Escondido Sunrise Rotary; Meeting to Serve our Community in Person
and “Retired EPD LT Al Owens from Police Athletic League”
October 26, 2023
As we all try to conduct our professional pursuits in new ways, it’s appropriate to remind ourselves of who we are as a Serving Organization… Our accomplishments, our fellowship and the reminder of our many successes is valuable as we seek new opportunities to serve…
We met again in person at the Chamber of Commerce… Great to enjoy the fellowship again and see all your smiling faces…
As a Club, we honored our nation with a salute to our Flag, and an invocation was offered by past President Jack Anderson….
Guests & Visitors:
Al Owens PAL – Guest speaker today
Special Occasions:
Happy Birthday to Natalie Schultz (Doug’s lovely wife) 10/26
Liz Phillips (Past President Tina Pope’s daughter)
Happy Wedding Anniversary to:
No Wedding Anniversaries today
Happy Rotary Anniversary to:
No Rotary Anniversaries today
High 5 and Announcements:
Rich Aeling talked about the bike reveal for Juniper school which will be Tuesday 12/19 at 8:30am at Juniper School
Judy Fitzgerald revealed that she had the infamous bell and was returning it……no one ever suspected, or did they???
Past president Jim Ponder went to Mammoth and brought back a gift for President Mark
John Boyce enjoyed time with his sweet granddaughters
Tina Pope introduced her newest grandson to us, meet Oliver born 10/7 at 3 pounds, he’s getting stronger every day. Tina also brought some gifts from Cracker Barrel in Tennessee for President Mark
Several ESR Rotarians were at Sierra Madre Cantina in Escondido supporting Judy Fitzgerald at her first campaign kickoff, way to go Judy!!!
Upcoming Calendar Events:
Program:
Al Owens returned to the ESRC to show gratitude for all the financial support given to
the Police Athletic League (PAL) over many years. Al wanted to give the ESRC an update on the many successes the youth have experienced as the direct result of PAL and the donors that keep the program alive. He stated that it really does take a village to fill in all the gaps in the lives of at risk youth in Escondido.
Al also wanted to share the many ways PAL is expanding its program. Looking back on the history of PAL at the Escondido Police Department, Al gave credit to his late friend, Sgt. Geoff Galindo, who started the program in our community to combat the epidemic of youth joining gangs, sometimes as young as 11 years old. Geoff saw the direct
correlation between juvenile delinquency and single parent homes, parents being incarcerated, not having role models or mentors to guide them, and peer pressure from neighborhood gang members. It was clear that having too much unsupervised time placed the youth at risk of getting involved in gangs, drugs, and other criminal activities. Because of his compassionate
heart for kids, Geoff decided to do something and started the PAL program in Escondido. It
took root and in no time many youths that were identified as being at risk youth were now participating in the program. It was a success, and “Sgt. Geoff” was a hit with the kids! Tragically, in November of 2008, Sgt. Geoff Galindo unexpectedly passed away at only 53 years of age. The law enforcement community mourned the loss of a comrade, and the community the loss of a hero and role model. Al, however, mourned the loss of a very dear and close friend. Approximately 9 months passed, and the program became dormant. Al was then approached by then Police Chief Mahar and asked if he would consider restarting up the PAL program. Al was not excited about working with kids but chose to take on the challenge to honor the memory of his dear friend Geoff.
Al went in thinking he was going to change lives and quickly experienced that his life
was being transformed as much a theirs. Both he and his wife Kristina, who is as deeply involved with PAL as he is, consider many of the youth that they’ve met through the years as family.
Many of the PAL youth have moved on to successfully graduate college or trade
schools. One particular PAL alum is now an attorney working for the LA District Attorney’s office. A few fell into a life of crime, but the majority have continued leading successful lives.
Al remains in contact with many of the PAL alum and continues the program long after
he retired from the Escondido Police Department. He and Kristina jokingly say they will be retiring from PAL soon, but they find themselves drawn to help more at-risk youth and are committed to continue mentoring and being family to many who never experienced what family means.
Next Week’s Meeting:
Closing: President Mark Maus announced that we will be meeting at The Escondido Chamber of Commerce on November 2nd at 7:30am for our monthly fellowship breakfast……
Thanks for Attending Today’s Meeting….
Support for our Escondido Community …
Our great community and the success of its businesses is all of our responsibilities… Support the businesses that are doing all they can to survive this trying economy…….
The ‘Giving Arch’ on Grand Avenue and Centre City Parkway reminds us that Escondido is a caring, giving community…
To all; be safe and be well…. God Bless those men and women that carry the load at our medical facilities, and God Bless our first responders… May our governmental leaders be wise, thoughtful and smart as they navigate these times that have been difficult…..
The meetings will be technically managed by Past President Richard Agnew… Thanks for that Richard… And, Richard is prepared to support all of our attempts at joining the on-line meetings if needed….
SEE YOU SOON…… In Person … Next meeting; November 2nd, at 7:30 AM
Check President Mark’s email for the reminder…
