The Gunn/Jerkens team has been dealing with some less than ideal weather here in Long Beach. For non-locals that are interested in what “less than ideal” means, here are some pictures of the SoCal situation as of late. Grab your booties and your kayak – today’s commute is going to be a doozey.
These photos are from the great LBPOST.com – they’ve done a nice job of creating a visual record of the flooding.
Please be safe out there!
This year, instead of our traditional employee gift exchange, everybody here at Gunn/Jerkens will be donating a gift to Children Today, a local Long Beach charity that focuses on assisting homeless children. In addition, we’ll be volunteering for shifts at the charity’s gift store, which allows parents in need to “shop” for toys for their children as well as basic care items such as toiletries, towels and blankets. It’s a great program that helps make the holidays special for those that have hit hard times.
The goal of Children Today is “to increase the safety, stability and confidence of children facing homelessness, and provide quality early care and education programs absolutely free of charge.” They’ve opened two programs, Play House West and Play House North, free, licensed child development and daycare centers for children of ages six weeks to six years. As parents work on rebuilding their lives through programs at the Long Beach Multi-Service Center for the Homeless, they can feel confident that their children are being cared for in a safe, nurturing environment at no charge.
We feel very fortunate to be able to reach out to our local community, especially during the holiday season. If you’d like to learn more about Children Today, or if you’d like to make a donation, please visit childrentoday.org.
I get a little nervous when I speak in front of a crowd (I’m not alone – I’m sure you’re familiar with the 1973 survey that found that 41% of the respondents listed “fear of public speaking” as their number one fear, while 19% listed “death”). So last week was replete with jitters and anxious preparation for our Social Media Mingle event on Thursday at the AVIA Hotel in Downtown Long Beach.
Guests came from all over the West Coast to discuss the benefits of Social Media and its most current trends. The moment finally arrived when the room was full of excited guests, and I was standing at the front, hoping that my enthusiasm for the topic would be contagious—and I think it was.
I got a ton of great questions during the presentation, which made for a terrific conversation complete with laughs, oohs and ahhs and interesting stories about the guests’ experiences with Social Media. It didn’t take long for me to relax and embrace the wonderful atmosphere that this dynamic group created. From ROI to best practices, we covered a lot of material. And yet, I feel like we could have continued for another three hours with ease.
Richard (our Media Director) was kind enough to indulge me with a little live-tweet experiment, posting questions, quotes and pictures from the event. It was so cool. I love trying out new things!
It was a great day and I am so proud of the entire Gunn/Jerkens team for putting on such a relevant, informative and fun event. I can’t wait for Gunn/Jerkens to host more events like this in the future. Considering how fast the technology changes and how drastically consumer culture (culture in general, really) is shifting, I know there will be plenty to keep the conversation going.
Thank you again to everyone!
Hey Long Beach neighbors! We found out from LongBeachGreenGuide.com that this weekend the El Dorado Nature Center will be hosting its annual California Native Plant Sale. This is a great opportunity to discover plants that are perfectly suited for our dry climate – we have to conserve that water folks! Plus, there will be plenty of knowledgeable green thumbs present to offer advice and guidance. If you’re in town this weekend, check it out!
Native Plant Sale
Sponsored by Partners of Parks
Saturday, October 24th
9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
El Dorado Nature Center
7550 E. Spring St.
Long Beach, CA 90815
Nature Center website:
www.longbeach.gov
Take about a five minute walk from our office in beautiful Downtown Long Beach and you can find yourself at the doors of the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. Home to a variety of remarkable and exotic creatures, the Aquarium is also home to the only tiger shark in captivity in the mainland US, as LB Post reports.
It’s a big deal when you consider how massive the tiger shark gets, how potentially lethal they can be and—most importantly—how majestic and beautiful they are. Originally from Taiwan, the Aquarium’s tiger pup currently measures approximately five feet in length, but the average adult size is around 14 feet long (so yes, you are going to need a bigger boat)!
The exhibit may be one of the only opportunities you’ll ever have to see this magnificent creature up close and personal. For more information, visit the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Shark Lagoon website.