Newsletter of the Volunteer Service Council

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Newsletter of the Rancho Los Alamitos Volunteer Service Council

Co-editors Doug Cox and Roxanne Patmor

October 2023

In this issue ...

VSC Perspectives, Doug Cox
From the Blacksmith’s Shop
Welcome Andrew Chaves!
Fred Said!

In the Spotlight

Barbara Keenoy, Volunteer
Renee Barot, Site Rental Coordinator
Jerry Miller, RLAF Board Member

Upcoming Outreach Events

VSC Perspectives

Doug Cox, VSC President

“I think community is a shared history; it's a shared experience. It's not always agreement. In fact, I think that often it isn't. It's the commitment, again, to stay with something--to go the duration. You can't walk away.” --Terry Tempest Williams

Twenty-eight Rancho volunteers and staff gathered well before dawn on Oct. 9^th at the Catalina Express terminal in downtown Long Beach to board an express catamaran that would speed them across the 26-mile-wide Catalina Channel toward a seven-hour journey into the island's rugged interior and many centuries back in time.

The shared experience of considerable sleep deprivation underscored yet another volunteer adventure organized by Janice Wellsteed, the VSC Steering Committee's representative for Volunteer Enrichment, who spent months working with the Catalina Conservancy to organize one of the Rancho's most ambitious educational experiences for volunteers in recent memory.

In keeping with the Rancho's deep respect for its connection to the Tongva culture, the field trip took place on Indigenous Peoples' Day, a holiday celebrating and honoring Indigenous American peoples. While the immersive experience created by the Catalina Conservancy explored the island's American, Mexican, and Spanish histories, the emphasis was on the interwoven threads of human experiences that defined the ancient and contemporary Tongva cultural impact on the southern group of California's channel islands, including Catalina.

The field trip included a midway visit led by one of the Conservancy's Tongva specialists to a Tongva soapstone quarry. Toward the end of the adventure, there was a historical and ecological discussion at the edge of a 100-foot overlook above a wave-battered bay easing up against the possible site of two or three Tongva villages that nestled against freshwater streams originating far inland.

While the Catalina event brings to a close the Rancho's 2023 volunteer field trip season, plans are already underway for an even broader range of experiences for 2024 and beyond.

From the Blacksmith's Shop

Some of the latest items produced by the Rancho’s blacksmith, David Carroll. The dragon head on the far right will soon grow into an entire dragon. When it comes to forged objects, even the utilitarian items are works of art.

Welcome Andrew Chaves, Operations Manager

Andrew joins us from the Theodore Payne Foundation, where he served as Director of Operations. At Theodore Payne, he led operations focusing on sustainability, conservation, and efficiency. He spearheaded initiatives that optimized the foundation's operations, ensuring resources were efficiently allocated to support its vital mission.

Andrew is also a passionate native plant gardener, finding joy in cultivating landscapes and promoting biodiversity. He practices and teaches yoga, which aligns with his values of holistic well-being and mindfulness. He also enjoys building model trains – a detail-oriented hobby that reflects his meticulous approach to problem-solving and his love for creating intricate, interconnected systems.

Andrew holds a degree in Art History from UCSC, a testament to his appreciation for preserving significant historical places. He is eagerly looking forward to leveraging his diverse background and expertise to contribute to the preservation of our organization's historical significance, ensuring its lasting impact for generations to come.

As Andrew takes on the role of Operations Director, he brings not only his professional expertise but also his diverse interests and a commitment to a well-rounded life, all of which contribute to his ability to drive the success of the organization.

When the “automotive plow” turned the corner and became a tractor, Fred Bixby recognized the trend to replace draught animals. In the early twentieth century, as names like Holt and Best (Caterpillar) became more affordable, horses, mules, and oxen were being put out to pasture.

Fred said ...

“... when all the draft horses are almost extinct and can only be seen in zoological gardens, along with the elephants and the giraffes, and the monkeys, and the lions, then I will have quite a bunch of Shires out here in California that I will be glad to show anybody who is interested, and the breed is going to be perpetuated without a shadow of a doubt.”

Written by Tom Taylor, RLA volunteer and avid researcher.

Preston, RLA's Shire horse, is always ready to greet visitors.

Volunteer in the Spotlight

Barbara Keenoy

Barbara is a retired educator and school principal. In addition to being an RLA tour docent, she gathers the materials for and presents the Cool Crafts for Kids program. Her creativity results in keepsake art that children and parents treasure.

What made you decide to become a Rancho volunteer?

There was an article in the Leisure World Newspaper announcing an orientation session in order to recruit volunteers. Having a love of California history thought this would be an excellent place to volunteer. Once I entered the gates, I was sold.

How long have you been volunteering here?

I started volunteering during the pandemic. It was a different Rancho with very limited volunteer opportunities.

What do you like best about the time you spend at the Rancho?

The Rancho is surrounded by freeways, highways, a state university, a veteran’s hospital, and housing tracts, but once you enter the Rancho gates you enter a place of tranquility. The Rancho provides a calming environment. During the spring, hearing the wind moving the bamboo, walking in the gardens, visiting Preston in the barn, and during Cool Crafts viewing our young guests listening to a story with Preston in the background.

What’s your favorite thing to hear from visitors?

Hearing our guests ask how they can become a volunteer.

What advice would you give to someone considering volunteering here?

There are so many volunteer opportunities at the Rancho there is something for everyone plus you will meet some of the nicest people volunteering at the Rancho. Plus now with our Volunteer Enrichment Representative educational field trips are planned for the volunteers.

What do you like to do when you’re not at the Rancho?

I love to spend time with my family, read and bake. Feel very fortunate both of my children live nearby.

What’s something that makes your day better?

When people are nice to each other. We need to be kinder to each other.

What’s the one word your friends and family would use to describe you?

Positive

Who would play you in a movie of your life?

Jennifer Garner, but she would need to have blonde hair.

Employee in the Spotlight

Renee Barot, Site Rental Coordinator

Renee joined Rancho Los Alamitos in March of this year as the Site Rental Coordinator. She helps develop policies and pricing for various activities, including photo shoots, and onsite meeting spaces for organizations and businesses.

Share a bit about yourself - Where you grew up; Interests that helped shape your career in business development?

Although I was born in California, I was raised in New York, returning to California in my twenties. My road to business development is very long and exciting. There is no short answer to what shaped my career in business development. I had several careers before ending up as a business development professional. Business development is about building and, above all, maintaining relationships. Everything I did leading up to business development has a common thread of all the interconnected relationships I have made through the years.

You attended the American University in Paris. Tell us a bit about that experience.

Attending the AUP was a fantastic experience! It allowed me to live in Paris for four years on a long-term visa. How I got there is another story in the “Life and Times of Renee.” I had the opportunity to experience a completely different culture and lifestyle. I realized that experiencing life was much more fulfilling than collecting things.

In the past, you’ve worked with Studio On Eleven, one of the city’s largest architecture firms. Tell us about your work with them.

I’ve been very involved in the non-profit sector, especially in the affordable housing and underserved community sectors. I brought my experience from that work to their practice sectors that designed affordable housing projects. It was a rewarding way to blend my passion with my profession.

What aspects of business development for the Rancho are you most looking forward to?

I love creating new relationships and strengthening existing ones. My emphasis is bringing value to the client's site rental experience at the Rancho by educating them on the rich history of the rancho and ensuring we meet and exceed their expectations.

You’re involved with the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Tell us a bit about their work and what motivated you to become involved with them.

ULI is the oldest and most extensive network of cross-disciplinary real estate and land use experts worldwide. Its mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. I was a very active volunteer for many years. The committees I focused on bringing investments into underserved communities. Through the years, I worked my way up the local LA chapter’s leadership ladder to serving on its Board of Directors. I stayed active in ULI for a year after retiring and resigned from my leadership positions at the end of 2022.

What else would you like volunteers and others who read the newsletter to know about you?

That’s a really good question. Let's see…. I lived a pretty exciting life, living for today and not worrying about tomorrow. In addition to living in Paris for four years, I managed a wine bar restaurant in London for two years. It was the neighborhood Cheers! I guess you can say my life was pretty unconventional. I’m chuckling to myself, thinking about some of the crazy things I’ve done. I’m glad I was young when I was😊.

In the Leadership Spotlight

Jerry Miller

Jerry Miller is the past chair and long-time member of Rancho Los Alamitos Foundation board of directors. He founded the Cottonwood Awards Luncheon, now a signature event for Rancho Los Alamitos, and was the 2023 recipient of its Leadership Award.

Jerry Miller worked in Long Beach city government for 35 years with the goal of creating a thriving Long Beach economy, making the city both a great place for business and a great place to work. Since his retirement, Jerry invests his time and energies with community organizations, including Rancho Los Alamitos, to ensure Long Beach is a great place to live and raise a family.

He is a CSULB graduate and U.S. Army veteran who served during the Vietnam era. Before joining the city, he was director of a CSULB program to assist people with psychology services and job training. Jerry’s first job in Long Beach city government was in the Community Development Department. A few years later, he was named Manager of the Economic Development Bureau.

In the early 1990s, when the Long Beach Naval Station and Naval Shipyard were closed under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act, Jerry managed the closures and directed the city’s reuse plan for the base. He garnered praise from several government and economic development organizations for his efforts. And it was during this period that the Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association was established, not only to recognize the work of architect Paul Revere Williams, but to help preserve the architectural heritage of Long Beach.

After serving as Acting City Manager, Assistant City Manager, and Deputy City Manager, Jerry was named Long Beach City Manager in 2002. During his tenure, Jerry turned around the City’s budget woes, eliminating a $90 million deficit and balancing the budget. Following his retirement in 2007, Jerry helped establish IMC Municipal Consulting, where he serves as Managing Partner. Founded in affiliation with the INCO Company, a successful commercial real estate brokerage firm based in Long Beach, IMC Municipal Consulting provides real estate and community development advisory services focused on achieving the economic development goals of its clients.

Among the many awards Jerry has received are the 2004 Distinguished Alumnus Award for the College of Liberal Arts at CSULB; the 2006 Chapter Presidents Award from the Los Angeles Metropolitan Chapter of American Society for Public Administration; the 2007 President’s Distinguished Citizen Award from CSULB; recognition as a Fellow by the International Economic Development Council; and, in 2011, the Small Business Advocate of the Year by the California Chamber of Commerce.

Jerry’s career resume is impressive and shows the breadth of his experience and capabilities. He served on the board of directors for the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce for many years, including one year as its Chairman. His community service record shows his deep commitment to education, non-profits, and the city’s cultural resources. Recognition for his community work includes his Distinguished Citizen of the Year award from the Long Beach Area Council of Boy Scouts and the Freedom Fund Committee Choice Award from the Long Beach Branch of the NAACP. Jerry serves on the boards of the Port of Los Angeles High School and The Nonprofit Partnership.