Living.

Shima 0 comments 09.05.2016

Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs to Sam Itani who made a bold decision early this year to follow his passion of pursuing music.

Itani, 26, grew up in Beirut, Lebanon for the first 10 years of his life and then moved to Los Angeles, CA. Upon graduating from North High School in 2007, he went to El Camino College for two years and got an AA in Arts. Soon after, he went to National University to get his undergrad in Psychology.

For four years, he worked as a behavior therapist before realizing he was not following his true passion. He says, “I then decided to quit my job and pursue a career in music” When Itani told his boss he was going to quit, he says, “It was surreal. I thought about it for a long time before actually going through with my decision to quit my job and pursue my dream of playing music.” He found that it felt strange at first, but he loved his decision in the end.

“It's my passion and I would never go back to working as a behavior therapist,” he says.  He told his boss that he found something that he enjoyed doing for the rest of his life and that the job wasn't for him. He says they highly respected him for his decision

He describes his music style as Acoustic-pop. He wants people to feel motivated and happy when listening to his music. “I just want to spread positivity and display a clean image. I don't want to be a rock star. I want to be that musician that moms take their kids to see and will feel safe doing so,” he says.

Itani uses the acoustic guitar, piano, bass, vocals and electric guitar when creating music. He says that his feelings are the inspiration behind his lyrics. “Music is my way of telling people about my feelings, since I don't like talking about them,” he says.

He says a typical day for him is very busy as he is constantly recording, meeting with videographers and photographers, networking and doing photo shoots.

You can learn more about Itani on all forms of social media.

YouTube: 

www.youtube.com/samitanimusic

Instagram: www.instagram.com/samitanimusic or @samitanimusic

Twitter:

Www.twitter.com/samitanimusic

Facebook:

Www.facebook.com/samitanimusic

Snapchat:

@samitanimusic

Website:

Www.samitanimusic.com

Email: For Buisness Inquiry
[email protected]

\When Itani is not playing music, he enjoys helping people in need whenever he can. He donates money overseas at least once a year and also expresses his hopes for humanity and such things in his music. “My music is medicine for those that are suffering. It gives them a sense of hope,” he says.  He also enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

Thank you, Sam, for reminding our youth that it’s ok to follow your passions. Check out Itani's latest song dedicated to mother's on his YouTube page.

“If you don't follow your dream, you will feel as if you haven't lived.”

– Sam Itani

Helping our Troops out on the field.

Shima 0 comments 21.03.2016

Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place.

Today’s MCM title belongs to Vaneh Hartouni who although commutes from the San Fernando Valley to his job in El Segundo, has provided exceptional expertise in technology to South Bay’s well-known company, Raytheon.

Vaneh has lived in Los Angeles for the majority of his life and is currently a Project Lead at Raytheon in El Segundo, CA. He hopes to move closer to the South Bay in the future so that he is closer to his work.

In 2010, Vaneh received his Bachelor of Science from Cal Poly Pomona and received his Master of Science degree from UCLA in 2013. Both of his degrees are in Electrical Engineering focusing on digital systems.

Vaneh has been in the aerospace industry for several years. His experience includes working for multiple aerospace companies such as Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. Prior to that, he was an intern for 2.5 years at another aerospace company while attending school full-time.

Some of duties with his technical background include designing various electronics for different platforms such as navigations systems, electronic warfare and radars. In addition, he has led projects by managing people, schedule and budget. Vaneh has an entrepreneurial spirit and through his passion, he has worked on a side project related to portable fingerprint sensors. Currently, he has a provisional pending patent for his portable lock application.

He finds the most inspiring part of his job is the ability to use unique and exciting technology to build electronics for military to help our troops out in the field.

Vaneh says that Raytheon is known as an aerospace company providing products for military platforms. In addition, Raytheon has commercial and internationals customers. “Matter fact, over last a few years, the international customers generate significant amount of revenue for Raytheon,” he says.

Raytheon gives back to the community by providing a STEM program to help high school students to gain interest in the science field by providing college scholarships.

Vaneh hopes in five years to be a functional or program manager at Raytheon.

He enjoys the South Bay for the beaches and has found that the people are nice, friendly and polite. When he is not working, he enjoys being outdoors, sailing, cycling, basketball, snowboarding and going to the gym.

Thank you, Vaneh for being a wonderful member of South Bay’s respected and admired company, Raytheon and providing extensive help to its continuing growth.

Finding a way without the bullshit excuses

Shima 0 comments 06.03.2016

Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place.

Today’s MCM title belongs Benjamin Artz who has surpassed possibly all of life’s obstacles and has followed a simple life motto to bring light and health to other’s lives.

Artz, 38, was born in Melbourne, Australia. Since 2005, Artz has been a personal trainer and even had his own business working through a gym in Melbourne. Today, he is currently residing in Torrance and helping other’s reach their fitness goals.

During his time in Australia, he also worked with GNC Livewell and after six years with the company, he was able to purchase a GNC Franchise Store and had one store in Melbourne and one store in Sydney and worked in both from time to time.

Growing up, Artz played sports as a child including football, cricket and basketball. “I was blessed with talent and was able to play at elite levels for my age in all sports,” he says.

Furthermore, he explains he was always a gym person and loved being fit.  At one time, he was an electrician apprenticeship and could not wait to finish work so he could get to the gym each day. He says, “I even started early and worked through my lunch to leave early to go workout out, yeah I was nuts.”

One day his boss came up to him and said, “You’re always working out, why don`t you become a personal trainer?” The next day, Artz resigned and says the rest is history. “It was as simple as that,” he says.

 Although he does not have a particular fitness inspiration, he is always researching the latest science and finds it intriguing. “I am a nerd, if you will, and crave knowledge and I love to teach and spread the knowledge I learn,” he says.

He is infatuated with the human body internally more so than the external so he prides himself on his ability to help get his clients healthy mentally as well. He seeks to help them become a better human through health and fitness.

Artz has several mottos he lives by, but his clients know him most for, “Find a way,” and “No Bullshit excuses.” He says that the sayings mean that no matter how hard things are, “to never give up and just dig deep and find a way to get through a tough workout or exercise.”

He enjoys fitness because he has realized that when he is fit, healthy and training, he feels frees. “I can handle life’s stresses better and feel much more content with life and self,” he says. He also values that he can be a small part of what helps change his client’s lives in a positive way. “Be it through training or nutrition, advice or just being a support base and an ear to listen to and maybe offer advice. That`s what makes me truly tick to change others’ lives in a positive way,” he says.

Artz wants others to know that, “Fitness is not all about ego driven bathroom selfies and all about my ab`s or how many times can one person take a picture of themselves half naked each day.” He believes that fitness is health care and health care prevention and no one ever got well by looking at a fitness ego person posting pictures or their ab`s each day.

He believes that training is like life, you will be challenged and you will grow from it and evolve as a person as an individual. He also thinks that healthy eating is a lifestyle and that results come from consistent effort from doing the right things.

In the next five years, Artz hopes to open his first ARTZFIT health & wellness center where he can focus on health & wellness in many aspects of the human body. “I want it to be a place that you come to not just to train but to get well to create a better a life for yourself,” he says.

Artz has great knowledge in nutrition, naturalistic medicine, sport supplementation, along with his fitness and training knowledge so he hopes to create a 1 stop shop for others.

When he is not working, he loves spending time with his wife who he says is his best friend. He also enjoys playing with his two cats and dog who he calls his “fur babies.” “They’re everything to me. It’s my true happy place,” he says.

Artz’s greatest passion outside of fitness is to make the world a better place through love and happiness. He says that he came from a tough road, was raised by a single mother with five children and both parents were alcoholics. In addition, he lost his business due to a deceitful business partner and lost everything at the age of 35.

He moved to CA with the last few dollars he had with hopes of starting a new life. “None of it has made me bitter, if anything all my life`s experiences has made me more understanding and love as an individual,” he says. He supposes that’s why he follows the motto of finding a way and making no excuses.

Today, Artz is training out of Systems Training Center in Hawthorne. He teaches a group fitness boot camp style of training on Wednesday 7 pm & Sunday 9:30 am. He is also available for one on one training by appointment only and can be contacted through the following:

E: [email protected]

FB : ARTZFIT

IG : Benjamin Artz

Thank you, Benjamin for being a wonderful contribution to the South Bay community by not only helping locals reach their fitness dreams but offering a lending ear to all.

“I don`t aspire to be anything else than a better me- mind, body, soul.” –Benjamin Artz

Leaps & Bounds

Shima 0 comments 22.02.2016

Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs William Wilson, who recruits certified nurses to places in need.

Wilson was born in Torrance and raised in the South Bay. Growing up, he traveled playing Rugby for Santa Monica Rugby Club. Together, the team traveled to several countries including Argentina, Germany and Thailand.

When he was just 22 years old, Wilson was in great shape and playing in his second season of rugby. During one weekend, his team was a part of a rugby tournament which cost him broken bones in his right leg. The doctor said that if they didn’t put Wilson to sleep, they wouldn’t have found that there was a fatty embolism that was going to his heart. Also known as, an “Air bubble”.

In result, Wilson found how precious life is and how appreciative he was to be alive. He realized life is a gift and he has so much left to give others. Soon after, Wilson was handpicked by a prior manager to help recruit nurses. At the time, he was still working for a different company and had to make the ultimate decision of staying with the company or help a new company grow by leaps and bounds.

Wilson chose to take the lead and today, is a full-time Nurse recruiter for United Staffing Solutions Inc. (USSI) and a part-time Entrepreneur. His duties are to recruit the best of the best nurses for 13-week travel assignments.

Nurses that Wilson recruits must have one year “or close to” experience in an acute care setting. This ranges from Medical Surgery, Telemetry, NICU, PICU, L&D, ICU etc.  “They can have pretty much any specialty,” he says.

Wilson does not recruit a specific kind of traveler and says that they can be a true traveler, a new traveler or someone that wants to try something new other than being a staff nurse. A travel nurse is a nurse that wants to take a 13-week assignment.

Wilson claims that now nurses can choose to work as both a staff nurse and take on assignment at the same time to see if they can handle the work load. A typical schedule is 3 days a week, 12 hours a day in a contract. “This is either on top of their 3/12’s already or just by itself,” he says.

Wilson explains that having a CA license is the “hottest thing” for a nurse as the pay is much better in CA than any other state.  Although his company is not working internationally yet, Wilson explains that they work with new graduates on occasion.

Pay for the nurses depends on a few factors. “Crisis rate, need, is the hospital on strike, location and time of year to name a few,” he says. Nurses, however, receive daily meals and incidentals, housing and hourly pay all in one contract. On other occasions, nurses find their housing and are able to receive free money and maximize their return on the contract.

Wilson finds that working as a recruit nurse has many benefits including that you get to travel, get tax free money and get a ton of experience in a short amount of time.

Wilson began recruiting after realizing he loved helping people. “To me, I get the greatest reward by helping people get into contracts,” he says.  Most of his nurses have come from referrals which he says are often nurses who are coming off contract, needing a contract or wanting to try out a better company to work with.

Some of his duties include finding nurses housing, fining the best location whether it is northern, central or even southern, CA. In addition, he is able to provide the nurses insurance if desired. He says, “Nurses are great. In my opinion they save lives. And to me putting a great nurse in a hospital that does just that sells itself. Because don’t you want to work with the best people too?”

This year, Wilson hopes to help 10 people find their dream job. He believes that being a recruiter isn’t for everyone. “However if you can multitask, stay extremely focused, self-motivated and do it for a purpose, it can be very gratifying.” He also values his staffing company and vows them to be, “super important.”

Wilson feels most gratified when he receives a referral because it means that he has earned another’s trust and respect enough for them to refer them.

When Wilson is not working, he enjoys hiking in Palos Verdes, playing Rugby, traveling, lifting weights, networking, reading, cooking and going to movies. He thrives most when chasing his passions.

He pays it forward by trying to give as much clothes to the salvage army as possible. “I sometimes feed the homeless when I see that someone is hungry. If you know what it’s like not to eat, this is a small gesture, however having empathy and compassion is the greatest reward. Especially when you know someone appreciates it,” he says.

He has found that the South Bay has the best people in California. “I think it is a group of highly educated, motivated individuals that want one another to achieve success. This doesn’t mean you have to be from the same industry. And let’s face it… You can be in the glamor in Hollywood one minute, Hermosa beach the next and in Big Bear mountains all in the same day.”

Thank you, Wilson, for providing our hardworking and deserving nurses greater opportunities.

To learn more about recruiting and the benefits, please contact Wilson here on his linkedin.

OR

Cell: (310) 707-6476 or email [email protected]

Wilson’s Websites:

southbaymediallc.com

Southbayyoungprofessionals.com

thefinancrblogger.com

Working Hard to Stay in The Room

Shima 0 comments 01.02.2016

Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs to Sean Boling, who has turned his love for football into a career at the NFL Network with hopes of only working harder than he did the day before.

Sean, 26, was born in Torrance, CA and raised in the South Bay. Upon graduating from South High School in 2007, he went to El Camino College and then transferred to U.C. San Diego soon after.

Today, Sean is a Production Assistant at NFL Network. Sean’s primary roles include graphics in which he writes, produces and operates the side ticker on live shows. In addition, he works on highlights where he assists the highlight producer and editor in producing a highlight. “I mark shots throughout the game and keep track of the entire game and press conferences,” he says.

A typical day for Sean depends on what he is assigned. “If I’m doing graphics, I will check which shows I’m assigned and prep for shows. This includes talking to show producers to gauge what they want on the show and how they want it written,” he says.

Sean has found that different producers want different ways of presenting their shows. When breaking news occurs, Sean must make decisions on the fly with everyone else since plans can be discarded at any moment for certain levels of breaking news. “If I’m doing highlights. I will check which game or sometimes games I’m assigned for the day,” he says.

Prior to creating content, Sean will do pre-game research which includes knowing story lines/injuries/producer guidelines. He calls this “purely teamwork.”  The Highlight producer, Editor and Sean all have to be on the same page so that they know what to look for and also communicate if they notice anything that has a potential to contribute to the main story line of a highlight. This could entail an injury, arguments on the field or the sidelines, reoccurring themes or chasing a record.

Sean’s role is to essentially be the constant eyes and ears on the game. “It’s a lot of multitasking for all of us because the highlights are built on the fly and edited ASAP,” he says. Despite the fast pace, Sean finds the most enjoyment out of his job doing highlights.

“The process of creating a highlight is a mix of crazy and fun. Most of all it truly is a team effort building the highlights and I have been fortunate to bond and work some of our most talented producers and editors,” he says. He says his team and him have  handled some of the craziest NFL highlights in the year that would often rattle the inexperienced, but they handled it in full stride.

Sean is most proud when his team’s work gets praised because he says it can be a real challenge. He became employed by the NFL Network with what he calls “a lot of luck and coincidence.” His high school friend works at NFL Network on the PR-side and he had met a producer golfing shortly after graduating. He made his interest known in the field and exchanged contact info and got interviewed and hired that fall after graduating.

“I’d love to say that I worked my ass off and got rewarded for it to pursue this career, but that wouldn’t be the truth. Networking is everything in this field to get your foot in the door, but it’s working hard that keeps you in the room,” he says.  It is evident how much pride and commitment Sean has in being a wonderful contribution to the NFL network. Just last year, Sean worked every holiday including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

When asked how one can become a member of the NFL Network team, Sean explains that there are intern spots and entry-level positions that are usually in the fall for the season (applications start in the summer). “This line of work has a lot of jumping ship to other companies and ties with each other. Somebody always knows somebody here or there and build the right reputation for yourself there will always be an opportunity opened for you likely,” he says.

He says to also make yourself noticeable and be willing to learn new things and take criticism in stride. However, he says one must have a passion in sports or football to survive because that is what is going to fuel you to grind out the long and hard days you will encounter. “Everyone here has grinded out overnight shifts, super long OT shifts, getting up at all hours of the day for work, working sick etc. Times are different. Jobs are hard to come by and it’s highly competitive especially in this field so networking is the key to success,” he says.

When Sean is not working at the NFL Network, he enjoys watching Kings games and golfing during his off time. He has always been a huge hockey fan and says he loved the Kings through the great times winning the cup to the horrible times when they were a bottom feeder team continually floundering year after year.

Golf is something he picked up as a kid and never let go of. Playing golf is the best getaway for him no matter how good or bad the day is. “I could spend a day on the course just enjoy myself and the sights,” he says.

“If there was one thing I want to point out about NFL Network is the ridiculous amount of talent we have working here. There are a lot of men and women that work hard to create an awesome product day in and day out,” he says.

The NFL also engages and gives back to communities in many ways. “Whether it’s having employees volunteer at the Special Olympics, making a family’s dream come true with player’s events or games, highlighting players’ charitable ventures, holding clothing drives or school drives those are just a few ways our company gives back,” he says.

Thank you, Sean, for being a wonderful member of the South Bay community and inspiring others to pursue their greatest passions.

“Ultimately, if I didn’t take pride in work I contributed to, I was either not trying or wasting my time. I give myself goals every day to keep myself motivated and enjoy the process of the work I put in. I’ll admit it’s not a flawless process for me, but it keeps me grinding on the road of achieving even greater work.”  -Sean Boling

Chasing the light at the end of the tunnel

Shima 0 comments 25.01.2016

Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs to Nick Ekbatani, who has found a way to bring inspiration to those struggling to find acceptance in loss after losing a part of his leg in an accident in 2012.

Nick, 28, grew up in Torrance, CA. During his youth, Nick didn’t have many friends and was often bullied for being “chubby.” When Nick was 11, his mom decided that she would sign him up for Pop Warner Youth Football in hopes of getting him out of the house and active. Soon after signing up, Nick thought he hated the sport and wanted to quit.

Despite his frustrations with the sport, his mom did not let him quit. “We didn’t have a lot of money, so she wasn’t going to just waste it,” Nick says. In order to get through the season, Nick often cracked jokes about himself and found that laughing at himself helped him surpass the bullying too.

After making a conscious decision to work harder in football, Nick continued to get better and better. By the 8^th grade, he was one of the best linemen on his team and by his senior year in high school, Nick had been nominated as an All-CIF football player.

Nick participated in nearly every play of the game and owes a lot of his success to his mom, Tracy Ekbatani. “My mom was at every game and practice. She was the one who’d bring pizza, orange slices, Gatorade,” he says.

After graduating high school, Nick joined LA Harbor college. After one semester, he transferred to UCLA with a full scholarship and graduated with a major in Political Science.

In July of 2012, Nick’s life would be forever changed. He was involved in a catastrophic auto accident in which a van collided with his motorcycle. He woke up in the hospital and was delivered the news that doctors had to amputate his left leg.

Though highly drugged, Nick was able to laugh at himself like he did when he was younger. He explains that he went through several stages of grief, such as denial. However, in hopes of lightening an extremely difficult situation, he cracked jokes and tried to make the best of the situation.

Fortunately for Nick, he had been working out tremendously prior to the event, which ultimately is why he is still alive. Doctors explained to Nick his cardiovascular fitness helped to prevent him from bleeding to death. Despite being healthy, Nick remained in bed for 4 weeks while heavily drugged on painkillers.

Nick recalls the first two years after the accident as very challenging. He often fell in the process of recovering due to his eagerness to improve. Since he was visiting the doctor’s office at least once a week, he even moved to Santa Monica so that he was closer.

Nearly four years and a dozen surgeries later, Nick is still recovering. One of his greatest challenges has been battling a stubborn infection in his femur. He uses a prosthetic leg which he has to carefully clean and take care of, which also can be tiring to wear for a long time as it is tight on his skin. Being the joker that he is, Nick explains that he has benefitted by learning a lot about skin care in result.

When asked how Nick has been able to remain so positive during such a difficult time in his life, he explains that he is always seeking ways to chase the light at the end of the tunnel. “It only gets dark when you stop chasing it,” he says.

The accident has definitely had an impact on how Nick lives his life today. At times, he finds himself reacting overzealously in realizing that life is short. Other times, his fear/anxiety holds him back and scares him. Despite it all, he finds himself to be very grateful and has a changed perspective on life.

Nick genuinely feels blessed to have grown up playing football. He explains that he has become very disciplined due to the sport, which has helped him remain persistent to succeed. He loves football most for the virtues he has gained, relationships and mentors he’s found and how he is able to continuously improve his craft like an artist would.

Today, Nick remains as disciplined as ever. He remains very active, waking up at 4 a.m. to train clients and instruct classes at Orangetheory Fitness in Brentwood and West Hollywood. During times where he finds himself frustrated, he remembers that there are others out there who have it worse and no matter how bad it gets, he feels blessed to be alive.

Nick is currently pursuing his MBA from USC. He genuinely loves technology companies like Apple and athletic apparel brands like Nike and he hopes to establish his own business in the next five years where he can lead a team and inspire others.

When Nick is not studying, working or improving his recovery process, he is visiting patients of the doctors who’ve operated on his leg. It is very easy to see why Nick’s doctors value his presence, as he is able to present a positive, welcoming and high energy to others.

Nick spends time with patients who are in the premature stages of recovery and shows them that despite his loss, he is able to still do a lot for being in the position he is in. Helping new amputees throughout their recovery motivates Nick and gives him a deeper sense of purpose.

Thank you, Nick, for being a wonderful member of the south bay community and an inspiring and positive ray of light for those who still need help finding their way in a dark tunnel.

“Adversity has the way to advance us if we allow it. A setback is really a setup for us to come back.” – Nick Ekbatani

Flying with a Clipped Wing

Shima 0 comments 18.01.2016

Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs to Philip Stokes, who has inspired many people through his motivational videos and blogs by emphasizing that with the right attitude, there are no heights you cannot reach.

Philip Stokes, 27, from Torrance was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2006 after a pickup truck ran through a red light into him and changed his life forever. Efforts to try to save his deteriorated arm were ineffective resulting in Philip to voluntarily decide to have his arm amputated due to the severe atrophy, advanced arthritis in his hand, elbow, and a shoulder that would disjoint constantly.

Philip had to even convince the doctors that he believed that this was truly the right thing to do. He had a spinal cord injury when he was 17 years old in 2006, and has been a full-arm amputee since October 2012. The accident resulted in Philip becoming paralyzed in his left arm, shoulder and chest. Not too far after his fall, Philip suffered from severe pain from the paralysis which took a toll on him resulting in frustration, depression, and prescription drug abuse.

He spent many restless hours struggling with nerve tests and experimental surgeries. After realizing that the frustration was getting the best of him, Philip decided that he needed to change his mindset. Although his spinal cord injury changed his life, it didn’t have to control him. In result, he decided to commit his life to the five essential elements of mindfulness that are necessary to overcome life’s obstacles which include: patience, perspective, positivity, perseverance, and passion.

Philip was turned on to the idea of the “3 P’s” by a friend of his, who was also his first soccer trainer when he started after his amputation. His friend read an inspirational book written by one of the most famous soccer managers in modern times who talked about “patience, perspective, and perseverance.” Philip thought, “Wow, how profound, yet simple, right? “

He started thinking about how those three things had been present in all of his transformations as he grew out of his anger and sadness. However, the 3 P’s seemed incomplete to him, as he felt there was more that made those transformations possible. In result, he added “passion” and “positivity” to the 3 to get “5 P’s”

As Philip began to implement these elements into his life, he realized he was moving forward rather than allowing the pain and frustration to get to him. Philip decided to create a website called, How to fly with a Clipped Wing, which he describes as “A motivational glance into the life of a spinal cord injury survivor, amputee, pilot, and soccer player.”

Philip used his website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel to communicate his stories and life lessons with others and how he has incorporated these He hopes that these stories will inspire others to incorporate these elements into their lives. Philip offers his motivational speaking services to all and everyone.

Philip was inspired to title his blog “How to fly with a Clipped Wing” after being asked, “How did you break your wing?” Since he spent many years in an arm sling, it appeared to be broken to others who did not know that it was completely paralyzed. He realized in the first few years after the accident that he was running very low on patience, perspective, positivity, perseverance, and passion in his life which was the real reason why he couldn’t get his life off of the ground. Without these five elements, Philip realized he could’ve fluttered all he wanted but he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon without changing himself for the better.

Philip explains that a bird with its wing clipped has had it clipped by some other means outside of its own control. He explains that “sometimes the effects can be temporary, and sometimes they can be permanent. In either case, it is bound to the ground where it most likely doesn’t prefer to be.” In result, he realized this would be a great motivational approach to the ways that he has overcome his paralysis.

As time has passed, Philip has found the silver-lining to his accident. “I’ve gained such an immense appreciation for the power of patience, perspective, positivity, perseverance, and passion over the years that I felt it necessary to try to reach out to anyone willing to listen to my stories and try to improve their own lives in the same ways that I have improved mine,” he says.

Today, in addition to spending his time inspiring others, Philip is one of the few full-arm amputee general aviation aircraft pilots in the country. He spent a little over two years getting his license to fly single engine airplanes. He was inspired to become a pilot around the age of seven by his uncle who flew fighter jets in desert storms and he thought that flying was the “coolest thing humans could possibly ever do.”

After his amputation surgery, Philip worked hard at a finance analyst job he received after graduating college and essentially afforded the majority of training that way. Although he recently completed his private pilot’s license, he is currently working on an “instrument rating” which he explains is a secondary license that allows him to fly in bad weather, reduced visibility, and low clouds. His goals are to become trained to fly aerobatic planes.

He also loves remaining physically active by playing as a midfielder in soccer whether he’s playing futsal (indoor soccer), in 7v7 leagues, or men’s full field leagues. These two passions of his are what helped inspire the title of his “clipped wing” motivational series. In addition, playing video games one-handed is another one his remarkable accomplishments and hobbies.

Thank you, Philip, for allowing your strength, mindset and most of all, daily choice to not let struggles block you from achieving your goals and inspiring so many to keep flying high, even with a clipped wing.

Philip is willing to speak with all or anyone who’s in need of his motivational services. To contact Philip, please refer to the contact section of his website here.

Like his Facebook Page here.

Visit his Website here.

Visit his YouTube videos here.

“I think that we all have a bit of our own clipped wings at different times. These are the things that weigh heavily on us and inhibit us from getting where we want to go or what we want. The circumstances that we find ourselves in might be our clipped wing at the moment, but by changing the ways that we are patient with ourselves and others, by changing our perspective on the situation at hand, by changing our mindset to more of a positive and affirming mindset, by changing our willingness to persevere no matter how long it takes, and by changing the ways that we incorporate what we are passionate about into our lives, we can all learn to fly with a clipped wing.”- Philip Stokes

Second Chance at Life

Shima 0 comments 26.10.2015

Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place.

Today’s ‪#MCM title belongs to South Bay resident and my dog’s trainer, Leroy Singh, with Mission Underdog Group who is the South Bay’s dog whisperer!

Leroy was born and raised in Jamaica, while surrounded by animals from the very beginning. His family always had Rottweilers on site, and he herded goats and cows, collected chicken eggs, chased lizards and frogs, and raised birds. Growing up, Leroy felt a desire to better the lives of animals of all kinds and at the age of 10, traveled to Los Angeles, CA.

Although he was no longer in his hometown with a backyard filled with sheep, birds, cows and dogs, he did everything within his power to continue to study animal behavior.  He began collecting magazines dedicated to pigeons, flock, feline and canine, to volunteering at local animal shelters. Leroy was constantly in pursuit of attaining knowledge of animals, so following high school, he began to work at Petco.

While at Petco, he became a licensed specialist in any academia possible – including reptiles and birds. Soon after, he began working with local shelters and dog rehab facilities, where he built a philosophy that would go on to fuel his future.

Leroy worked as a dog walker and trainer for more than five years. His first training client was a referral who he met while dog-walking and one of his main clients had 15 dogs living on her sprawling mansion property.

Her assistant knew Leroy loved and worked with dogs and asked him to help a friend of hers with their out-of-control dog. From there, he received referral after referral until he had a strong enough client base to open an official boarding and training site. In July of 2011, Leroy officially began MUG training and rehabilitation in hopes of providing dogs a second chance at life by rehabilitating and training them, so they would not end up in a shelter.

Leroy worked for almost five years as a dog trainer with Brandon Fouche before branching out to open his own facility. Leroy explains that the greatest joy is working with the dogs and seeing them every day. He never leaves, never has a whole day off, and hates the thought of being off site for more than a few hours. Despite how much he loves the dogs, he explains that, “The greatest difficulty are the people.”

Despite all efforts to inform his clients, Leroy finds that many owners fail to adopt the methods he tries so hard to teach, and many dogs lapse back into poor behaviors and have to return to rehabilitation. It can be incredibly frustrating to work with a dog every day, to watch it change for the better and become an excellent, well-balanced companion, and then watch it revert back into aggression or disobedience beaches the owner failed to continue the work. Regardless, he never gives up on the dogs or his clients.

Leroy suggests that dog owners do full research on a breed before adopting. He finds that too many owners take home a dog because they find it cute and friendly as a puppy and are shocked to see it grow large, or to find it’s energetic or destructive. Before taking home a dog a family should research breed characteristics, temperament, energy levels and grooming needs to make sure the dog really is a good fit for the family. This alone would prevent thousands of good dogs for ending up in shelters for doing no more than growing into what they were bred to be.

The drive to fix dogs seems to vary by culture and area. Some areas seem to shrink from the idea of neutering dogs, preferring to breed them and make money off the puppies. Some areas all but insist that dogs be neutered and prefer rescuing mutts to buying purebreds. While volume is a huge problem and contributes to an unheard of number of shelter deaths, one of the main reason for dogs being surrendered or abandoned remains behavior issues.

When he isn’t busy training, Leroy likes to go for long drives along the coast. He loves food, of all kinds, and is always looking for new hole-in-the-wall gems with great food. He raises birds and owns a flock of almost 50 pigeons of different species, some very rare.

Leroy recently turned 30. In five years, he hopes to have at least two more branches of MUG in the area so his training and rehabilitation methods will be fully operational all the way out to Orange County and Hollywood, with a fully functional rescue as well so dogs are no longer abandoned or euthanized for aggression.

MUG deals with dogs of all types, breeds, ages, sizes, and temperaments, from Chihuahuas to Mastiffs, puppies to seniors, and the excessively fearful to the overly friendly. MUG offers everything from dog walking, boarding, basic training, intense training, and even full rehabilitation.

In addition, the team takes friendly dogs to the dog park or hiking adventures, train dogs how to walk nicely on a leash or deal politely with strange dogs, and rehabilitate dogs with severe aggression or bite histories. All kinds of dogs are welcome to join Leroy’s pack for walks, hikes, and to visit the dog park so they get a lifetime of refresher training and good socialization. MUG will also board so owners can leave town without worrying.

Rescues came to Leroy as referrals, just like all other clients. His willingness to offer discounted services and his unqualified success with last-chance cases earned him great reputation and made him the go-to guy for many local rescues with problem cases

 With the Mission Underdog Group, Leroy hopes to share this knowledge, specifically surrounding dogs, with people that need help providing the best possible life for their animals.  What makes Leroy so loved and admired by his clients his not only his affordable cost and love for what he does, but his willingness to bend over backwards for dogs as he often does.

To learn more about Leroy, his rescues, and MUG, please refer to his website here.

1,200 Sandwiches

Shima 0 comments 12.10.2015

Every Monday, I am sharing a ‪#‎MCM (Man crush Monday) of a local resident of the South Bay to bring awareness to those making a difference in our community.

Today’s #MCM title belongs to Herman Villoria, who has spent 20+ years feeding the homeless in Los Angeles EVERY Saturday!

Herman Villoria was born in Bogota, Colombia. His parents had nine children in total, and he was the sixth child. He migrated to the U.S. in January of 1965 and never got married or had children. However, he was fortunate to have 22 nieces and nephews which he loves dearly and for this reason, never felt as though he missed out.

Today, Herman works for the Boeing Company in El Segundo as a Tool Crib Lead. He has been working with Boeing for over 26 years. Outside of spending time with his family and working, Herman works with the Missionary Brothers of Charity as a volunteer every Saturday.

Often, many people begin organizations or goals only to give up when progress is not seen quick enough. Herman has proven his loyalty to the Missionary by committing his weekends, no matter the rain or sunshine.

The Missionaries of Charity Brothers was founded in 1963 by Mother Teresa in hopes of feeding the homeless in order to bring to light the passage ‘Matthew 25: 36-4’ from the Bible. Herman has been with the missionary since 1988.

The Missionary is ran by missionary brothers and volunteers who come on Saturday to help prepare 1200 sandwiches, nearly 50 gallons of ice tea and pastries. The sandwiches are prepared at the home of the Missionary in L.A. and then volunteers split into seven different routes and distribute the items through the streets of Los Angeles to the homeless.

According to Herman, “We reach out to those who are the poorest of the poor. Most of our routes are walking and some are driving. We get anywhere from 12 to 25 volunteers each week, on holidays we see many volunteers. This is when people want to help.” Despite many charities which have monthly or even annual events, the Missionaries of Charity Brothers meets every Saturday- rain or shine!

The volunteers do not preach to the people about mother Teresa for she “said not by words but by our example,” Herman explains. He has found that the people on the street are very grateful. They often see the same people since they go to the same areas and they know they are coming.

In order to create the items for the homeless, the missionary relies on donations which often comes from those who know about the cause. Donations are needed to supply items such as ham, cheese, bread, bread bags, ice tea, cookies and cups. Herman explains that people can simply help by donating gallon containers of mustard, sandwich bags, or cookies. In addition, gift cards to Smart and Final will aid in purchasing these items.

Herman’s weekly schedule for Saturday is as follows:

1.Leave his house at 8:30 to get to the Brothers and help prepare the food to be taken out to the streets.

2. Leave the Missionary at 9:15 or 9:30 depending on the amount of volunteers and how soon preparing everything is completed.

3. Reach out to anywhere from 50 to 75 people on his route, which Herman explains is best to complete with five people. However, it is often that he does this alone.

Herman explains that the missionary is in need of volunteers who would like to do this on a regular basis, that way they can continue keeping the missionary alive. His volunteering shift is completed as early as 10:30 in the morning, but the rewarding feel lasts all day.

He believes that the most rewarding thing thus far has been the people he has met and how grateful they are. According to Herman, “It’s just right to try and reach out to so many on the streets that just want to be treated as humans. All it takes is a little hello, how are you doing today.”

Thank you, Herman, for selflessly spending your Saturdays giving back to our community and making the world a better place. 

If interested in learning more about the Missionary, please refer to the youtube link here and if interested in donating, please email Herman at [email protected]

Not Your Average Sandwich

Shima 0 comments 21.09.2015

Today’s #MCM title belongs to the South Bay’s latest hype: BreadCrumbs sandwiches, created by local residents of the South Bay.

One of your first meals in grade school was probably a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and no matter how much older you’ve become, you still crave them. There’s something unusually satisfying and comforting about a sandwich. For some, it brings them closer to home and for others, it’s the simplicity behind it.

Sandwiches have become a household staple that no matter the time or day, sound good. In an age where restaurants are constantly competing to stand out with unique flavors, outrageous presentations, and flames coming out from the plate- there remains a universal craving of sandwiches. Even the simplest made sandwiches combining a whirl of ingredients, sandwiches satisfy cravings with just one bite.

Sometimes having “just a sandwich” is what makes it so darn good, but BreadCrumbs isn’t JUSTa sandwich. That’s right- the sandwiches stand out from others because:

1.It isn’t a franchise

&

2. The sandwiches are made with the finest ingredients.

According to the creators behind BreadCrumbs Gourmet Sandwiches, “You are getting the best proteins, healthiest veggies and the right carbs to ensure you have the energy to physically and mentally keep yourself sharp and energized, all while enjoying our amazing sandwiches in the process. BreadCrumbs gourmet sandwiches are the highest quality sandwiches on the market. Every detail of our sandwiches has been well thought out for not only the taste, but the nutritional value for our customers. We spent over a year searching for the perfect bread for our sandwiches, choosing Non-GMO breads for its texture, smell and taste. Our meats are gluten free resulting in only the best from Boars Head. Our sauces are house-made and our vegetables are fresh and locally sourced. BreadCrumbs gourmet sandwiches are simply the best.”

The creators, Keivan and Garrett are both residents of the South Bay. Keivan worked many years in the restaurant industry and when finally realizing his passion was to provide gourmet sandwiches to locals, he presented the idea of a partnership with his buddy, Garrett. Immediately, Garrett was sold on the idea, trusting Keivan’s work ethic and experience in the food & beverage industry. Their foundation was simple: A business that provides delicious gourmet sandwiches to the community while giving back as much as it got from it.

BreadCrumbs is built on Quality and Service. The quality of business ranges from the cleanliness of the facility to how each sandwich is made and delivered. The sandwiches are rivaled by none as the best breads and proteins, local veggies and sauces are uniquely chosen and produced.

Keivan and Garrett agreed that simplicity is a great quality and goes a long way. In result, they’ve focused on enhancing the word simple by creating a fascinating experience with their meals.

The community inspires them and their hopes are to celebrate sharing and displaying their food for all to enjoy. They host several events including the Farmer’s Market, sell sandwiches at international market, Seaside Market in, and provide after-hour sandwiches at Hermosa Beach bars. They believe in five core values including quality, service, community, employees, and trust. Their goal is that in everything they do, these ethics are seen from the way the meat is cut to the warm smile they give customers.

To learn more about BreadCrumbs, please visit their website here.

Stop by and visit the crew every:

Tuesday: Torrance Farmer’s Market

Wednesdays: Hermosa Pier,  11-4 p.m.

Fridays: Hermosa, 11^th Street: 11-4 p.m.

Sunday: Palos Verdes Farmer’s Market