May 2026 Meeting Recap

As usual, our May meeting got underway with the Pledge of Allegiance, and a prayer led by Roger Leue. Unusually, we had David Lalonde fill in admirably for President Myra Kremen, while she was in Washington attending her nephew’s wedding. Roger Leue then introduced his wife Pat and his son Michael—who played an important role later in the meeting. We also welcomed back Rudy Guevara, a familiar face at our gatherings and, we hope, a future member!

Club Fines
David kicked things off with a club fine of his own: he had just returned from a ten-day trip to celebrate his daughter’s graduation from Gonzaga University. She’s his fourth and final child through college, which means no more tuition bills and, as David put it, no more college questions. He made the journey home by road trip and arrived just the day before our meeting. Sleeping in his own bed again, he told us, was absolutely the highlight.

Birthdays
Alba Swalheim shared our May birthday lineup, and cards have already been sent out to Rabi Haddad, Servando Orozco, Brad Kaiser, and Stephen Donnenfield. Happy birthday to all four!

Upcoming Events

Bowling Night is set for June 23rd at Cal Bowl, from 6:00 to 8:15 p.m. The cost is $25, which includes shoe rental, and we already have 11 people signed up. If you haven’t yet, flag down Alba to get on the list.

The Middle School Citizenship Awards Luncheon is just around the corner on June 2nd at 11:30 a.m. at the Grand. All student names are finalized and have been submitted to the trophy vendor, and the program is in its final draft stages. We’re expecting around 250 attendees this year, up from 200 last year, which is a terrific sign. Roger Leue is leading the effort, with Marco Marano and Carina Marano supporting the program. If you haven’t signed up to volunteer, check with David, who has the assignment sheet.

Mark your calendars for our annual Backpack Drive on Saturday, July 25th, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Servando’s on Atlantic. Our goal is 100 backpacks filled with school supplies for local elementary kids. To make things more efficient this year, Marco Marano will be sending out a supply list so we can divide up purchasing and avoid ending up with, say, 500 pencils and four markers. You can donate supplies directly or purchase them and be reimbursed by the club. If you can’t make the event, bring supplies to a meeting. Watch for an email with more details.

We also discussed the Strategic Plan and Wish List, which will be shared at the June meeting. Members will have the month of June to look it over and bring items or ideas to the July meeting. One great suggestion: share the wish list with friends and family who may not want to write a check but would happily pick up a specific item to donate. Consider it a year-round wish list for the club.

Reports

Key Club Scholarships
This was a highlight of the meeting. Three outstanding scholarship applications were reviewed and approved by the committee, which included Steve Rockenbach, Marco Marano, Ira, and Tony. The recipients are students from Jordan High School and Rancho Dominguez High School, and they’ll be heading to Cal State Long Beach, a second institution, and Cal Poly. Tony will share more about each recipient at the luncheon next month. A big congratulations to all three scholars, and thank you to the review committee for their time.

Lydia House Meal Service
Carey and Harry Leue headed down to Lydia House to serve dinner. They picked up groceries at Costco and prepared a main dish along with two sides. It was Carey’s first time serving there, and she came back with a great tip for anyone doing it in the future: plan to arrive right around 6:00 p.m., as the residents are often in Bible study earlier in the evening and don’t want to be interrupted. The residents were warm, grateful, and wonderful to spend time with.

Stamp Out Hunger
Six members represented the club at the Spring and Bellflower post office on May 9th, helping box and stage food donations for transport to Food Finders. While donations were lighter than last year, it was a well-organized event and a meaningful morning. The board is already planning ways to come better prepared next year. You can read more about the event here.

Membership Update
Our goal for the year is four new members by September 30th, and we’re currently at two. If you know someone who might be a good fit, bring them to a meeting! Tony has informational materials available for anyone who wants them.

Governor’s Visit and Distinguished Service Award
On May 3rd, several of our members attended the Kiwanis Governor’s Visit at the ARC in Downey, and the evening had a very special moment in store. Roger Leue was presented with the Distinguished Service Award on behalf of our club. Harry Leue delivered the introduction, and by all accounts it was a genuinely moving speech. Roger’s wife, grandson, and sister were all there to share the moment. It was supposed to be a surprise, but apparently Roger had a feeling something was up. Either way, it was thoroughly deserved, and the whole room felt it. Congratulations, Roger.

Alba also introduced us to this year’s Kiwanis mascot, the Hungry Hungry Hippo, selected by the Governor, along with this year’s theme: “Hungry for Service.” Keep an eye out for the logo at our luncheon next month.

Guest Speaker: The EXP Program

The meeting’s featured presentation was brought to us by Roger Leue, who introduced his son Michael and the CEO of EXP, a Long Beach-based nonprofit that works with high school students from 9th through 12th grade across the Los Angeles and Orange County regions.

EXP partners directly with schools, embedding a program manager into the school day to work alongside teachers and connect classroom learning to real career pathways. The program serves approximately 6,000 students across California and works with 22 industry sectors, including healthcare, engineering, and business.

The heart of EXP’s model is what they call the Four E’s:

• Exploration — introducing students to a broad range of careers and industries so they can discover what excites them
• Expression — mentorship from working professionals who invest time and relationship into a student’s growth
• Experience — a paid, nearly two-month internship program that serves as the culminating event of the year; students go through resume writing, mock interviews, and a formal interview process before being selected by industry partners
• Expansion — senior-year support to ensure students successfully transition to college or career, including help with applications and early career connections

The CEO shared a story that really landed with the group: a Stanford-educated entrepreneur came to speak to one of EXP’s classes, and there was a student in the back who was clearly disengaged throughout the presentation. The speaker noticed, walked over, and asked if he had any questions. When he didn’t respond, she switched to Spanish, and the student immediately lit up. It was the first time he had engaged that way, and it was a reminder to all of us that you never quite know what moment or connection will be the one that makes a difference.

EXP is actively looking for community partners. If you have a business or workplace that could host a student site visit, serve as a mentor, or sponsor a paid internship, this is a great opportunity to get involved. Members asked thoughtful questions about school partnerships, the number of students served, and the program’s expansion plans, including the possibility of future involvement with Jordan High School.

Following the presentation, both speakers signed the club’s guest book, which will be donated to our local library, and a photo was taken with Roger Leue.

To round out the meeting, we had our usual 50-50 Raffle and Carey had the winning ticket. David Lalonde then closed the meeting by thanking everyone for letting him sit in the president’s chair for the morning. We wrapped up, as always, with the “Hail Kiwanis International” song, led by Roger Leue.

A great meeting all around. See you next month!