Long Beach Impact

"You don't have to serve in the military to be a patriot. There's no shortage of ways to give back in this country. We're blessed so why not pay it forward." - Antoinette Balta Veterans sacrifice so much for this country. And when we think about helping them, it’s usually about blankets. Or providing shelter. Or food. We hardly ever think about the legal challenges they face. But Antoinette did. She saw a need. A growing need for legal services that needed a response. Someone needed to step...

"At BeerPaper, we're beer fans just like all the other beer fans. And we're providing a voice to our fellow drinkers and breweries."- Daniel Drennon It's a new month. Is it here yet? Where is it? Wait, I think I see something. No, that's last month's issue. You grab another beer, thinking that if you wait long enough ... it will arrive. People around you laugh. Life is good. But you're wondering, seriously thinking "When is BeerPaper going to arrive?" It's become a bit of a ritual. A monthly...

"Music in combination with the other arts transforms individuals. It's the bridge that allows our students to have personal expression and connect with other people." - Helen Dolas It's easy for most of us. Get dressed in the morning. Grab coffee. Drive to work. But for some of us, we're trapped in our bodies. Or trapped in our heads. And the simplest activity requires help. Autism. Down Syndrome. Cerebral Palsy. But Helen Dolas has found a way to reach these people. To let them express...

In this episode, I'm flying solo. It's amazing how a simple message can strike a thought. Consume our every waking thought. That's todays episode. A conversation with my friend turned into a stream of thoughts. Something that inspired me to share with all of you. In this episode, I discuss Chasing your dream How death brings clarity Building real connections with people Sharing your story ... And Much More

It's tough. Your parents that you've grown to love, to admire. Who were always there for you. And for you to watch as the simplest tasks start to evade them. Parents are proud. They are "the parents" after all. You're only the child. But seeing your parents struggle pulls at all our heart strings. We want what's best for them. This is where Ramona Streit comes in. Ramona has built her home care business around providing exactly what parents and their adult children believe they must have....

You're dressed to the nines. The doors swing open in front of you. People turn their heads, seeing you. Compliments fly. You're feeling good. Right at home. The hours spent preparing yourself are paying off. You make your way to the bar. You're confident. Smooth. Feeling good. The lady next to you whispers to her friend that her shoes are killing her feet. That's too bad. There's still 3 hours of partying left. But not you. You stopped by Tenni-Mocs. Alex Maltezos hooked you up with great...

It takes guts. Coming to an unknown country. Not knowing the rules. Sensing an opportunity. Facing overwhelming odds to make your dream come true. Especially when you've fallen in love. For Alex Chaunt, it was the love of aviation. Helicopters to be exact. For him, it became a passion. A mission. To share his love with as many people as possible. To let them experience what he experiences every day. To "slip the surly bonds of earth ... Put out my hand and touch the face of God."* Along his...

There's too many options. Too many voices. Too much information. Should I? Or is it better to wait? Are there any penalties? What are the tax implications? Are there any penalties? Will this help me achieve my objective? What is the market really doing? I have to learn something else? What is the IRR? In this land of confusion, Jeff Tilson is right at home. Jeff's mission: take your goals, turn them into a map, and help you navigate the terrain. Whether you're goal is short term (down...

To take a stand. To say this must be stopped. To say I can do more. Be more. To fight for a cause. To fight for something greater than yourself. To defy convention. Defy the skeptics. The non-believers. And to do this year after year, each year getting stronger. Getting better. Influencing and inspiring others. That's courage. That's conviction. That's Jonas Corona. Jonas started his crusade to help the homeless at the age of four. And he shows no signs of slowing down. And while many...

"When I tell jokes, the people in the audience forget about their problems. It takes them out of their stressful life." - Victor Vega You step into the dark club. A light smokey haze perpetually hangs in the air. The single light that shines on stage silhouettes the others, crouched around tables. Sipping on their drinks. Talking in hush tones. The password got you into the speakeasy. Now you keep your cool. Because you want to stay. Because you don't want to miss this guy. You slide into...

"When you commit to yourself, you're committing to bettering yourself." - Rachel McClusky Life leads us down some interesting paths. Where we think we're going is very seldom where we end up. And no matter where that path might lead, we're given only one body to get us there. One body, one mind, one soul. How we use, how we maintain, how we treat our bodies determines whether we journey on this path in style. Or in pain. But the connection between mind and body is strong. After all, the body...

Sometimes, you just have to go all in. Part risk taker. Part adventurer. Part visionary. All entrepreneur. Win some. Lose some. Win some more. Being flexible. Always willing to learn what's needed to get ahead. To move the needle just a bit every day. All while not forgetting where you're from. Not forgetting those who need a break. That's Matt Halvorson. Matt moved to Long Beach nearly 5 years ago. And has thrived ever since. He and his roommate saw an opportunity and decided to capitalize...

"The thought that there might be something beyond this material existence scares some people." - Kirsten Thorne 3 a.m. Some call it the witching hour. When spirits are at their most active. Most of us are dead asleep. Not aware of anything. But some of us are just getting started. Looking to find what causes that "bump in the night". Asking the question of the darkness "Who's there?" Kirsten Thorne does just that. Her and her team boldly walk into the realm of the unknown, looking for...

"Look for ways to give back to the community because the more you give back to anybody the more comes back to you." - Lisa Ramelow You're walking down 2nd street in Belmont Shores. Your stomach growling with each restaurant you walk by. At one point, you stop at one restaurant. It's pretty busy. Must be good. Italian? Why not? You take a seat. Within minutes, a glass of ice water appears on your table to stave off that California heat. Bread and butter. Enough to temporarily satisify Mr....

"You gotta make things work. If not, you'll be at the bottom of the barrel." - Jesse Trejo To call Jesse a "barber" almost seems inadequate. He's a craftsmen. Dedicated to the art of doing a job and doing it well. Of course his customers love him. Just reading their comments online will keep you busy for the next few days. But there's more to the man than just his shears. In addition to making his clients look better, the man is a skilled carpenter. And when he's not chopping hair or word,...

It's a gorgeous Sunday morning. The coffee pot just finished brewing your favorite coffee. You pull a mug down, pour a cup and look into your backyard. "Why not?" you ask yourself. You step out of your kitchen, into the freshly cut grass of your lawn. You take a seat on your patio. Smell the aroma of your fresh coffee. What's special about that? It's that it's your kitchen. Your backyard. Your yard. Your grass. That's the pride of home ownership. Something Scott Affre helps people accomplish...

Stephen Hawking. Stevie Wonder. Helen Keller. Jeff Healey. All people who accomplished great things. All people who overcame tremendous adversity. Overcame public cynicism. Believed in themselves. Charles Whitehead is among them. He survived 2 near fatal accidents, one of which left him paralyzed from the waist down. This local hero has not only overcame these adversities. He's beaten them. His zest for life, his positive outlook keeps him rollin' forward. He tirelessly works to raise...

...and then one day, I met this woman. It seems the most romantic adventures begin with that sentence. You meet someone. Standing on the white sand beaches of Mexico. Feeling the ocean breeze, the warm ocean water. And then, the person you want to spend the rest of your life comes into view. You talk all night long. You really connect with this person. And the next morning, they're gone. And when she left, she took Lionel's heart. Lionel moved to Long Beach, married that woman and launched...

Welcome to Long Beach Impact! This is the inaugural episode. From here, you'll learn about the genesis of this podcast; what it's about; what you can expect; why you should care. Questions or comments: cliff@longbeachimpact.com