‘Jimmy Dunne Says’

The Palisadian-Post presents an homage to Will Rogers’ column, “Will Rogers Says,” with a column by Palisadian Jimmy Dunne—on life in the “greatest town in America.”

‘Making a Difference’

The north pole.

An inspirational place. An entire town of folks driven to make a difference in the world.

From our own enchanted land here in the Palisades, a sample of young adults in their 20s doing just that.

A Teacher with a Beautiful Heart

She’s 28 with a heart as big as a wreath.

She went to Corpus Christi, then onto Marymount for high school and off to SMU in Dallas for college. She kept going with a masters in education from Loyola Marymount.

And she landed her dream job back here in town. She’s the first-grade teacher at Corpus Christi—and has quickly become one of the most beloved teachers in the school.

“I live for the lightbulb moment,” she said. “It’s when one of my first graders has been working hard on something with me, and it all just comes together. That look in their eyes is worth everything.”

“Kids give you so much joy,” she said. “A child’s laughter? There is nothing like it in the whole world.”

“This is my fifth year,” she said. “Some of my first graders are now in sixth grade; and to know, in a small way, I’ve been a part of their journey—How lucky am I?”

Caroline Robinson, how lucky are those kids, and how lucky is the Palisades to have you?

The Farmlink Project

I need to start this by saying this young man is 23. Hold on to your hat is all I can say.

He was born and raised in the best family soil of passionate, talented parents and amazing brothers and sisters. He crushed it at St. Matthew’s, then at Harvard Westlake—in grades, sports, activities, you name it.

Took a “gap year.” When I think of a “gap year,” it’s a kid taking a time-out before jumping in the pool of college.

Not this kid.

He went to Douma, Syria with a video camera on his back in the hurricane of the chemical attacks by the Syrian government. He stepped right in the danger, capturing the atrocities to these children and families. His spectacular coverage, as an 18-year-old, was suddenly showing up on your television’s national nightly news.

He gets into Stanford, the holy grail of universities.

He has a 3.9 GPA with a major in something I don’t even know what it means: symbolic systems. He says it’s the intersection between computer science, cognitive science and philosophy.

COVID hits. He gets together with two St. Matthew’s pals, Aidan Reilly and Jack Cortese.

They talk about how the world with COVID is crumbling around them and they’re not going to sit in their rooms.

They help a local food bank in Santa Monica full of empty shelves. With many folks hurting and out of jobs, 50% of the people knocking on the door had never been to a food bank in their lives.

They get under the skin of the insanity of so many pounds of food having to be thrown away by farmers because of massive restaurant closures and supply chain challenges.

They had a dream and a plan to do something on a larger scale.

Started the Farmlink Project.

Next thing you know, hundreds of young leaders all around the country get on board and mirror their efforts—in their own communities.

Fast forward to today. The Farmlink Project provides 54,000,000 pounds of fresh produce a year to families in need.

And who, under his leadership, are the 100 leaders of the company making this happen?  College kids.

Funding and initiatives are growing exponentially. He was just honored in Forbes 30 Under 30 and won the Congressional Medal of Honor. The world is now the charity’s stage.

“In these times of real crisis, more than ever, we need to come together,” he said.

“I know our future is in good hands and what our new generation is capable of. I’m seeing it every day,” he said with a gleam in his eye. “When so many choose to shelter, these leaders are willing to lace up their boots and give back.”

“I’m so genuinely hopeful about the future,” he said. “There’s a real pride in bettering what’s going on right in everyone’s own backyards.”

James Kanoff. I’d remember that name.

I’d bet the ranch he’s not stopping now.

Two kids in the Palisades. Two dreams.

And they’d be the first to tell you there are so many others doing the most amazing things to better our world.

The holidays—it’s a wonderful season of hope. Of promise. Of possibilities.

And all the Carolines and James of the world—they’re presents under our Christmas trees.

And we’ll be opening these extraordinary gifts for years and years to come.

Sign me up to be in a front seat of wherever their sleigh ride may go.

Jimmy Dunne is modern-day Renaissance Man; a hit songwriter (28 million hit records), screenwriter/producer of hit television series, award-winning author, an entrepreneur—and a Palisadian “Citizen of the Year.” You can reach him at j@jimmydunne.com.