Events

What’s Up With Recreation?

February kicked off the 2023 special events calendar with the Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance that drew over 200 happy residents and their friends. Next up is the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner that is selling out quickly (see page…). But a lot more to do is on the way and you’ll want to check over the upcoming bus trips and special events you won’t want to miss.

The Spring Arts and Crafts Festival will take place at Clubhouse 2 on april 14th and 15th. This event was added this year due to the popularity of the one that takes place in the Fall. Residents will have an opportunity to sell crafts they have made by hand. Sign ups for the event will be on March 22 at Clubhouse 2, 7:00 a.m.

The first excursion of the season will be Sunday, April 30 to see “Under the Skin” at the Long Beach International City Theater. The theme revolves around the protagonist, Lou, needing a kidney. Yesterday. His estranged daughter Raina has one to spare, but does he deserve it? Time leaps backward, forward, and sideways, secrets get aired, and truths revealed in this lively, unpredictable comedy that asks what we owe our parents and our children.

$61 per ticket

Click here to purchase for April 30!

Cinco De Mayo, one of our most popular free events, is back at Clubhouse 6 with live Mariachi entertainment, and of course, the Taco Tuesday truck and virgin margarita bar for those who want to purchase refreshments.  Watch the News and LW Live for more details.

Mother’s Day is May 14th and GRF will host sumptuous brunch on Saturday, May 13 in Clubhouse 4. Entertainment by harpist Peggy Skomal rounds out the event. It’s a great way for the whole family to honor mom the day before. Tickets will go on sale in April.

$34 per ticket

Click here to purchase for May 13!

The LA Opera is back in business and this year we were lucky to secure enough tickets for 2 evening performances of Othello. Hailed as the pinnacle of the Italian operatic repertoire, Verdi’s transformation of the original Shakespeare play is a powerful drama of uncontrolled human emotion at its most extreme. Verdi’s musical portrait of Otello’s descent into a tortured heart of darkness is explicit in every chilling detail as he destroys all in life that he holds dear.

The operatic performances are on May 17 and June 1. Due to the special low pricing and limited seating, residents may submit their names for a drawing and will be randomly chosen for either date. More information will be available next month.

Stars on Ice is on the agenda for May 20 at the Honda Center. The 2023 Stars on Ice tour will boast an international cast of Olympic, World and National Champion skaters sure to entertain all ages.

$45 per ticket

Click here to purchase for May 20!

June 9 the Angels will take on the Mariners and one bus load will be there to see the action. Tickets will be available at the Recreation Office later this Spring.

$65 per ticket

Click here to purchase for June 9!

Keep an eye on LW Live as well as the News for details on these and other upcoming events. If you haven’t signed up for LW Live, you are missing all of the real-time news. Sign up today at www.lwsb.com today.

We welcome the thoughtful, respectful opinions of our residents and you are invited to attend the next Recreation Committee meeting, either in person or live streaming, at 1:00 p.m. in Conference Room B on the first Monday of the month to share your thoughts or just to keep in the ‘know’ of what’s up with Recreation.

For further information, contact kathyt@lwsb.com

JULY 26 GRF BOARD MEETING POSTPONED

JULY 26 GRF BOARD MEETING

POSTPONED

A period of severe staffing shortage led to missing the posting deadline in the LW Weekly for the GRF Board of Directors’ July 26, 2022, meeting.

GRF Board President Marsha Gerber has rescheduled the board meeting for Wednesday, August 3, 2022. It will be held in Clubhouse 4 at 10 a.m.

New Executive Director Announcement

Update:

After an extensive search for a new executive director for the Golden Rain Foundation, community management professional Jessica Sedgwick has accepted the position. She comes to the Golden Rain Foundation from her former position as general manager for professional community management, where she oversaw a large-scale master-planned developing community in Ontario Ranch. It is ranked No.1 in the Inland Empire for master-planned communities and No. 7 in the nation.

 

Ms. Sedgwick received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with a minor in Italian from University of California, Los Angeles (cum laude). 

 

She holds the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMC) professional designation from Community Association Managers International Certification Board (CAMICB) and the Association Management Specialist (AMS) professional designation from California Associations Institute (CAI). 

 

She most recently qualified to sit for the exam to obtain the Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) designation from CAI, considered the most prestigious designation in the HOA industry.

 

She most recently was awarded the Professional Community Management Leadership Award. She is also the recipient of CAI-Greater Inland Empire Chapter’s 2018 Committee of the Year and 2019 On-Site Manager of the Year awards.

She is currently serving as secretary for the CAI-GRIE Chapter Board, was a former co-chair to the CAI-GRIE Education Committee and is a current sitting member. 

 

Of her appointment, Sedgwick states, “I am honored to be joining the Golden Rain Foundation, Leisure World Seal Beach, and to lead our team of committed leaders, staff and board into our next chapter and build on the good work of those before me. We will continue to elevate the resident experience and quality of life of all those in the community as we move forward into the future.”

 

“The GRF Board is very pleased to welcome Ms. Sedgwick to our community,” said GRF President Susan Hopewell. The GRF Board and Leadership Team were fortunate to interview several qualified candidates, and she comes with the highest credentials, great experience and a commitment to keeping LWSB the best place to live.” The GRF Board and Leadership Team hired a professional recruiter to coordinate the search for an executive director. The search yielded a field of 23 serious candidates for the challenging job of providing the GRF Board of Directors with comprehensive guidance, overseeing day-to-day GRF operations, supervising the annual budget, and managing 170 employees in 15 departments among many other tasks. 

 

Sedgwick replaces former GRF Executive Director Randy Ankeny, who left his post in December after eight years to pursue other opportunities.

Calling all Family Radio Service Users in Leisure World

The Amateur Radio Service Club provides an opportunity for a Family Radio Service (FRS) practice drill every Wednesday morning. Anyone who has an FRS radio is invited to participate. Please use the following guideline.

  • Call-in time begins at 9:30am until 9:45am.
  • Use Channel 13/0.
  • Be sure to wait until the radio is clear and call in stating your first name, last name initial, and mutual: example John S. Mutual 13 checking in. Remember to press the side button to speak and release when finished.

If you are not sure how to call in and would like additional instruction on use of the FRS radio you may contact Leisure World Amateur Radio Service Radio Club President Rich Erickson, rjerxn@yahoo.com or call 562 431-6586 Ext. 409 to leave a message.

~An announcement from the Emergency Information Council~

SB Transportation Services (provided by CA Yellow Cab)

Senior Transportation Service – Service Change
Effective June 1st, the City of Seal Beach Senior Transportation Services will be provided by California Yellow Cab. This service change was a result of the unexpected closure of the Keolis’ Orange County facility, which was contracted to operate the City’s senior shuttle and dial-a-ride program. The Keolis Orange County facility is scheduled to close on May 31st.
As a result, the Thursday Shopper Shuttle Service (downtown Seal Beach) and the daily Senior Nutrition Shuttle/Rossmoor/North Seal Beach Community Center will be suspended until further notice; however, the Dial-a-Ride services will be expanded as follows with California Yellow Cab:
  • Operating hours are Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
  • Reservations must be made 24 hours in advance by calling toll free (877) 224-8294. Reservations made less than 24-hours in advance cannot be guaranteed.
  • Only registered eligible riders can partake in this service. To be eligible, the rider must be a Seal Beach resident 60 years and older.
  • To confirm whether you are already registered, call California Yellow Cab – Melissa Gomez or Cristina Valle at (714) 427-2555.
  • To register as a new rider, contact Iris Lee at (562) 431-2527, ext. 1322, or ilee@sealbeachca.gov or email AskCityHall@sealbeachca.gov.
  • There is no cost to use this service.
  • Transportation services will be provided to any location within Seal Beach city limits, and up to three miles outside city limits and within Orange County for non-emergency medical purposes. Users may also elect to go to the VA Hospital in Long Beach.