Cindy Martin and husband David hosted a wonderful Rotary in the Home. As their abode is in the Portuguese Bend Beach Club community, it provided for quite the scenic venue. Greeted by Sommelier Cindy with a delightful sparkling wine, Rick Mendoza, Greg & Liz Sparkman, Julia & Richard Rosas, and David & Carole Rowe gathered for great conversation and mutual awe at the dolphins performing just offshore. Our surf n' turf dinner was grilled to perfection by David with steak and salmon. Of course the accompanying wines were just right. THANK YOU CINDY AND DAVID FOR A FANTASTIC EVENING!
A few weeks ago you read of the gifts donated from the Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary Foundation.
Now here is a list of the donations from our club to other worthy recipients. These gifts were primarily funded by past fundraisers, primarily the Beer and Wine Festival proceeds.
Foster "kids" entering CSU Dominguez - Our club donated $1,488 to help incoming freshmen stock up on basic needs for their dorms. Special note: Our action led to donations from individual PVP Rotarians and a few other Rotary clubs to combine donations close to $6,000!
Homeless in Long Beach were cared for by our Peninsula High School Interact Club and our club contributed $250 toward their effort
Pageant of the Arts - Our club sponsored 4 students to participate in the District's annual program. At $175 per student, we supported them with a total of $700
RYLA- The Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly is an annual event presented by the district in the local mountains. Our 4 sponsored students attended RYLA this year to meet for 2 ½ days to improve their skills as leaders in their communities. At $350 per student, we supported them with a total of $1,400
San Antonio Flood Response - Brought to us by Rick Mendoza, an opportunity to help those in Rotary District 5840 help support the victims of the devastating floods was presented. Our club gave $500 to the efforts
Polio Eradication - The Rotary Foundation received $1,500 from our club to continue the fight against the spread of the polio virus
World Youth Clubs - A new Boys and Girls club was built in Mexico and our club gave $1,985 towards the purchase for many specific items needed to make their club successful
Water Unity Foundation - Everyone knows about the Hippo Roller. We helped purchase many Hippo Rollers to help women in northern South Africa retrieve water more easily. Some of these funds were also used to purchase water filtration devices. Our club has given $3,970 towards this project (and thank you to individuals in our club that have added to that!)
Le Marc Foundation - Another international support donation was given to help teen moms in Kampala, Uganda in the amount of $500
Rotary Global Grant EMT Project - The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach co-sponsored a grant project to provide funding to increase access to employment opportunities and strengthen emergency medical services by equipping 30 women through vocational training to become medics, ambulance drivers, and phlebotomists in East and West Jerusalem. Our club joined others around the world with a contribution of $1,000
Rise against Hunger - In addition to PVP Rotarians participating in November's HOVOOTM to pack food, our club donated $500 to the efforts
Foster Love - District 5280 partners with this organization and puts on a Foster the Love event each year where Rotarians gather to provide and decorate duffel bags for foster children who are moved from home to home. We also assembled bikes and skateboards. Our accompanying donation is $1,200
Eaton Fire Recovery Fund -Altadena Rotary created a fund to support community recovery following the devastating fire. Our club will be giving $1,000 to support their efforts
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Story # 3
A Rotarian Astronaut
Lives out Her
Out-of-this-World Dreams
Check out this article telling all about fellow Rotarian Samantha Cristoforetti:
Cindy Ingraham Keefer is the artist who created the Celestial Globe, a massive and monumental bronze sculpture installed permanently in Gravity's Stairway at Griffith Observatory in January 2026. The 800-pound bronze sphere that is over 4 foot in diameter draws inspiration from the Farnese Atlas, a second-century Roman sculpture, and features 46 classical constellations cast in bronze. The work offers visitors a striking encounter with the ancient origins of astronomy and the enduring human effort to understand the sky, and rotates to allow viewers to observe how the ancients imagined the heavens turning in Atlas's grip. Realized in close collaboration with structural engineers, fabricators, and Observatory leadership, the Celestial Globe stands as Griffith Observatory's first major new exhibit in nearly two decades and will be experienced by more than 1.5 million annual visitors.
Cindy has been working in bronze for over 15 years working upon commission creating mostly dedication sculptures. She is a multi-disciplinary artist who also supports fashion designers in downtown LA. The Portuguese Bend is her home that she shares with her 2 doodles, dozens of peacocks and her husband, Tom Keefer.
