We want to bring to the world the amazing stories that exist within our midst. These stories - from people young and old – are the rays of sunshine blazing through the mist of our day to day lives.
Nick Palumbo - Local winemaker and winegrower Nick Palumbo is the owner of Palumbo Family Winery and serves on the board of directors of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association as Enology Co-Chair. Actively involved in the wine community since his arrival in the valley in 1998, Nick is helping to guide Temecula Wine Country and the region in a more quality minded and sustainable direction.
Barbara Tooker - Barbara Tooker is well known in the Temecula Valley for her dedication to education and the community. She served on the Temecula Valley Unified School District’s Board of Education for 17 years, helping to guide the district through a period of tremendous growth and uncertainty. Barbara is a founding member of the Temecula Valley Scholarship Foundation and the local AAUW, twice past president of Soroptimists, active in Temecula Friends of the Libraries, and helped start the Temecula Murrieta Interagency Council. For her community service Barbara has been nominated as a Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year and received awards from both Rotary and Kiwanis.
John Garrett - John Garrett uses his skills as a graphic artist and photographer and his wry sense of humor to teach local schoolchildren and community groups about astronomy. As vice president of the Temecula Valley Astronomers, he gives presentations in Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar, and Menifee. His topics range from atmospheric optics to light pollution, climate, common observing, archeoastronomy, and exoplanets. A regular presenter at the Julian Starfest, John appreciates the Temecula Valley’s proximity to the Palomar Observatory and works with the International Dark-Sky Association to help keep our traditionally rural skies dark enough for star gazing.
Caroline Kittle - Caroline Kittle will be a senior at Great Oak High School in the fall. She’s had the opportunity to study at Stanford this summer and thinks she may major in a medical science field when she goes to college. Active in many clubs and organizations, including the Great Oak Varsity Speech and Debate team, Caroline also serves as 3rd District Commissioner and Vice-Chair of the Youth Commission on the Riverside County Youth Advisory Council. Caroline is fascinated by science and won the Temecula Valley Science fair last year for her experimentation with dye-sensitized solar cells. She encourages other students to study science and explore ways to shape our world.
Alan Daly, Ph.D. - Dr. Alan Daly is an associate professor of Education at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Alan has held a wide variety of positions in public education—ranging from classroom teacher to district psychologist to site administrator—and has been teaching at UCSD for six years. Alan’s research interests include the intersection of leadership and trust, systemic coherence, strengths-based processes, and social network theory and analysis. He has more than 40 publications and a recent book published by Harvard Press entitled Social Network Theory and Educational Change. A second book, Networked Systems: Improving Educational Systems in the 21st Century, is under contract.
Kathy Lynch - Kathy Lynch is Founder of the newly formed Temecula Valley TimeBank—a community-based economy that exchanges time and talent rather than money. A Nutrition Consultant and Certified Health Coach, Kathy is also Founder of WellSkills, a nutrition and health coaching business. She publishes an online newsletter, WellSkills Ezine, and authored part of the recently published book Health: Mind, Body, Soul. An active volunteer, Kathy’s community activities follow her interests in food and wellness: she is a leader in the Temecula Weston A. Price Foundation, the Temecula Holistic Moms Network, and the Temecula Label GMOs ballot initiative, as well as other groups.
Cecilia Abadie - Born in Argentina, Cecilia Abadie holds a Master´s degree in Computer Science from ORT University in Uruguay. Temecula was the first city she visited in the U.S., and in 2005 she moved here with her husband and daughters. Currently the Online Platforms Product Manager for Full Swing Golf in San Diego, Cecilia is fascinated by technology, philosophy, and the digital world. She co-organized the Temecula Valley Software Developers and also co-organized San Diego Transhumanists.
GiGi Di Bernardo - Gabrielle Di Bernardo is an elementary school student in Temecula, California where she has worked very hard with other students (and her mom and teacher) to build a school garden. The garden has helped encourage students to speak up about bad food, and not be afraid to say no to fast food. Gabrielle received a citation from Mayor Maryann Edwards for her work and continues to help educate students and parents about better ways to eat. She's especially concerned about the quality of school lunches. The no-more-GMO conversation is alive and everyone is talking about exactly what is good, clean and fair food?  Gabrielle Di Bernardo has a dream that every school and every child, across America, have access to GOOD, wholesome food at school. After all, good food is a right, not a privilege.
Michael Dimock - Michael Dimock looks at food in a broader way, as a system that includes government, farmers, distributors, and consumers of food, both individuals and institutions. He founded Roots of Change to bring together all the players in this system to plan the future of food.
Jacqui Dobens - Jacqui Dobens loves living in Temecula and is fascinated with the processes and the results of winemaking. Each wine variety has its own character—its own flavor and essence—just like people. Jacqui will explore with us how wine grapes and people are alike, in more ways than one.
Karen Robertson - Retired schoolteacher Karen Robertson remembers when Murrieta had just one school and five teachers. Over the years she’s seen a lot of changes, both in the Temecula Valley and in life, and she’s weathered them all with humor—even with standup comedy. Karen will bring us a glimpse of the past and show us the value of humor.
John Simpson - John Simpson is a Professional Engineer and LEED certified, so he knows a lot about being green. Green is a funny word, though, with the power to suddenly change an amiable meeting into a hostile one. John looks at how words like green have been used to divide us at a time when we can least afford it. And he’ll discuss how we can all be the “sun shining through the mist” of divisive rhetoric.
Joe Rathburn makes his living playing music in San Diego, CA and wherever the demand takes him. He's released four collections of original music on CD, and a fifth CD of mostly covers with his tropical rock band Joe Rathburn's ISLAND. Earning a living with his guitar and voice since 1972, Joe's experience has ranged from solo and full band concerts in coffeehouses to arenas, TV appearances, commercials and opening for a range of artists from Ray Charles and Kiss to Dave Van Ronk, Susan Werner and Ellis Paul. He's won music awards and produced several performance series. His proudest achievement is having the good sense to marry Mair, his wife since 1986. He continues writing, performing and releasing recordings of positive music.