Just in from Professional Lifeguard Foundation Co-Founder, Paul Silka:
The Professional Lifeguard Foundation 2011 15th Anniversary Event
You are invited to the 15th Year Anniversary Celebration!
Saturday October 15th, 2011: 6-9pm
At the Canyon Lounge - The Hideout in Santa Monica Canyon
112 W. Channel Road
Santa Monica, CA 90402
http://www.santamonicahideout.com/filming.php
Light Dinner, Wine and Beer will be served.
Michael O’Donnell will receive the 2011 PLF Lifetime Achievement Award
Please RSVP at: psilka@mindspring.com
Hosted by Mark Verge! (owner/partner of The Hideout)
Donate today : http://prolifeguard.org/
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FYI/Head's Up:
*** Valet parking out front OR look for street parking further up W. Channel Road (a 2 block walk is not unusual for this venue if you choose to self park). ***
And for those of our readers interested in a brief history of the PLF, please read the following letter we received from Paul Silka, as follows:
Dear Will,
The Professional Lifeguard Foundation’s 15th year anniversary is upon us. I would like to extend an invitation to you and your readers to join us to the celebration on October 15th! All your readers may not be aware of the roots of PLF so perhaps I can offer a brief history.
In 1996, John Kim and Arthur Verge, and I with the support of seventeen original members* formed PLF (Will you were there!) . Our goal was to provide unrestricted scholarship awards to deserving Los Angeles County Ocean Lifeguards pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. We were able to provide sixteen lifeguards with awards that first year. In the years that followed we have been privileged to have dozens of fellow lifeguards, and a few civilians, become PLF members allowing us to give over $50,000 in scholarship awards.
Membership has routinely included a $100 dollar annual donation, although the range of giving has been from $20 to $2000. Timing is important in philanthropy. Some years are better than others for our lifeguards to give. For PLF, membership is more about connection than contribution, so we consider all those who have provided support part of this organization.
At our 10 year anniversary, PLF capped off our celebration at the Annual Donor Recognition Event by recognizing Arthur Verge with our first ever Lifetime Scholar Award. This was granted on behalf of PLF to recognize Arthur’s dedication to Ocean Lifeguarding and education. As a History Professor he has contributed to his field with numerous publications and an unending commitment to the instruction of his students in the classroom and abroad during summer sojourns to Europe. Many of his students, of course, have been Los Angeles County Ocean Lifeguards.
At this year’s event, we have the privilege of once again recognizing one of our outstanding PLF members with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Michael O’Donnell, a veteran South Bay Waterman and Professor of Physical Therapy at USC, has inspired us over the years with immense professional success and a continued high-level of athletic achievement in various surf racing events. In addition, he has provided physical therapy to numerous injured lifeguards and their families over the years.
Will, thank you for your continued support and membership in PLF. I hope this short history reveals a theme that makes our Los Angeles County Ocean Lifeguard family so exceptional. It’s a theme of limitless service, whether we offer it to the public or to each other. I have infinite pride of the professionalism and commitment of our Ocean Lifeguards and our PLF members.
Hope to see you October 15th!
Sincerely,
Paul A. Silka
*Original Professional Lifeguard Foundation members:
Spike Beck
Greg Bonann
Ed Bushman
Luigi Demari
Ed Heinrich
Gerry Heinrich
Dan Heitz
Andy Jackson
Val Jolly
William Maguire
Michael Newman
Tom Peters
Mark Meharali
Gene Rink
Cindy Cleveland
The South Bay Surf Club
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Editor's notes:
And last but not least, some photos from the "County Recurrent" library featuring some of the lifeguards referenced in this blog post, in no particular order:
Arthur C. Verge, Phd, below, one of the Co-Founders of the PLF
John Kim, below, another PLF Co-Founder
Paul Silka, at left, below, the third Co-Founder of the PLF; the other two guys in this photo below, L2R, are Veteran LACo Recurrents, Dave Clarke and Eldin Onsgard, neither of whom is being recognized for anything on Oct. 15th... :-) 10-4
These two lifeguards below, obviously off duty and out of uniform are also not being recognized on Oct. 15th, but they are having a good time at Jake's retirement party in August 2008 below. L2R: Steve Contarsy and Dale Hast.
L2R, below, Jimmy Makuta in ceremonial tribal attire on the evening of his retirement in June 2008; shown here with good friend, Adrian Crook. Shown here just for the heck of it as two great guys and for no other reason.
Finally, below is original PLF member, Mike "Newmie" Newman of Baywatch fame.
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Until next time.....
"County Recurrent" News
http://CountyRecurrent.blogspot.com
Service • Training • Commitment
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