Well, Pechanga 2022 is now in the rear-view mirror. We all enjoyed great weather and great company. This year’s attendance was less than last year, but what was lacking in quantity was made up in quality. Monday’s meet and greet was well attended with all of the world’s problems adeptly resolved in a span of two hours. Tuesday was the day of the tour of some local wineries. “Great time” and “best lunch ever” were some of the comments made by the wine tour attendees. Later in the day, everyone still had a great appetite and thirst as 18 pizzas and many refreshments were consumed. Wednesday, our members had the opportunity to meet our representatives from Pensions, the Credit Union, Relief Association, Anthem, Kaiser, Retired Fire and Police Association, UFLAC, Express Scripts and Workers Compensation with our new adjuster, Sedgewick Claims Management Services. Many questions were asked and answered. Follow-ups were promised by all representatives. If you wanted to buy attire for someone from eight days old to 80 years old, we had it available, courtesy of LAFD Fire Apparel.
The evening festivities were very ably emceed by Rick Godinez. Included was toast in memory of Sean Stilson. The wine used in the toast was donated by Deb Stilson and Stilson Cellars and was released in Sean’s honor. Valerie Lawrence and Diane Vigil spoke on the growth and depth of the Family Support Group. The dinner was delicious and was served by the trustees and their spouses.
After dinner, Trustee Steven Berkery spoke to the dinner guests about the core mission of the Relief Association, especially as it pertained to the Widows, Orphans and Disabled Firefighters Fund. His speech included a heartfelt, unsolicited testimonial and thank you from an attendee. Afterwards, our members purchased many golf ball drop tickets for our September golf fundraiser.
As the evening rolled on, tables and chairs were cleared and stacked out of the way and a round of Karaoke was kicked off. It took several songs but eventually Armando Diaz had everyone singing and dancing even though some of the “singers” should have concentrated on the dancing! Jokes aside, everyone had fun and no eardrums were harmed to the point that it would affect the medical plan. Thursday, eight attendees golfed at Pechanga. Later in the evening, a pot luck with live music and adult beverages was enjoyed by many. Friday was the checkout day and time to look forward to next year. We would like to thank everyone who was involved and that made the event memorable. We would like to especially thank Doug Bayer and crew for hosting an event at his RV spot, the Maga bunch who threw a well-attended event at their location, and Armando Diaz and his energy to coax all of us to have fun at the mic and on the dance floor.
Lastly a big thanks to the trustees, spouses, and the Relief Association staff who made this event possible.
