This week, we were joined by Dr. Tim Gutierrez, Associate Professor of Sociology, who shared his experience teaching incarcerated youth in Riverside County. Most of his students have already earned their High School Diploma or GED and are now working toward their Associate’s Degree.
Despite the challenges of their circumstances, Tim described his students as engaged, curious, and genuinely excited to learn. Many are seizing this opportunity to reshape their futures, and it shows in how actively they participate and how eager they are to dig into the material.
Programs like this remind us of the power of education to open doors, even in the most difficult circumstances. Tim’s dedication to this work is a big part of what makes it succeed.
We also heard from Nathan Hinckley who is embarking on a project to restore the Tortoise Enclosures at the Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert.
We were honored to host Todd S. Jenkins, founder of LA Kings Sled Hockey, as our guest speaker. Todd shared the story of how a search for an adaptive sport for his son Nick — born with Spina Bifida — led him and his wife Christie to launch Southern California’s first sled hockey program back in 2013. What started as a small grassroots effort has since become the official Los Angeles Kings Sled Hockey program, giving disabled kids and adults across the region the chance to play competitive, adaptive ice hockey.
Todd talked about the team’s growth, the volunteers and donors who keep it running, and the powerful impact the sport has had on athletes’ confidence, community, and quality of life — including their first championship win.
Thank you, Todd, for sharing your story and the incredible work you’re doing! To learn more or support the team, visit lakingssledhockey.com.
We also had the chance to welcome back Albert Carillo. Albert was previously a member of Riverside East Rotary and recently re-joined. We’re excited to have him aboard!
Our club welcomed Jennifer Contreras, Community Engagement Specialist at Ontario International Airport, this past Wednesday. She gave us an update on the airport’s continued growth, including its 10th anniversary of local control this November, several new nonstop routes launching this year (Honolulu and Chicago O’Hare among them), and record passenger numbers expected this summer. Thanks, Jennifer, for the great update on our hometown airport!
Today Riverside East Rotary was lucky to be joined by local writer, educator, and community booster Larry Burns, who shared his frontline experience navigating generative AI in the classroom at Riverside City College. Rather than banning AI or blindly embracing it, he’s helped students to better understand it and to start thinking critically about it as a tool.
We were also happy to welcome back our new Club President, Nick Lopez, from his travels abroad!
Today at Riverside East Rotary, we were honored to hear from Ken MacKillop, an Outreach Worker with the City of Riverside’s Public Safety and Engagement Team (PSET) — the people on the front lines of our community’s response to homelessness.
Ken gave us an up-close look at his journey to the role and to of the human side of this work: meeting people where they are, connecting them to resources, and building the trust that’s often the first step toward a path off the streets. It’s not easy, but it’s some of the most important work happening in our city right now.
