Artist Damon Boyd, award winning bike designer and founder of Nomad Custom Crafted Cruisers, rides his Classic Woody Quadricycle during the Venice Eco Fest on Saturday, June 27, 2009.

Santa Monica Mayor Ken Genzer gives Father Mike Gutierrez of Saint Anne's Church and Shrine, a proclamation during his farewell party on Sunday, June 28, 2009. Father Mike is being transferred to St. John the Baptist Church in Baldwin Park. He served in Santa Monica for the past 10 years.

(1-5) The Santa Monica Fire Department Graduation Class of 2009 demonstrate their life-saving skills during the graduation exercise on Saturday, June 27, 2009, at the Fire Academy. (6) Santa Monica Fire Captain MikeMcElvaney pins and his son, Tyler McElvaney, 22, with his new SMFD badge as Chief Jim Hone looks on. (7) (right to left) Matthew Anderson, 26; Dominick Bei, 26; Preston Delgado, 25; Jason Frebe, 28; Daniel Galvan, 25; Tyler McElvaney, 22; and Dustin Rodriguez, 26; take the Oath of Office during the 2009 Santa Monica Fire Department Graduation Exercise on Saturday, June 27, 2009, at the Fire Academy. The recruits complete an intense one year training program consisting of 2 months at the academy and10 months in the field before becoming official firefighters.

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(above) Ayaba Robinson (left) and her younger sister Aliya dance to the live music of the Derek Bordeaux Group at Santa Monica College during Celebrate America on Saturday, June 27, 2009. (top) Fireworks by Pyro Spectaculars light up the sky at Santa Monica College during Celebrate America on Saturday, June 27, 2009.

Participants walk an 8-mile course through the streets of Santa Monica during Lighthouse Medical Missions' inaugural Walk to Africa fundraiser on Saturday, June 27, 2009. In 1998 the first Lighthouse team went to The Gambia, Western Africa. The needs of the people were clear immediately, but their warmth and appreciation were evident as well. This made an impact on our hearts and our relationships with the African people has kept us coming back.

Since then, Lighthouse Medical Missions, working with the Door Christian Fellowship in Africa, has organized medical missions to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burundi, The Democratic Republic of the Congo and The Gambia.They have also built churches, schools, constructed water projects and dug wells.

It has been an amazing journey; people coming together from around the world to serve others in need. I have been able to witness this all first-hand and my hope is the work of Lighthouse Medical Missions will continue to grow and that we will achieve an even greater impact on a world in need.

Mission Statement

The vision of Lighthouse Medical Missions is to bring the love of God to the sick and dying in the poorer nations of the world. Our teams consist of volunteers who freely give of their time and finances to reach the forgotten and neglected with the truth of the Gospel through medicine.

Walk to Africa

A harem of California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) lay on the 'Monica One' at the Santa Monica Pier on Friday, May 22, 2009. Sea Lionsare quite intelligent, can adapt to man-made environments, and can be easily trained. Because of this, California sea lions are commonly used for entertainment in circuses, zoos and marine parks; and are used by the US Navy for certain military operations.They can be trained to do different behaviors such as throwing and catching balls on their noses, running up ladders, or honking horns in a musical fashion.California sea lions grows to 660 lb and 8 ft long, while females are significantly smaller, at 210 lb and 6.5 ft long.

Tom Dinh (right) and Jose Aguilar of Randall/McAnany Company repaint the world famous Santa Monica Pier neon sign on Thursday, June 25, 2009, in preparation for the Pier's Centennial Celebration on September 9. The Santa Monica Pier sign was installed in 1940 by the Santa Monica Pier Businessman's Association to celebrate the opening of the newly-built ramp. It is an internationally-recognized tourist destination and a symbol of the Southern California lifestyle.

A Bill Poster from Clear Channel Outdoor installs a new panel on Main Street on Monday, June 23, 2009, advertising Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which will be released on Wednesday, July 15. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth film in the popular Harry Potter film series. It is directed by David Yates, the director of the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.