Space Dragons Do Good for the Compton Initiative

It was an early morning at Longfellow Elementary School in Compton, and the weather was hotter than Bruno Brunoing his pants after applying sunblock on the beach. While the SCDBC was split up into two groups to work on different sections of the school, our heroes in blue were armed with paint rollers, paintbrushes, and righteous painting power as paddlers from Space, Thunder Dragons, Killer Guppies, Splashing Flyers, LARD, Electric Dragons, Kaiser Permanente, and AeroDragons went forth after marshaling with a mixture of other volunteer groups to paint the elementary school a bright yellow. After painting for about 3 hours, with the help of the various organizations that also volunteered alongside us, the entire school had virtually been

repainted and beautified. After seeing that, I felt proud to be there not only as a Space Dragon, but as member of the dragon boat community in general, helping all the other community service associations pull this off. While there may have been a few mishaps (a shortage of paint being the main one), overall when we were done with pizza afterwards (and some very sugary cookies which would have made our own Gracey monster proud) there was a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in the air (or was
that the paint?).

Working with people within the community was what it all came down to in the end. Being able to represent ourselves as paddlers to the general community in that respect is something that this Space Dragon was proud to do.

Much thanks to Brianne, Emily, Makiko, Robert, Debbie, Viet, Allan, Pearl, Makiko's brother and his girlfriend for putting forth your time to this worthwhile cause. Major props to Step for setting up the magic in this opportunity and proposing it to the SCDBC.

Written by Allan N.

Beach Cleanup

Big thank you to everyone who participated our beach cleanup! We had a really big group this time. A shout out to the X-Generals who also joined us. And remember give Marina a BIG hug for all her hard work coordinating the cleanup program.

beach cleanup

A big shout out to everyone who stayed around after practice to help in the beach cleaning this past Saturday! We're certainly at Mother's Beach enough, so it's good to show her some love by keeping her beautiful right? The city, the SCDBC, the residents, and probably even the wildlife really appreciate us keeping our house clean.

not found at Mother's Beach, but you get the idea...

No worries if you missed this time's beach clean-up. We'll have another in a few months. And, btw, if you don't think picking up trash is any fun, look at this previous post. Smiles all around!

They Love Us! They Really, Really Love Us!

On a slightly more upbeat note, our dearest friends and fellow early Saturday morning diehards, the LA Pink Dragons stopped by to send their condolences and to wish us a happy Valentine's day. There is no resisting Space Dragons charm!

Thank you to all the beautiful ladies of the Pinks and an ESPECIALLY large thanks to whomever it was that baked those amazingly dee-lish chocolate chip walnut cookies. They were totally worth the extra crunches required to burn them off during land workouts.

See you on the waters, Pinks!

They like us; they really like us!

At the SCDBC meeting over the weekend, director Mike once again commended the Space Dragons on our community service! The volleyballers told him to thank us again for feeding them whenever we have a beach party. And the city, as well as local residents, really appreciate our efforts at keeping Mother's Beach and the surrounding waterways clean.

If you've got some time, below is a video on how important it is to keep our oceans clean. No time for the video? Here's the article!

School Supply Drive

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the School on Wheels school supply drive! The drive was a pretty big success! In addition to having a lot of stuff in general, we have a good variety. (for a full tally of donated items see here)

photo doesn't show everything. I left a lot of smaller items in the backpacks.

Big shout out to Pearl and Arlene who went out and bought tons of new stuff to donate. And to Emilio who donated 6 backpacks full of binders and writing stuff!

For more information on how to help homeless kids all throughout southern California, visit the School on Wheels website where you find out about supply donations, monetary donations, and volunteering.

Thanks again!
Step

A Beach So Clean We Can See Our Reflection (and it looks gooood)

Y'know how when you go on a trip it's good (in theory...) to clean your house so it's all nice and tidy to come back to? We responsible Space Dragons cleaned our home today, ready to knock out two more official practices of the season and head out to TI.

Final beach cleanup of the year! Mission accomplished!

If our bags look small it's only in relation to our great turnout in numbers. And from picking up tiny memories of summer water balloon fights.

Great job, guys. Passed on by Ceez, a(t least one) local resident thanks you very much.

Huge thanks to Marina for organizing the cleanups all year long!

And to Galen for bringing the new jerseys! Broke 'em in with good karma.

Thanks for helping to give sight!

Thank you everyone who donated their old glasses to the Lion's Club! With your help, I collected 44 pairs: 23 pairs of sunglasses and 21 pairs of clear ones.

Your gift of glasses are actually giving sight back to people! "According to The World Health Organization, 153 million people have uncorrected refractive errors (near-sightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism). Most of these vision impairments are quickly diagnosed and easy to treat with corrective lenses.  Still, millions of people in developing nations are pushed deeper into poverty simply because they don't have glasses." 

My Lion's club contact told me that in 2009 they distributed 300,000 pairs of glasses in Mexico, and last year they gave away 60,000 pairs in Haiti.

To learn more about the Lion's Club program:
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/our-work/sight-programs/eyeglass-recycling/index.php

If you have more glasses, please let me know and I'll be happy to donate them for you.

Thanks again!

- Stephanie

Rose Parade Decorating- recap!

On Sunday, December 26, some Space Dragons did not hit the mall for the after-Christmas shopping bargains, nor did not sleep-in. Instead, they volunteered to help with the China Air Lines Rose Parade float.



The Space Dragons extended family of decorators included Denise, Faustine - MJ's cousin, Galen, Jegan - MJ's brother, Ming-Jou, Marina, and Tony - from Ripple Effect. We were given the task to remove the cellophane from thousands and thousands of flowers and to gossip like little school girls.

Can you find some of them in this sea of flowers?


-Marina

We get a Gold Star next to our name!

Space Dragons,

Here is a big thank you to each and every one of you for volunteering your time and efforts to keeping our beaches clean. We hold beach clean-up days a few times a year each season, with January 8, 2011 being the first one of this current season. Special thank you to Marina for organizing these community service events.

The City of Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine has recognized our hard work as well:


I am happy to report that our hard work has also been recognized by our sister Long Beach teams as well as the Southern California Dragon Boat Association. This work not only keeps our practice areas clean, but also helps establish and maintain friendly relations with the City, our neighbors at Mother's Beach, the local community, as well as within our dragon boat community.

Thank you again, and keep up the good work!

Rose Parade Float Volunteers Wanted!

The SCDBC has been invited to help work on China Airlines' Rose Parade float which, this year will showcase dragon boats and some of our SCDBC paddlers have been chosen to ride on this float.


We will need your responses quickly as spaces are filling up. Minimum age is 11 years old - available times/days are as follows:

SUN December 26th
8:30am - 5:30pm 1st shift
11:00am - 8:00pm 2nd shift
 
MON December 27th
8:30am - 5:30pm 1st shift
12:00am - 9:00pm 2nd shift

***FULL***TUES December 28th
***FULL***8:30am - 5:30pm 1st shift
***FULL***2:00pm - 11:00pm 2nd shift

WED December 29th
8:30am – 5:30pm 1st shift
3:00pm - 12:00am 2nd shift OR 6:00pm - 2:00am 2nd shift

THUR/FRI December 30th & 31st
8:30am - 5:30pm 1st shift

6:00pm - 3:00am 2nd shift
2:00am - 11:00am 3rd shift

Please email Marina with preferred time slot if interested.

Boat Maintenance

As part of the Southern California Dragon Boat Club (SCDBC), it is our duty and responsibility to help maintain the boats we use. As members of the Space Dragons, it is our duty, individually as well as in the aggregate, to get out the and get it done.

This weekend 5/8 & 5/9 is the scheduled boat maintenance day. A total of 11 teams will be participating in the upkeeping of 5 boats. We will be partnering with Rogue Warriors and Thunder Dragons for boat #8.

Practices for all teams involved are canceled this weekend. So in lieu of practice, we are seeking volunteers for this event.

Below is the list of shifts & number of people needed:
-- Saturday (5/8) 8a-10a: Tape, sand and seal (5-7 people)
-- Sunday (5/9) 8a-10a: Sand and varnish (4-5 people)
-- Sunday (5/9) 12:30p: Move boats to beach (4-5 people)
-- Mon-Thurs (5/10-5/13): Volunteers to apply additional coats of varnish. (4-5 people)

In addition, we are looking for the following equipment:
-- power sanders
-- extension cords
-- tents
-- hearing & eye protection.

Please RSVP and let us know which shift you will be participating in (if weekday, please indicate which day & what time) and whether you have equipment. RSVP on the Evite, which was linked on the Weekly Digest.

Thank you.

this is OUR house.

Space Dragons.

The largest team (and dare I say, the premiere team) on Mother's Beach. We take care of our beach.

That's why the Space Dragons adopted Mother's Beach as our own. On Saturday, April 24, we put ourselves to work cleaning up the beach. After practice, a group of dedicated teammates volunteered their time and stuck around for the beach clean-up. Not the most glamorous volunteer project, but a very important one nonetheless.

We filled lots of trash bags full of junk, and even got a bunch of kids involved! It looks like doing good deeds are contagious.

Our volunteers, with these cute kids, combed the entire beach, picking up trash that simply does not belong on our beach. All of the sudden, the beach seemed kinda big.

Coaches, it seems, are used to barking

orders at paddlers. Apparently it's no different during volunteer events. But no worries, Em was put to work a little later as well.

During beach clean-up, there are always some interesting finds. There's the usual napkins and other paper products, the cigarette butts, but it looks like Ez might have found an easter egg. How random is that?

Special Thanks on beach clean-up goes out to:

- Marina, who organized the event.

- All of our volunteers: Kim, Roger, Pearl, Galen, CJ, Allan, Robert, Mayana, Karen, Esther, Denise, Rod, Blanca, Scott, Devant and Esmer.

Thanks for a job well-done!

Now, for all Space Dragons. On Sunday, let's remember who's beach this is. This is OUR beach. OUR house. DEFEND THIS HOUSE!

Paddles up!

rajaree

O lawds! Jason is joining another dragon boat team!

(but dont worry, he's not leaving us)

From Jason:

*****
"A dragon boat full of blind paddlers? Now that sounds like a challenge I want to be a part of!"

Those were my thoughts when I heard that Blind Start of America was forming a dragon boat team of blind paddlers and they were looking for volunteers to help coach, recruit, and paddle. I had absolutely no idea what to expect, but with most things in life, I’ve found that if you jump into it wholeheartedly something wonderful will happen. So I volunteered to be a coach for the fledging Blind Start team, and after only two practices, I haven't been disappointed!

Teaching a blind person to paddle has its obvious challenges. With some input from the Blind Ambition team from Portland, OR, we learned that one-on-one coaching is needed, so each vision impaired paddler is teamed up with a coach on the bench next to him or her. Coaching a blind paddler requires literally taking their hands and running them over the paddle, the gunwale, and the bench in front of them so they can form a clear mental image of the boat. Then we take them through the paddling positions, again by holding their hands on the paddle and physically moving them through the positions over and over until they get the feel for it.

I quickly got used to describing the paddling stroke by body mechanics and not with visual cues. Instead of showing how to set the paddle and pull through the stroke, I describe holding their top hand close to their forehead and extending their bottom hand all the way forward, then twisting from the waist. I tell them to feel for the water with the paddle and then move up a few inches to get into the set position. Then, Go! push the paddle in, feel the water touch your hand, now pull back, untwist and rip that water! There is a lot of adjusting and repositioning that makes the one on one coaching a must, so volunteer coaches are vital to the success of this venture.

At our first practice, I worked with a young man named Christian. He got the stroke down in less than five minutes. Good paddle depth, awesome rotation, and tons of power! I couldn’t believe how quickly he progressed. He looked better than some of the sighted paddlers on the team! After our blind paddlers got the stroke down in a separate boat, we put them into the boat with our sighted paddlers and went through a few 20 stroke sets, both sighted and then blindfolded. Timing is going to take some work, but I think everyone is getting a feel for the motion of the boat and getting timing cues from that. We’ve also been calling each stroke and recovery to help keep everyone in time. We’ll be ready for Big Long Beach!

So far, my favorite part has been getting to know the blind paddlers and seeing their excitement about the sport and life in general. One young girl took a train and a bus to get to practice, by herself! Christian has completed 9 marathons and is signed up for another one and also a 500 mile bike tour! These individuals have so many obstacles, yet they just don’t seem to care about them. They are going to have a great time no matter what seems to be in the way!

I think that is the greatest thing that I have taken from this experience. You cannot be afraid of what will happen or if you can meet a challenge. Just do it!

Team Blind Start set a goal to have a full boat of paddlers ready for the Big Long Beach tournament. Currently we have six blind or visually impaired paddlers on the team, and we are recruiting additional impaired paddlers (if you know anyone, please share this blog with them and encourage them to contact me). The rest of the boat will be filled with sighted paddlers wearing blindfolds so the whole boat will be blind (except for the caller and steersman, of course). Our current practice schedule is Sundays at 2:00 PM at Mother's Beach. Please come check us out or let me know if you're interested in learning more. We specifically need..... (coaches, sighted paddlers, recruiters, cheerleaders, money, equipment, shenanigans, and after the tournament beer!). You can also learn more about Blind Start of America at http://www.blindstart.org/.

--- Jason

Beach Clean-Up TODAY

LAST MINUTE REMINDER: Beach Clean-Up after Practice TODAY. 10AM.

Space Dragons, as the largest dragon boat team at Mother's Beach, has adopted the beach as our own. This is your beach now, so let's help heal her. Beach clean-up will follow immediately after practice. Please help the team and stay for beach clean-up. Thanks, and see you on the beach!

paddles up!
rajaree

Every Bit Counts! -- Running it for a Cause

Mighty Space Dragons and Friends,

I’ve always admired people who live like it matters. Stout ones who dive right in and straight up live well for themselves as well as for others around them. Ones who don’t smoke; who give back; who exercise and eat right; those who just plain LOVE. The individuals of the Space Dragons crew are no exception when it comes to such things.

Earlier this year, I decided to “be the change [I] want to see in the world” by not only doing something meaningful for myself by running the SF half in July with a few of our fellow SD/RFX paddlers, but for others by raising money for YouthRun4Run, an inner city youth running program managed by the non-profit organization Committed 2 Community (C2C). $500 will be my goal, but the sky's the limit!

I've realized that despite the wake of disasters like those in Chile or Haiti, along with the presence of global changes and a hardened economy, people helping their fellow people by thinking globally and acting locally no matter how large or small the gesture really does matter.

Please take a moment to consider donating to the cause I've chosen by visiting my fundraising page. Thanks much for helping take part in this experience in changing it up for the better. None of it really happens without the support of caring peeps like you. SO, whether you decide to donate a penny, a thousand dollars, or simply your time in reading this, I appreciate your support in helping me realize my goals as an agent of change in this global community.

Much love for your generosity & support and see you on the water!

--devantosaurus rex

Tour de Cure: Ship to Shore

                                                                                                                      

Last year more than a thousand participants became the first people in history to cycle across both the Vincent Thomas and Gerald Desmond bridges from Long Beach to San Pedro. Please join the American Diabetes Association to take the ride of your life in the Tour de Cure Ship to Shore 2010 on Sunday, May 2. The ride features multiple routes across both of Southern California’s famed port bridges, water stops, lunch, entertainment and more…all to raise funds to STOP DIABETES. Don’t miss your chance to once again make cycling history in 2010!

Tour de Cure is a series of fundraising cycling events held in 43 states nationwide to benefit the American Diabetes Association. The Tour is a ride, not a race, with routes designed for everyone from the occasional rider to the experienced cyclist.

The Tour de Cure offers cyclists a once a year opportunity to ride the Gerald Desmond and Vincent Thomas port bridges from Long Beach to Los Angeles. After pausing at our San Pedro Ports O Call rest stop, cyclists choose between a scenic ride to the southern bluffs of Palos Verdes; a metric century, which includes a breath-taking climb to the top of Palos Verdes East; or a relaxing return to the Queen Mary on a harbor cruise that cyclists young and less young will enjoy.

Each of the rides are fully supported with rest stops providing, water, fruit & snacks to keep you fueled, support vehicles and bike mechanics to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable ride.  When you cross the finish line, take part in a celebratory festival featuring great food, music, massages, kid’s activities and a health & wellness village.  Every dollar we help raise will directly aid the fight to STOP DIABETES.

If interested, take a peek @ the link to register. Use the Promo Code: "Saints or Colts"; then on the registration form, there is a question that asks ‘how did hear about the Tour de Cure?’ enter: "Space Dragons." Contact Marina for details or questions!

 

Just a note: FREE Registration Sat 2/6 & Sun 2/7 only, after these dates, there will be a $15 charge to register.  

'Tis (still) the season for giving...

While some (okay let's be honest...many of us!) are recovering from the post-holiday grub/New Year's haze, one person does not fall under the former category. He is not only taking a stand his own health but for the health of many. Our own Jeff K. has taken on the noble challenge of running the LA Marathon but his efforts don't end there...He will be running to help take on the challenge in the fight against AIDS!

Join Jeff in his efforts to reach his goals by visiting here on his site and donating to the cause.

From Jeff:

Dear Friends and Family,

I’ve decided to take on a tremendous challenge to help in the fight against AIDS, and I really hope you will support my efforts.  Over the next several months, I’ll be training to complete the LA Marathon; PLUS, I’ve made it a personal mission to raise at least $1,600 for AIDS Project Los Angeles.

I am a student at the University of Southern California and a member of Beta Omega Phi.  Every year we have done AIDS Walk LA in the Fall, and I have felt more driven to try and do more towards finding a cure.

I’m not a professional fundraiser, and I never thought I’d agree to run 26.2 miles!  But the work of APLA is so compelling; I feel I need to do my part.

I have been training for 10k's, but never though I would feel so compelled to run a full marathon.  Several times a week, I’ll be up at the crack of dawn and hitting the streets just as some of you are getting into your nice hot shower or enjoying your second cup of coffee.  I’m starting out with just a few miles, but each week, I’ll push it a little farther.  Overall, I expect to log about 500 miles!  It's a bit daunting.  But when the going gets tough, I’ll just think about how lucky I am to be able to do this sort of thing when so many others can’t.

Nearly 1.2 million Americans are now living with HIV, and 56,000 more will be infected this year!  These aren’t just numbers; this is impacting real people and their families.  For 25 years, AIDS Project Los Angeles has been providing food, home health care, and other basic needs to thousands of people whose lives are affected by HIV/AIDS.  Many of these people are living in poverty and have few places to turn.
Now that the economy is struggling, understandably, people are tightening up on their giving.  But consider this, if things have been rough on you or someone you know, just think about how much more difficult they are for those that have even less… those that have nothing!

So, that’s why I’m asking for your help.  Please join me in doing all that we can to bring an end to this epidemic.

Please donate today by clicking on the button that says, "Donate To Support!"  It's easy — you're already online!  All you have to do is click on the button and you're ready to donate.  PLEASE DON’T LEAVE THIS PAGE WITHOUT DONATING!!!  Help me make my goal of raising at least $1,600, and make a difference in the life of someone suffering from HIV/AIDS today.  Donations are put to use immediately — so please, donate today!  THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!!!

Sincerely,
Jeffrey K

Space Dragons and the Scissored Wizard

No, its not the name of the latest J.K Rowling book nor is it the name for the next SD mascot (or IS it?)--its the latest volunteer adventure that the mighty Space Dragons took part in post-Christmas morning. In typical Space Dragons style, we mixed our tradition of work and fun while braving the cold morning elements--armed with glue, seeds, coffee, and SD spirit the crazy gang of paddlers flew through piles of foam decorative pieces and helped out as needed to get "The Scissored Wizard" float of La Cañada Flintridge beautified and ready for the 121st annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade. A Southern California tradition as typical as Jason wearing excruciatingly short shorts, the Rose Parade once again featured the beautiful pageantry and tradition of magnificent floral floats, high-stepping equestrians and spirited marching bands.

The results you ask? Apparently, the Space Dragons aren't just versed in bringing in "bling-bling" from paddling tournaments but also in Rose Parade tournaments. Our collective efforts in this operation helped the city of La Cañada Flintridge win the Fantasy Trophy for 2010!

 Our own Coach Em making sure the pieces pass quality control inspections               >>>>>>>>>>>

Special thanks to:

• the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association for the opportunity to take part!
• Marina for coordinating!
• All Space Dragon volunteers for being you and helping out!
  

Soles4Souls Update

Thanks to everyone's generosity, I  collected and shipped out nearly 300 pairs of shoes (277 to be exact) to Soles4Souls, which is pretty amazing!

my boss helped to sort and package the shoes.
he also donated the shipping materials!

This year, Soles4Souls distributed donations in 125 countries and has given thousands of people what many of us would consider to be rather basic: shoes. Footwear is extremely important because one can pick up hookworm and other parasitic diseases that enter the bare foot. Shoes also minimize foot infections in the diabetic population, as well as lower the risk for podoconiosis and Kaposi’s sarcoma. So your donation may have actually saved lives!

another friend lent me warehouse space and covered the cost of shipping

If you still have some shoes you'd like to donate, you can find a drop off box using their locator.


Thanks so much!
-Stephanie