Doing Good in the LBC is an occasional newsletter where we’ll share the latest goings-on of nonprofit organizations in Long Beach.
Amid feathered hats and antique tea cups, one of the city’s most well-known charitable causes honored one of the city’s most well-known matriarchs, Jean Bixby Smith.
The Long Beach Day Nursery, founded over a century ago, paid homage to Bixby Smith at its annual Tea for Tots fundraiser Saturday at Catalina Landing, the new home of law firm Keesal, Young & Logan.
Bixby Smith’s family was pivotal in the founding of Long Beach, and her advocacy for working women helped shape the success of the nursery.
The nonprofit nursery provides early care and education for working parents. Roughly 300 children ages 0-5 received care there this year.
It was one of the first nurseries licensed in California, in 1912.
Bixby Smith ran the family’s Bixby Land Company and for decades has been an advocate for community, civic involvement, children, and many other causes.
Her family settled here in the mid-19th Century and ran ranches and controlled large swaths of land that led to the development of Long Beach and other surrounding cities.
The city’s two historic ranches, Los Cerritos and Los Alamitos, are now nonprofit operations that manage the sites and host events, tours and more.
New director
One of those ranchos, Los Alamitos, located near Cal State Long Beach, has a new executive director — just the third in its 41-year history.
Timothy Roberts took the helm at the rancho in late April, bringing 20 years of experience in historic site preservation and management and development of educational programming.
He most recently served as deputy director of New Mexico’s Historic Sites Division, which included management of 400 acres and eight historic sites. He also co-founded a cultural resource management consultancy firm and collaborated with Indigenous communities and cultural groups to incorporate tradition into the planning and execution of various projects.
Support local radio!
Long Beach Public Radio, or KLPB (99.1 FM), marked its sixth anniversary on Saturday with a DJ, food, music and more at the Edison Theatre on Broadway, a newly restored event space.
Danny Lemos, general manager of the station, is one of our good friends at the Post. He not only serves on our board, but also leads our intern program with Cal State Long Beach.
At a time of peril for local media, please support the folks at KLBP, which runs an array of educational and arts programming as a low-frequency station in Downtown.
Last chance to vote
Only two days remain to vote for your favorite restaurants, attractions, service providers and more in the People’s Choice Awards, co-sponsored by us and Playalarga.
Voting is open through May 6, with winners announced next month at an event to kick off the start of summer in Long Beach.