Huntington Beach front travel agent normally up for next Bucket Listing experience

Cindy Lee likes to distribute her passions amid diverse buckets.

Properly, bucket lists, to be precise.

Lee operates a Huntington Beach-primarily based organization, Surf Metropolis Aloha Marketing and advertising. And she is a person of the people today in the town who embodies what locals simply call the aloha spirit.

Her gift is connecting persons and tiny organizations, which usually requires spending it ahead in some way through her items enterprise.

Earlier this month, on April 4, it was National Hug a Newsperson Day. She sent present bags to regional radio and television stations with gummy bears.

The foods of choice was not an accident — April 27 is Countrywide Gummi Bear Day.

“I produced a very little label,” Lee reported. “It claimed, ‘I hope Hug a Newsperson Day is awesome. These are the future two days to keep in mind, Nationwide Bucket List Working day and Gummi Bear Day.’ It is very little things like that, just type of stepping outside of the box … I like sending gifts, and I assumed I needed to obtain a tool that is heading to give me various ideas to deliver items.”

Lee, 57, is quite in tune with the Countrywide Working day Calendar. But not too long ago she had an plan for a working day that wasn’t yet listed.

She commenced Nationwide Bucket Listing Day, which will be celebrated just about every calendar year on April 24. The day was awarded by National Working day Calendar final August, then Lee registered it in December and begun advertising it in January.

Lee thinks in acquiring distinctive bucket lists — you can have a movie bucket listing, a career bucket list, a reserve bucket checklist. It isn’t just for journey, she stated, though she is a vacation agent, too, and maintains her Bucket List Mentor Journey Site.

Previously a chef for about 25 several years, Lee claimed her love for spending it forward started out out of her admiration of the late Princess Diana, who was identified for her charity do the job. As a teenager, she sent her a letter and obtained a letter back from Buckingham Palace with the formal crest.

“I like to get in touch with or textual content five to 10 people today a working day,” she claimed. “I say, ‘Hi this is Cindy, I just preferred to say hi. It is not small business-linked, it’s just about you. Inform me the best factor that transpired right now.’ And that might be the finest detail that happens, me making that cell phone call.”

After relocating to Southern California in 2017, the Backyard Grove resident bought included in various regional teams, including the Surfrider Foundation.

North Orange County Surfrider Basis schooling coordinator KC Fockler explained that Lee’s initiatives at two distinctive Surf Metropolis Splash situations, as nicely as a charity golf event very last yr place on by Overall Western Inc. at the Huntington Club, have netted the nonprofit about $20,000. Lee served provide gift playing cards and prizes for every occasion.

“She has names and numbers, and she does not forget a confront,” Fockler explained. “She’s good in that respect. Our chapter is blessed to have her do issues. I know we’re likely to have some factors coming up in this article this summer season. Our new chapter govt team, all we have to do is ask her, ‘Hey Cindy, we have this occasion coming up, can you find some men and women?’ She’ll be ready to do that lickety-split.”

Lee, who also hosts a travel podcast that is on hiatus though she writes a book this calendar year, is a connector. In latest decades she’s designed mates with Rocky McKinnon, who presents regional surf and Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) classes.

She met McKinnon at Surf City Splash in 2018, she reported. He aided her conquer anything on her individual fear bucket list, and got her out on the h2o.

“The biggest detail is to overcome your fears,” Lee reported. “I still have a panic of the ocean, but when you have another person out there that you trust, it can make a major variance.”

McKinnon stated he appreciates Lee’s positive concept to live just about every day to the fullest.

“It’s just that pleasant reminder, with every single passing working day, you hardly ever know when our demise is,” he stated. “I know it’s form of darkish to say that, but it is legitimate. You just don’t know. It’s fantastic to get out there and be a section of dwelling.”

The metropolis of Huntington Beach held a celebration very last month, attended by Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark and Chamber of Commerce associates, honoring Countrywide Bucket Checklist Working day. Lee is in Las Vegas this weekend for a National Bucket Listing Day Proclamation weekend.

On the day alone, she mentioned she will be on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas with some pals to rejoice. It won’t just be about her — she said activities on the weeklong cruise involve giving back to an orphanage in Puerto Vallarta, and she will be guaranteed to rejoice World wide Spend It Forward Day on April 28.

“She’s excellent at connecting people together and seeking to stimulate other individuals to hook up in the town,” said Kim Turcotte, proprietor of HB Mermaids. “I’ve released her to a few of close friends of mine, which includes my girlfriend, Melissa Murals. And she’s very interested in getting a mermaid, that I do know.

“I believe that’s on her bucket record. It is a little something that she must almost certainly make transpire.”

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