money for other kinds of food, clothing, medicine and education. The seeds from the produce are collected and used for the next season's crops. The students at Bethany Lutheran raised $1,495.52 for Giving Gardens in February.


The third annual "Math Madness" competition was held March 6 at Hughes Middle School in Long Beach. "Math Madness" is an academic competition in which each of the 26 Long Beach Middle Schools vie for individual and school honors in mathematics. Each school is represented by 15 students, which includes five 6th graders, five 7th graders and 5 8th graders.
Almost 800 students from throughout the district participated in this event. When the dust had settled, and the last question was answered, Hughes Middle school auditorium was filled to overflowing with administrators, teachers and parents, all anxiously awaiting the final tally.
This year, Bancroft Middle School in Lakewood and Lindbergh Middle School in North Long Beach tied for first place. Lindbergh's achievement was viewed by some as a startling accomplishment. A school from an economically disadvantaged area of the city is never expected to surpass those from the more affluent suburbs. Yet, those who have followed the steady rise in academic achievement at Lindbergh during the tenure of its principal Dr. Avery Hall would not be surprised. Lindbergh Middle school is at the forefront of academic achievement in the area of mathematics. In the last 5 years it has averaged not less that an astonishing 97 percent proficiency in Algebra. It's Math Department has been lauded by the Superintendent of Schools, Chris Steinhauser who recently directed that teachers from other inner city schools visit Lindbergh's dynamic math department.
Congratulations to the following students of Lindbergh on their outstanding accomplishment: <NO1>all names cq <NO>Johnson Ly, Luisa Va?aiga, Paul Jsames, Jennifer Esquivel, Joseph Izag, Yesenia Perez, Yesenia Inzunza, Kathlyn Doriman, Henry Rodriguez, Mathew Roseles, Devin Mesa, Johnny Sanachez, Jesus Ruvalcaba, David Falcon and Ezekial Taroma. A special thank you to the teachers and administrators of these students, for without their dedication this achievement would not have been possible: Mr. Gallo, Mr. Flynn, Mr. Martens, Mr. Vecchiolla, Mr. Hernandez, Ms. Chambliss, Mr. Belvin and Mr. Tom. Well done Lindbergh Middle School. You certainly do lead the way.

Ann and Dale Culton of Long Beach celebrated their honeymoon on the island of St. Lucia last November. Pictured in the back are the twin Pitons.

Melanie Dietz of Long Beach took a cruise last December from Valparaiso, Chile around the Horn to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On the way the ship stopped in the Falkland Islands where the Press-Telegram made its appearance.

Larry Benarth of Lakewood and crew from Ocean Healing Group in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. Volunteers are from all over the U.S. and include Katie Berky (PA),Justin Bauer (CO) ,Stametea and Gage Eaton (CO),Natasha De Young (Canada), Adele Jones (Los Angeles), Noelani, William and Kai Retz (San Diego).
Wheelchair surfers Benidict Jones (Orange County), Suzy Kim (Irvine), Mica Hashanna (San Diego) and Christiaan Bailey (Santa Cruz) For more information go to Oceanhealinggroup.org, Carving the DIS out of Disability.

Here is a wonderful picture of the Long Beach water front.

Colin Powell Academy for Success isn't just successful with academics. The north Long Beach K-8 school is also showing the community that the students are successful at helping others around the world.
Through fundraisers earlier this year Powell students raised over $1000 to assist the people of Haiti. Student council members visited every class to inform all students why the fundraiser was needed.
With Student council advisor Shannon DiFilippo guiding them, the kids started the work. Younger students collected coins and the older students held a dance.
Some teachers were so impressed with the efforts of the students, they started to give money as well.
All donations collect from the fund raising activities went to UNICEF.



Lakewood Christian Schools' Hearts for Haiti Bake Sale

Picture left to right: Hank McWatters, Andrew Hoekstra, Nicholas Moody, Grace Beveridge and Andrew Hallbeck.

The 2nd grade class at Lakewood Christian Schools has a big heart for Haiti. In February, the students held a Hearts for Haiti Bake Sale on campus to raise money for Children of the Promise, a Haitian orphanage run by former LCS teacher, Jenny Groen and her husband, Jamie.
After selling dozens of cookies, cupcakes and other baked goods, the students made $324.50. Based on the children's sales, a generous matching donation of $300.00 was made by Jim Lynch, property manager of The Shops at Rossmoor.
After a month of fundraising that included collecting coins and the bake sale, the class raised about $1,500 for Children of the Promise.
Each grade will participate in raising funds for COTP as part of the school's Kids Care program this year. The program is a way for students to learn a valuable lesson about giving to charity.

In March, Constellation Community Middle School held a Mexican Fiesta to raise funds for field trips. Tacos were cooked and prepared by parents and the school held an Open House for families considering enrollment at the charter school. Long Beach's new Chief of Police, Jim McDonnell, stopped by to check out the school and meet Constellation's students and parents. Pictured with the Chief are, left to right Cheyenne Ordway and Jessica Ramirez, 8th graders, and Felicity Bullock and Elijah McGee 6th graders.

Bill and Ruth Arthur on the MS Veendam in November 2009, as it rounded Cape Horn. We were on a 16-day cruise from Valparaiso, Chile to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Some of the most interesting Ports of Call were Punta Arenas in Chile, Ushuaia and Buenos Aires in Argentina, and Montevideo in Uruguay.



Last fall, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to the northeast to experience the beautiful autumn foliage. Our trip included a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Here we are in front of a life-sized statue of Babe Ruth.


Chris and Deltha Graeber of Long Beach spent the Christmas holiday vacation at the of Oahu in Hawaii. The photo is above Hanauma Bay, which is one of the best and most popular snorkeling and swimming areas in the world.


Last October Long Beach residents, Tom Mayes, Mary Barton, and Bonnie Tebbetts, enjoyed the Crack of Noon tour of Italy. Here we stand in front of the Roman Coliseum contemplating recent Press-Telegram headlines before contemplating the fates of the gladiators who preceded them.

 
On Palm Sunday, while I was on break from my job at the Ralph's in La Palma, I noticed a sanitary wipe lying on the sidewalk. At second glance I noticed what appears to be the face of Jesus. I wonder if your readers see his face as well.

 
Residents and staff of Regency Oaks Skilled Nursing Home in Long Beach recently celebrated the 108th birthday and tenth year of residency of Esther Ecklund, Regency's longest living resident.
Esther was born in Sweden. After moving to the United States, she lived in Jamestown, Virginia until she was 98 years old. Her son, who lived here, arranged for her to move into Regency.
At 108 years young, Esther still participates in a few selected activities. More than that, she looks forward to frequent visits from her daughter-in-law, June, and her nephew, Jack, who come often and take her on outings to the beach, her favorite activity, and treat her to special ice cream goodies.
We are looking forward to celebrating your 109th birthday, Esther!

I took my son Aidan Harrison Dahlk to the Pacific Aquarium. He loves that place and we go once a week, we are members, and he loves everything about it from the sharks to the birds. Well, this particular day he got his own VIP show with a sea lion.

Amy, Ava, Jocelyn, and Kevin Toy spent a wonderful and exciting 15 days visiting India and Nepal over the New Year's holiday. They toured the Ajanta and Ellora caves in Aurangabad, City Palace in Udaipur, Ganges river in Varanasi, temples of Kathmandu, Taj Mahal in Agra, and pictured here in front of Humayun's Tomb (precursor to the Taj Mahal) in Delhi. Read more about the Taj Mahal at www.imahal.com/about/taj_mahal.htm

Laura Scully of Long Beach visited the Mexican Pyramids of Uxmal and Chichen Itza in the Yucatan right right after Christmas. For more information visit www.mysteriousplaces.com/mayan/TourEntrance.html

The Sanchez Family, in New York City enjoying a walk on the Brooklyn Bridge in October 2009. For more facts on the Brooklyn Bridge visit www.endex.com/gf/buildings/bbridge/bbridgefacts.htm

Teacher Chris Eckert with the Tincher elementary student council officers and representatives visiting City Hall. Mayor Foster's office took them on a tour and they viewed displays of how holidays are celebrated around the world.

Tincher Preparatory students in grades pre-K through 8th hold collection jars to benefit the relief effort in Haiti. In just the first three days of the fund raising drive, Tincher students collected over $500. Students collected money through January 29th. At final count, nearly $3,000 was raised. All funds was divided between the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders; $1,400 was donated to the Red Cross and $1,257 toDoctors Without Borders.
Pictured right to left; front row: Pre-K Danny Danpinitkul, 1st grader Andrew Guerrera, 2nd grader Catalina Quirino, 3rd grader Edwin La Cross III, 4th grader Lily Fahey, 5th grader Reasmay Veasna, 6th grader Jeacile Bell, 7th grader Dymond Miller, and 8th grader Melissa Hammonds and teacher Susan Yee.

Christian Sanchez-Bartz, a junior in Millikan's COMPASS program, placed second recently at the state level of the national "Poetry Out Loud" competition sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Over 40,000 students from 27 counties participated. Supported by Millikan Speech Coach Erin Hill, Christian recited poetry including, "For the Young Who Want To," by Marge Piercy, "The People, Yes" by Carl Sandburg, and "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman.

Erin Hill is the type of teacher who is open to suggestions and requests. Last spring, she was approached about offering a speech class at Millikan. She took the idea and ran with it. She used her background from high school and college speech courses to invigorate an English elective, Elements of Oral Communication. To nobody's surprise, Millikan's new speech program has drawn great attention and praise because of the individual successes of Erin Hill's students.
Her star pupil is Christian Sanchez-Bartz. Christian came to Millikan from Concordia Lutheran School. He is a junior in the COMPASS Academy. After spending two years in Millikan's theater arts program, he wanted to try something new that still involved performing in some capacity. He expected Millikan's new speech class would allow him to "think outside the box, conduct research, and think." He has not been disappointed. He discovered that Speech allows him to compete in fall and spring competitions in such areas as interpretations, impromptu, expository, debate, and several other categories. The class travels to tournaments, mainly on Saturdays during the year. Erin Hill and another teacher who assists, Patricia Richardson, accompany their students to such places as Arcadia and San Gabriel.
Christian's greatest accomplishment came recently when he placed second in the Poetry Out Loud competition. His second-place finished earned him $175 and a trophy. In addition, Millikan was presented $200 for poetry books for the library. Finally, Representative Bonnie Lowenthal talked to him about applying for a possibly internship.
Erin Hill says her class "gives pupils a forum for their ideas and a chance to be heard."
Students interested in Speech should contact Erin Hill at Millikan.

My father Joe Morales, far left, is pictured with fellow Long Beach Fire Ambassadors, Stan and Barbara during a recent visit to Gant Elementary School. My father is a retired Trans World Airlines A and P mechanic and has volunteered for many years with both the Long Beach Fire Ambassadors. My father and the other volunteers visited local schools and emphasized fire safety and education. Most recently, he was recognized for all his special work during the holiday season. He provided toys and gifts to children who are less fortunate. My father and all the other special volunteers performed a wonderful service throughout the year. Great job Dad!

Submitted by Tony Morales
Long Beach

Mrs. Irene McReynolds of Bell was recently presented the 2010 Kimi Sugiyama Human Service Award during the recent Shinnen-Enkai (New Year's celebration. McReynolds is pictured with picture Rev. Dr. Steven E. Wirth of the Grace First Presbyterian Church in Long Beach.
This award is named after the late Kimi Sugiyama, a pioneer member of the Japanese Presbyterian Church in Long Beach and a pivotal figure in the Japanese American community in Long Beach, where she was instrumental in helping many Japanese workers who had little or no understanding of the English language and of American labor rights.
In loving memory of their mother, Kimi Sugiyama's children established the Sugiyama Fund at Grace First Presbyterian Church, as well as the annual Kimi Sugiyama Human Service Award. The award is presented annually to a person in the community in recognition of his/her outstanding creativity and self-sacrifice in extending God's love to others.
These characteristics certainly typify the life of Mrs. Irene McReynolds.

My Fiance, Brenda Viveros of Anaheim and I, Ben Parra of Long Beach, traveled down to Puerto Morelos, Mexico, 20 minutes south of Cancun, celebrating our recent engagement. We stayed at the Dreams Riviera Maya for a little Thanksgiving week vacation. Here we are at the ruins of Tulum.

Pictured left to right, Cyndee Monts, JT Monts, John Monts of Lakewood and Meghan, Madison and Sandy Orloff of Bakersfield visited the Exact Center of California last November. This monument was placed here by the town of North Fork, CA.
For more information on the Exact Center go to http://basslakeca.com/centerca.html


Jim and Joy Mullen visited India in December where they floated candles on the Ganges, rode a painted elephant, visited several Indian homes, experienced many beautiful religious sites, rode in an Indian rickshaw and viewed the incredible Taj Majal. For more information on the Taj Majal visit www.tajmahal.org.uk/