Community News
Remembered Light
On Jan. 13, Dorothy Kistler will present a visual presentation of Frederick McDonald, a priest who served as a chaplain under General Omar Bradley in Europe during the final months of World War II. In addition to learning about the immense demands upon the chaplains, especially when America is at war, Kistler will talk about “Remembered Light – Glass Fragments from World War II.”
Held at The Grand in Long Beach, registration for the Greater Long Beach Republican Women breakfast starts at 9 a.m. followed by an all-you-can-eat breakfast served at 9:30 a.m. The cost is $30 for members and $35 for non-members.
Bradley’s forces advanced from France through Belgium and up through Germany. Along the way, Father McDonald picked up shards of glass from bombed out churches and synagogues and mailed them to his mother in Seattle. His intention was to use the shards to create a monument window.
After years of being tucked away in a shoe box, he met glass artists in the Bay Area, and they suggested separate works of glass art that illustrate Father McDonald’s experiences while collecting the shards. Now known as “The McDonald Windows” the presentation includes photos of these magnificent works of art and the stories behind them.
Kistler is active in local and state politics and chaplain in Greater Long Beach Republican Women.
For information and reservations: vonderhorstm@aol.com or (562) 760-1556.
MLK Parade, Celebration
The 2024 Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade and Celebration takes place tomorrow. The annual event serves to honor and keep alive the many values of Dr. King through arts, remembrance and meaningful perspectives, which has become a longstanding tradition that also celebrates the diverse community of Central Long Beach.
The festivities will begin with the parade kickoff at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and Anaheim Street. The city proudly presents the following Grand Marshals who will lead the parade:
- Councilmember Al Austin II has been dedicated to serving Long Beach’s Eighth District since 2012.
- Chan and Mark Hopson are co-founders of the Khmer Parent Association.
- Tonya Martin is president of Long Beach Pride who has volunteered and worked in areas inclusive to the empowerment of the community, youth, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, racial and equality advocacy.
- Griselda Suarez is executive director of the Long Beach Arts Council and serves on the City of Long Beach Economic Development Commission.
At the conclusion of the parade, a celebration will take place from noon to 5 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Park (1950 Lemon Ave.). Attendees can enjoy live entertainment, a kid’s zone, food and merchandise vendors, and more. The entertainment lineup is as follows, with intermittent sets by DJ Count throughout the day:
As part of the celebration, the 2024 Peace Maker Awards will be presented. This award pays tribute to the enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who brought forward community values and strategies to promote compassion and love among diverse communities. Additionally, it acknowledges his commitment to utilizing nonviolence as a transformative means for communities.
The 2024 Peace Maker Honorees are:
- Keith Lilly, founder of Developing Future Leaders, an organization that provides mentoring programs to develop young people into productive contributors within society.
- Karen Reside, president of the Long Beach Gray Panthers group, a chapter of the nationwide nonprofit that educates and advocates for older adults.
- Tito Rodriguez, director of the Local Hearts Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping low-income communities.
- Susana Sngiem, executive director of the United Cambodian Community.
For more information, visit longbeach.gov/mlkparade.
Liz Cheney to Speak
Former U.S. Congresswoman and Profile in Courage recipient, Liz Cheney, is coming to Long Beach as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series to discuss the political divide in American politics. She is appearing live at the Terrace Theatre on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 8 p.m. Series tickets can be purchased at www.speakersla.com.
Through powerful unscripted remarks and conversation that is sure to be both inspiring and impactful, the now instant bestselling author will discuss the state of our democracy and a vision for America’s future.
“We pride ourselves in the fact that what makes our series unique is that instead of the media selecting the sound bites or quotes, our patrons can listen, submit their questions and decide for themselves,” says Kathy Winterhalder, Distinguished Speaker Series co-founder. “Instead of letting the media decide the sound bite, you get to come to your own conclusion. Hear from the person who lived it not who wrote about it.”
The prolific political leader will bring her thought-provoking insights to four different stages in the Greater Los Angeles Area. After putting her principles over politics, the former rising star in the GOP has found herself at odds with the party her and her family have dedicated their careers to for her outspoken criticism of the former president and chairing the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Following her participation in the committee, Cheney was formally censured by the Republican National Committee and defeated in the 2022 Wyoming Republican primary.
Despite this, Cheney has remained active in politics and released her now out-of-stock memoir, “Oath and Honor” on Dec. 5. Her message remains clear, defending our democracy is the cause of our lifetime.
The Distinguished Speaker Series of Long Beach is held at the Terrace Theatre, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.
Subscriptions can be purchased online at www.speakersla.com or by calling (310) 546-6222.
Life Changing Surgeries
Shaun P. Setty, M.D., medical director, pediatric and adult congenital cardiac surgery, MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, partnered with Sai Prema Foundation on an eight-day mission trip to Fiji to perform life changing cardiac surgeries for children who don’t have access to pediatric cardiac surgery in all of the South Pacific.
Dr. Setty and his care team arrived at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Medical Centre in Fiji alongside the multi-disciplinary volunteer team from all around the world to perform 25 back-to-back surgeries in eight days.
“With the help of the excellent care team, all of whom came from different backgrounds to work extraordinarily together, we were able to provide children with the care they deserve and give them the opportunity to live long and healthy lives,” says Dr. Setty.
Each surgery would range from complex to severe treatment and were all performed by Dr. Setty along with his cardiac operating room team Sandy Tolentino, RN, Nancy Renteria, surgery technician, and Mabel Gomez, RN II, who provided him with surgical support on all procedures.
“The intensity of the environment we were in could be exhausting at times, especially with the amount of heart surgeries we were doing, but we wanted to help out as many patients as we could,” said Renteria.
The Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Medical Centre in Suva, Fiji is a fully functional hospital for these children, but the disposables needed had to be pre-ordered from around the world in these challenging post-pandemic times where things like oxygenators for heart and lung machine are difficult to come by. This ensured they could provide the best advanced treatment for all pediatric surgical procedures while maintaining a safe and sterile environment.
“Every surgery presented a unique challenge, and it was truly a team effort,” says Dr. Setty. “With the help provided by the Centre, our cardiac team was able to make great accomplishments in a short amount of time and provide positive outcomes for every case we took on, including a very sick baby in profound heart failure and pulmonary hypertension who was an inpatient in the local hospital and destined to pass away within weeks.”
Providing outstanding board-certified specialists, post operative and follow-up care, the Children’s Heart Institute at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital is one of the few hospitals in Southern California to offer comprehensive congenital cardiac care to prenatal, infant, pediatric and young adult heart care for patients with congenital or acquired heart disease.
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