John and Christa are members of Rotary International, which is the world’s oldest service organization, founded in 1908 by Chicago lawyer Paul Harris. There are now more than 1.2 million Rotarians around the world. Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self.” John and Christa take this motto seriously in how they approach their law practice and professional life as well as their personal and charitable work.
We are committed to the idea that giving back to the community, both in providing financial aid and volunteer time, is essential to having a law practice that is not just a vendor for legal services, but a good community partner as well.
The firm has provided financial support and volunteer work for the following organizations:
- Rotary Club of Westchester
- Del Rey/American Little League
- Westchester YMCA
- El Sauzal Orphanage
- Airport Marina Counseling Service
Philanthropic Leadership That Achieves Goals
Both John and Christa have served as president of the Westchester Rotary Club, part of Rotary International. Additionally, they were co-chairs for the 2012 Rotary District 5280 humanitarian trip to Puerto Rico, which involved 13 service projects in partnership with Rotary Clubs in Puerto Rico. John also has served as co-chair of the Westchester Rotary Club’s “Extreme Home Makeover Project” as seen on local television and featured on YouTube.
Under Christa’s leadership as club president, Westchester Rotary obtained a global grant for $175,000 for a community service project with Safe Place for Youth (SPY) in Venice. SPY serves homeless youths in the Venice-Santa Monica area of Los Angeles County. With the money from this global grant from the Rotary Foundation, SPY will be able to provide valuable service to its clients, including internships, job training and placement. Additionally, the money helped improve the SPY property. To learn more about Westchester Rotary, please visit its website or Facebook page.
John also served as president of the Del Rey/American Little League, which provides organized baseball for youths ages 6 to 12 in the Westchester/Playa Del Ray/Playa Vista area. During his two years as president of the league, he oversaw redevelopment of the two playing fields used by the league, including the construction of new dugouts and fences for one field and substantial landscaping improvements to the other field. John continues to serve as a volunteer umpire for the league.
Public Service For Others
John was elected and served a four-year term as a member of the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa, part of the Neighborhood Council system for the city of Los Angeles, and which includes Westchester, Playa Del Ray and Playa Vista. During his term, John served as chair of the Government Affairs/City Services Committee and as a member of the Planning and Land Use Committee. Active in city elections, John moderated candidate forums for candidates for mayor and city attorney for Los Angeles. One such forum involving the city attorney candidates was featured in LA Weekly.
John serves on the Westchester YMCA Board of Managers, which oversees operations and fundraising for the development of the Westchester YMCA. John is a member of the Financial Development and Board Development committee.