Community News

GOP Women Federated

With masks and social distancing remaining in place, Long Beach Republican Women Federated will welcome members and guests to its Saturday, April 10, breakfast meeting. Orange County GOP Executive Director Randall Avila is the featured speaker who will share his views about how Orange County can increase its Republican seats in the 2021 off year election and most important in the 2022 midterm elections.

Avila, who took on this position in 2018, has responsibilities for overall management of the county’s party, fundraising, political operations and strategic initiatives. What happens in Orange County often affects Los Angeles County, especially Long Beach. This is why no matter where you live, you’ll want to attend this breakfast meeting to hear Avila’s presentation.

The April 10 breakfast meeting is held at The Grand in Long Beach (4101 E Willow St.) with registration starting at 9 a.m. and the meeting starting promptly at 9:30 a.m. The cost is just $30 for members and $35 for non-members with free parking and includes a served breakfast. The reserved outside area is tented; however, if the situation changes to allow indoor events, the meeting can be moved inside. The meeting is an opportunity to learn more about Republican Women Federated and how women and men can be part of America’s largest grassroots organization. For information and reservations: Phone (562) 433 8996 or (562) 760 1556 or visit www.longbeachrepublicanwomen.com/calendar.

Holocaust Remembrance

“Never Forget,” reads the inscription on the wall of Jewish Long Beach Seifer Holocaust Memorial. Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) is a day for the community to collectively remember and honor the six million Jewish people who perished in the Holocaust. This year, Yom HaShoah took place on April 8, while the annual Yom HaShoah Community Observance will be commemorated via Zoom and Facebook Live on Sunday, April 11, 2-3 p.m.

The event is hosted in partnership by Jewish Long Beach, Alpert Jewish Community Center and Long Beach Hillel. For the first time, Long Beach Hillel student leaders are orchestrating this year’s entire event. The program will include music, a brief memorial service, interviews with survivors, commemorative candle lighting and more. Members of the Jewish community clergy will participate alongside the students in the event, and Mayor Robert Garcia will also deliver a special message.

Long Beach Hillel empowers Jewish college students in Long Beach and Western Orange County with Jewish education and leadership opportunities to prepare the next generation of the Jewish future. The organization serves six college campuses including at California State University, Long Beach and Dominguez Hills, and community colleges including Long Beach City College, Cypress College, Cerritos College, and El Camino College.

People may register for the event by visiting https://alpertjcc.org/event/yomhashoah2021/. The event is free to the public, but those who wish to help continue the crucial work of Holocaust education and remembrance can donate to the Gerda Seifer Fund at Jewish Long Beach. Donations may be made at www.jewishlongbeach.org or by calling (562) 426-7601 ext. 1314.

Outdoor Concerts Resume

The popular concert series, Music at the Point at Grace First Presbyterian Church, went dark last March with the pandemic. They did two virtual concerts in the fall, but other than those exceptions, the campus at Los Coyotes Diagonal and Studebaker Rd. has been conspicuously silent.

With the news that L.A. County has moved into the less restrictive orange tier, that is changing. At 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 18, Music at the Point will hold its first outdoor concert in the church’s parking lot. The first concert will feature popular jazz singer Dewey Erney and his tremendous jazz musicians.

Attendees can enjoy the concert in their own chair or from the comfort of their car, listening to our new live FM broadcast. COVID-19 protocols and precautions apply:

• All attendees must bring their own chairs unless they are listening from their car.
• All attendees must print and sign a COVID-19 Liability Release form and bring it with them to the concert, unless they have previously already done so.
• All groups must have their chairs placed at least 6’ apart.
• All attendees who are not in their cars must wear a mask for the duration of the concert.

The number of attendees listening from their chairs will be limited to 70. All attendees must pre-register for the concert through this Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dewey-erney-friends-at-music-at-the-point-t...

A free-at will donation will be taken.

If attendees wish to attend and listen to the concert from their car, they should register on Eventbrite and then send stan.gracefirst@gmail.com an email stating that they will be listening from your car. There will be a limit of 15 cars attending.

Escape Marketing Mania

Local public relations consultant Leslie A.M. Smith, owner of McCormick L.A., is hosting a free Zoom webinar on April 22 from noon until 1 p.m. “Escape Marketing Mania – Back to Basics” is a workshop she created to help small businesses and solopreneurs become clear about their marketing building blocks and who their customer is before they start promoting it.

“I’ve worked with many business owners, and even nonprofit founders, who completely bypass this step,” Smith said. “They run themselves ragged with Facebook and Twitter posts without clear messaging and without knowing who they need to reach.”

Once a business owner is clear about the basics including which social media platforms to use, the necessary promotions will become more obvious, she shared.

Smith is the author of Laws of Promotion, a concise 50-page marketing guidebook, based on her experience helping small businesses and nonprofits with their promotional efforts since 1994.

Attendees must register to receive the Zoom link and downloadable materials. Visit www.McCormickLA.com (scroll down) to enroll. For more information, email Smith at Leslie@McCormickLA.com or call (562) 618-0071.

Entrepreneur of the Year

Merriam-Webster defines entrepreneur as one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise; all characteristics of the father-son team Matt and Pat Cullen of Amber Resources, who will be honored at the “2021 City National Bank Entrepreneur of the Year” program presented virtually by the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, April 29 at 4 p.m.

This will be the Chamber’s 24th time to bestow its most prestigious award of the year during the City National Bank ceremony and the first time online due to the pandemic. The Chamber will also recognize leaders who have made an indelible impact in Long Beach’s business and philanthropic communities. This year’s award recipients are:

• City National Bank Entrepreneur of the Year – Matt and Pat Cullen, Amber Resources. Pat Cullen, father, will be honored posthumously.
• HCVT Corporate Citizen of the Year – Marathon Petroleum Corporation.
• Don Temple Storage Philanthropic Pioneer Award – Jim Choura, Grand Food and Beverage.
• Chick-fil-A Community Spirit Award – Mari Hooper.
• Long Beach City College Shaun R. Lumachi Rising Star Award – Kristin Colazas Rodriguez, Colossus Bread.

The program is open to the public, but advance registration is required. Registrants will receive a link via email to access the program a day before the virtual event. Groups and individuals interested must register by April 28.

Sponsorship opportunities for the “2021 City National Bank Entrepreneur of the Year” virtual event are going fast with just a few Gold Level sponsors remaining at $2,500, along with Silver Level sponsors at $1,500 and Bronze Level sponsors at $750. Digital Program ads are also available in full- and half-page sizes. For all sponsorships or ad placements, please contact Amanda Donahue at adonahue@lbchamber.com.