Doing Good in the LBC is a weekly newsletter where we’ll share how you can volunteer or give back in our city. We’ll also share the latest goings-on of nonprofit organizations in Long Beach.
It’s the final holiday stretch in this rainy-day edition of Doing Good, with loads of charity and cheer to report.
First — a hearty welcome to those who don’t usually receive this newsletter. We’ll be sharing our newsletters more widely over the next few weeks; if you want to keep receiving this and all our newsletters, click here and sign up.
Join the fun
The cool kids at Rotary Club of Long Beach hosted close to 260 guests at the Terrace Theater Dec. 17 at the largest holiday party in the club’s 108-year history. The club raised roughly $60,000 to support its array of programs, including thousands of book donations, bikes for kids, scholarships and food and supplies for Long Beach City College and Cal State Long Beach students in need.
The reception and dinner, overlooking the plaza’s 68-foot-tall Christmas tree, included a performance and silent auction with over two dozen items and experiences.
You may also have seen a few Rotarians along Second Street in front of Chase Bank this past Saturday serving as Salvation Army bell-ringers — or running around in pajamas in the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade.
FOMO? Fear not. All are welcome. Click here to learn more about Rotary and take part in 2026.
Mayor Rex Richardson also hosted his second holiday soiree at Rancho Los Cerritos (last year it was Rancho Los Alamitos) on Dec. 19, with local food vendors and dozens of city workers and others in the nonprofit and business scene.
It was a nice, mellow gathering where the small talk didn’t feel forced and the music wasn’t too loud. Our journalists at the Post and Business Journal write about these people all year long — chiefs, department heads, elected leaders — and once a year, it’s comforting to see them in Santa hats.
I like that about Long Beach — big city with small town vibes.
Worth the wait
Long lines are a drag. Sometimes these lines are even outside, in the frigid mid-60s, SoCal weather.
One of those lines appears each year in The Promenade between Broadway and Third Street, an area in desperate need of a line or two. It’s good to see.
This particular line is for The Ordindarie, which hosts its “Miracle” celebration each year in partnership with a festive holiday “pop-up” that travels across the country.
In Long Beach, it’s a pop-up with cocktails.
I don’t drink — but if I did, the Jingle Bells Nog would be my pick (cognac, cream sherry, milk, vanilla, nutmeg …). If you haven’t visited, there’s still time: the merriment will continue through Jan. 4 this year (The Ordinarie will be closed Wednesday and Thursday). It’s worth a look.
Hunker down
The city could see as much as 8 inches of rain this week, so, in addition to hosting, eating, wrapping and unwrapping, you might also want to stockpile sand bags. You can find them at most fire stations — and while you’re there, drop off some cookies. Public safety personnel may be spending the holiday pulling people out of local waterways and flood zones.
And last, from our team at the Post and Business Journal, Merry Christmas! I am so grateful for the small but impactful group of local reporters we’ve assembled to keep you updated and informed, and the readers and donors who continue to support this important work.
