John Van Cleef

Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.

~ Seneca of Rome

Dear Friends,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We recently concluded our “Pay Day” membership drive – culminating with 210 new member units, and 28 membership renewals. To date, our membership has increased to a total of 3,266 member units, and approximately 4,322 individual members. These statistics indicate people have confidence in their Kroc Center, and that we help them experience the quality of life for which they seek. Our thanks to Ric Reyes for his work on behalf of and advocacy for our members.

It was a pleasure to read an article about our swimming pool in last week’s edition of the Examiner. (Check out the link) More than a statement about the quality of our pools, the article is a statement about the excellence of our aquatics staff. We’re grateful to Danny Beers, our Instructors, and Lifeguards for making sure swimmers have a great experience in our great pools.

This weekend we held our annual Family Fun Day, and welcomed more than 860 families into our backyard. The games and activities were engaging, the tours were interesting, and the food was fantastic. Everybody deserves appreciation for their part in making it happen. I’m especially grateful to Maria Todaro for facilitating the day, and to our Guest Service Associates for graciously absorbing the additional opportunities to serve our members.

Finally, we have concluded our annual Heroes With a Heart Campaign. In 30 days, 126 volunteers told their story about the Kroc Center countless times, and raised $66,100 – and pledges are still filtering in… Again, this is something we all support with our time and energy, but we couldn’t have done it with our the leadership of our Campaign Commander, Bill Fischbeck, and tireless campaign coordinator, Fran Waller. Thank you both.

The footsteps of my life found their way back to Inadale Avenue last week. Tucked away on the Los Angeles area hill separating Inglewood, Crenshaw, Culver City and Westchester, Inadale Avenue has been a surprising, unexpected and welcome anchor throughout most of my life.

My first introduction to Inadale Avenue happened sometime around 1985. I was the new kid at school, and penetrating established relationships during my junior year of high school was – at best – difficult. As soon as I resolved to be the loner, my quiet days of shuffling the halls between class was interrupted by an invitation that became a friendship, that became a bond. Hank has been more than a friend ever since. He’s been my brother.

My friendship with Hank opened the door to becoming a part of his family. His father was a quiet, unassuming man who favored the kitchen table or the BBQ – the former for reading Psalm 27, the latter for creating his meat masterpieces. His mother is a beautiful, gracious woman who simply loves people. I was often in the Dixon home throughout my junior and senior years of high school, and also found refuge there several times when I was on leave from the U.S. Army. I was introduced to the larger Dixon family, and fancy them to be kin. They may not know it, but I would exhaust myself and all of my resources to honor them.

I also discovered Inadale Avenue was more than the Dixon family. It is a community of families who have grown-up together. They have had fights and feasts. They have shed tears and shouts for joy. They have experienced birth, growth, graduation, marriage, grandchildren… and even death. From my friendship with Hank, my treasure chest has been filled with other friends, like Troy, Brent, Chariece and Blake. Blake…

The footsteps of my life found their way back to Inadale Avenue last week for a funeral. Blake was 39, and about week before his son was born he passed away. He contracted an incurable disease that attacked his and ultimately defeated his heart within an eight month time-period. The second most significant event as his funeral was reading excerpts from journal. (The first was meeting his son.) Blake knew his days on earth were about to give way to his days in Heaven, and he attempted to capture his innermost thoughts on paper. The love he had for his wife and children. His struggle with the disease. His mortality. Yet the one thing that resonated throughout his words was the phrase, “I am grateful.”

When I look back over the so-far days of my life, I too am grateful. I’m grateful for discovering grace in the arms of God, and acceptance in the friendship of my wife. I’m grateful for friends like Hank and Blake, and for a place like Inadale Avenue.

Grace & Peace, John

Step back at regular intervals to determine which of your
present activities can be scaled back or eliminated.

Only then can you make way for something more fruitful.

~ Peter Drucker

Dear Friends,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

On April 22, we celebrated our third annual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast. Our volunteers are priceless and add immeasurable value to our shared experience. They exemplify a selfless spirit of caring, place the needs of others before their own interests, and demonstrate priceless generosity through their gift of time. As always, we’re grateful to Jean Stein for all she does to guide and facilitate our volunteer services.

Over each day of the weekend I had occasion to wander through the kitchen – and it was a busy, busy weekend. Birthday parties, receptions, concessions and full-service meals punctuated every moment of Saturday and Sunday; and I felt immediate sympathy and gratitude for Ross Klareich and the Food & Beverage Staff. Thank you for all you do, especially the constant care (and cookies) you provide to the Kroc Staff family.

For the past week I’ve watched the trees on campus be pruned and scaled back from eight years of (over) growth. Leaves, twigs, limbs and branches have been falling en masse. Things are looking pretty bare, and it’s easy to wonder if the trees will ever recover. But despite how things may look, pruning is essential for trees – especially those that are developing. It nurtures a strong structure and desirable form. Trees that receive appropriate pruning while they’re young require little corrective pruning when they mature.

Pruning isn’t only a matter for trees; it’s necessary for all dimensions of life. It’s necessary for the development of our character. Hurts, habits and hang-ups shape our behavior throughout the course of life. Left unattended, they siphon the energy we need to grow toward a meaningful harvest of blossom and fruit. It helps us grow through seasons of spiritual winter. Unnecessary extremities or excessivenesses are pared back to what is not only good, but essential and imperative. The heart is protected and preserved in anticipation of spring. It also helps us stay focused on the reason for our existence – to bear much fruit.

I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.

He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy.

Yes, your joy will overflow!

– John 15:1-2, 11 (NLT)

Personally and organizationally, we do so many things because “that’s the way we did it last year.” We become so well adjusted to our culture, or norms, that we go along without thinking about them. But watching the pruning of our trees gave me pause to consider ancient wisdom, and ancient wisdom gave me pause to ask myself: What is most important?

Joy is the product of bearing fruit; and fruit is more important than untamed growth.

In Jesus,

John