By Kathryn Wells If you walk into Elyse Gordon’s home, the first thing you notice are the photos—dozens of children from every background lining the walls. In one hallway, each picture is labeled with a first name and dates, a record that represents about half of the 143 children she fostered from 1983 through her retirement. As a former foster child, I know how much it means to see proof that someone chose to show up. That’s why I wanted to tell Elyse’s story.  She chose fos

Photo of Jim Trout by Monique Kuhlman Parade photos submitted by the Daisy Lane Parade By Brittany Hart Scholten If you’ve driven down Daisy Avenue around the holidays, you’ve surely seen adorable Christmas scenes lit up on the grassy center divider. Daisy Avenue Christmas Tree Lane and Parade is put on by a group of committed community volunteers each year and has been a community effort for over 70 years.  Jim Trout, Community Hero Jim Trout is one of those volunteers who h

By Gina Valencia For Eloisa Nuñez, Christmas doesn’t begin with gift lists and shopping. It begins with laughter, the sound of family singing villancicos navideños (traditional festive Mexican Christmas carols), and the sweet aromas of cinnamon, fruit, chocolate, and holiday dishes simmering slowly on the stove.  For many Mexican families like Eloisa’s, Christmas isn’t a single day but a season that begins on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (the patroness of M

By Kathleen Mest With distant memories of large Christmas Eve parties and midnight mass, I wanted to reacquaint myself with some of the Filipino holiday traditions that I grew up with. What I found were traditions based on food (lots of it), the parol and a reawakening of cultural identity. The Feast The big celebration including food, games, singing, and extended family occurs on Noche Buena  (Christmas Eve), prior to midnight mass. This is the last mass of Simbang Gabi , th

Tony Gagliardi's generosity helps Long Beach Non-Profits through creative fundraising and extravagent parties

Photo by La Petite Photo, Margot Robert “SMOOTH SAILING” Lorna and Mark met at Leeway Sailing Center in Long Beach where Mark taught one...

Photo by Ja Tecson “DANCING THROUGH CSULB” If you love proposals and dancing, do yourself a favor and look up “flash mob proposal at...

Photo by Michael Farmer, f/8 Studios “TEACHING LESSONS” In 2015, Christina Crissman (a teacher at Poly High School) was sent to observe...

Photo by Cruzio Studios “LOVE & BEACH” Stephanie and Kenneth met in the fall of 2010, at a club in Long Beach called Khoury’s, now...

Photo by Zoom Theory Photography “FLYING INTO THE FUTURE” Daniel and Jaime met in 2015, at Rounding Third, a Long Beach bar. On one of...

Photo by Heidi Noelle Allen “HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS” Though Valerie and Noah were both born at (former) Long Beach Community Hospital...

Photo by Turner Acre Photo Artistry “2ND CHANCE LOVE” Andy and Dusty worked together for over 20 years. During that time, both were...