A Night of Mystery and Community Spirit: Kiwanis Theater Fundraiser 2025 Success

Our annual theater fundraiser at the Long Beach Playhouse on January 23rd was a resounding success, with attendance exceeding expectations. As Madison Moody of the Playhouse noted, our Kiwanis event drew one of their largest fundraising audiences of the year!

The evening began with a festive reception featuring silent auction items curated by Alba Swalheim, followed by an engaging performance of Agatha Christie’s “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.” During the intermission, attendees participated in our 50-50 raffle, with the winner taking home over $200, while two lucky attendees won pounds of See’s Candies.

Club President Tony Diaz highlighted how the proceeds will support our community initiatives, including:

• College scholarships for Key Club members at Jordan High School and Rancho Dominguez High School
• Monthly dinner service at Lydia House women’s shelter
• Middle school citizenship awards program
• Family Christmas outreach program in partnership with the YMCA

We were honored to welcome several distinguished guests, including past lieutenant governors Tony Diaz, Rick Peterson, Mr. Schwieberger, Jason Zichek, Mr. Schleski, Armando Velazquez, and others.

Special recognition goes to several groups who showed tremendous support by purchasing blocks of tickets, including:

• Downtown Long Beach Lions (27 tickets)
• Downtown Long Beach Kiwanis Club
• Long Beach County Noon Kiwanis Club
• Southgate Retirees
• Funsters and Young at Heart Bowling Leagues from Cal Bowl

Special thanks to our Vice President Myra Kremen for organizing this successful event, and to Alba Swalheim for coordinating the silent auction. Their dedication helps ensure our club can continue serving the Bixby Knolls area, as we have for the past 60 years.