I AM A FIRM believer in the collective power of individuals joined in a spirit of goodwill and generous giving to bring about the success of an organization. That's why we need you to get involved. - Justin Rudd!
Community Action Team, California, Inc., 3040 E. First Street, Long Beach, CA 90803
501c3/Fed. Tax ID# is 05-0545777
g TAX-DEDUCTIBLE
Please Support CAT • a 501c3 Nonprofit
RIGHT NOW, while the need is in your mind, won't you please donate? We receive no government monies, and depend entirely on people like you.
WE HOPE YOU share our love for animals, kids and the environment, and our wish is that you'll consider a gift of $25, $50, $100 or another amount so that we can continue to bring you and our community fun events and meaningful projects.
CHECKS can be made payable to CAT, Attn. Justin Rudd, 3040 E. First Street, Long Beach, CA 90803.
501c3/Fed. Tax ID# is 05-0545777
THE MAIN PURPOSE of the Community Action Team (CAT) is to promote social well-being among the general public. As a 501c3 nonprofit corporation governed by a board of directors, contributions to CAT are tax deductible and are used to help produce quality events within our community that benefit children, animals, and the environment.
1. He led an effort that allowed, for the first time in more than 50 years, dogs to play on a city beach on Sunday, June 24, 2001. He also spearheaded the establishment of a daily leash-free dog beach in Long Beach that began Aug. 1, 2003. The area is now called Rosie's Dog Beach, after his bulldog Rosie that inspired its creation.
2 Was honored to be included -- along with Magic Johnson, Rick Warren, Snoop Dogg, Adam Levine, and others -- in a listing of "The 25 most influential people in Southern California."
3 Justin founded and directs the 501c3 non-profit organization called the Community Action Team (CAT). He puts on about 25 community events, contests, and programs annually.
4. Justin received the 2004 Outstanding Young Californian award presented by the California Jaycees Foundation.
5. He orchestrated the community candlelight vigil that was organized in only 48 hours and brought an estimated 5,000 people to Long Beach's World Trade Center the Friday following Sept. 11, 2001. Ten years later, in 2011, he organized a 10-year anniversary walk/vigil.
6. He lived the first 26 years of his life in Southeast Alabama (near Florida and Georgia). He was born and raised in the town of Ozark (spelled backwards is KRAZO), population 13,000.
7. He has lived in Southern California since 1995.
8. He was elected and served as class president all four years of high school and his senior year in college.
9. Was in Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity in college and was elected Brother of the Year his junior year. He also served as social chairman, secretary and vice president.
10. Elected Homecoming King by the student body his senior year in college.
11. For about 35 years, he has helped women to prepare for pageant interviews (including Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss America, Mrs. America, Mrs. United States, Mrs. International, and more).
12. He has 15,000 followers on Facebook.
13. He takes daily yoga classes (twice a day in spring/summer) and will have his 1,000th bluff yoga class in Dec. 2025.
14. At age 5, he broke his femur (bone that runs from the knee to the hip) when his bike slid on a pile of leaves on the family's steep driveway. Was in a body cast and in traction in the hospital when he turned 6 years old. During recovery, his family pushed him around in a green wheelbarrow.
15. On Feb. 9, 2005 Justin received the statewide Environmental Volunteer of the Year Award presented by Keep California Beautiful.
JUSTIN HAS DONE all of these paying jobs:
1. Hand double for Jim Carrey
2. Lawn care/gardener
3. Lifeguard
4. Singer at Disneyland
5. Furniture salesperson
6. Janitor
7. Group fitness instructor
8. Beach boot camp instructor
9. Vegas performer
10. Background extra for film/TV
11. Regional theater performer
12. Photographer
13. Public relations executive
14. Inspirational speaker
15. Substitute school teacher
16. Nonprofit executive director
17. Newspaper columnist
18. Pageant coach
19. Personal trainer
20. Life coach
21. Author
22. College dorm resident assistant
23. Baking instructor
24. Pageant director
25. Performer at the Hollywood Bowl
26. Live TV singer at the Superdome
27. Performer at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood
28. Christmas caroler
29. Italian restaurant employee
30. Outdoor Christmas lights technician
31. Cater waiter
32. Interior decorator
33. Game show participant
34. Newspaper subscription sales
16. He graduated fifth (of 219) in his class from Carroll High School in Ozark, Alabama, in 1987. He was president of the National Honor Society; received top subject matter awards for musical theatre and choral music; was in Mu Alpha Theta (math honor society), the Spanish honor society, Key Club, Fellowship of Christian Students, madrigal singers, and Future Business Leaders of America; took all honors and AP classes that were offered; and was founder and president of the Bleacher Screechers pep club.
17. Events and activities he has organized have been featured on every Los Angeles-area TV station and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the TODAY Show, Fox News, CN8, the BBC, US News & World Report, PARADE Magazine, IN magazine, Blade magazine, Elle, Los Angeles magazine, Parenting OC, LA Parent, Orange Coast magazine, Coastal Living, LN, Long Beach magazine, AAA Westways magazine, Dog Fancy, Fido Friendly, DogFriendly.com, BARK magazine, Reuters, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine, Northwest Airlines World Traveler magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Orange County Register and every local paper, radio and cable station in the Long Beach area.
18 He has driven every inch of Interstate 10 from the Atlantic to the Pacific — a few times.
20 Ran every every public street in Long Beach by completing 5 to 12 miles daily during 161 runs from May 7, 2013, to Jan. 12, 2014. That's 1,006 miles (equivalent of more than 38 marathons in just over 8 months).
21 He does not drink alcohol or do drugs. Never has.
22 He climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on Fri., July 10, 2015.
Did the 6-day climb to raise funds for AIDS orphans in rural Kenya. PHOTOS
23 Justin made it to the final-18 for season two of a reality show, "King of the Jungle" on Animal Planet and was seen on the casting special.
24. He very rarely goes to the movies and has only seen about 20 movies in the last 40 years.
25 He doesn't watch TV and doesn't have cable.
26 He drove a 60-passenger school bus for three years during college.
27 He is an avid reader, averaging a book every week. See all the books he's recently read at JustinRudd.com/bookclub. He only began reading at age 51, at the start of Covid.
28 He does not have a traditional cell phone with a SIM card and never has had one. He can make calls and use all kinds of apps when he has a wifi connection.
29 Appeared in "the mob" of 1 vs. 100 on NBC in Dec., 2006.
30 Has run a marathon, four 1/2 marathons (including one in Kenya in Oct. 2014), six triathlons, several of the 10K Mud Runs, and numerous 5K and 10K races. Finished 35th (2,000+ runners), and 8th in his age group at the 10K Mud Run at Camp Pendleton June, 2003. Time: 55:12.
31 Was the hand double for Jim Carey in the movie Liar, Liar.
32 He is almost done reading every years' Pulitzer winner in the fiction/novel category.
33 Was a K-12 substitute school teacher for the Long Beach Unified School District for two years.
34 When he first moved to Long Beach, Justin washed cars, cut grass, and cleaned offices and toilets to make extra money.
35 He sang for Disney at the world premiers of Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mulan.
36 Was a Dickens' Caroler and a singing sergeant in the Toy Story show at Disneyland.
37 Has performed at the Hollywood Bowl, the Superdome, Las Vegas, Disneyland and the El
Capitan Theater in Hollywood.
38 Has signed his name with an exclamation point (Justin!) since middle school when he saw a contestant from California, Kellie Foster Moore!, in the Miss Teen USA pageant sign her name with an an exclamation point across the TV screen.
39 Pet peeves are roadside and beach litter, smokers who throw cigarette butts on the ground, and drivers who don't use turn signals and/or needlessly use their horn.
44 He has a business degree from Samford University -- a small, private, liberal arts school in Birmingham, AL.
45 His ancestors are from Germany, Sweden and England.
46 He has 14 active Web sites. Links to all can be found at www.JustinRudd.com
47 His parents, twin brother, three sisters and both grandmothers still live close to where he grew up in southeast Alabama. He has six nieces and three nephews.
48 His fraternal twin Jason lives in Dothan, Alabama, and was a two-time city councilman. Jason is past-president of the National Peanut Festival.
48 His favorite genres of music are soft rock, today's country, 70s, and Christmas.
49 He has a business degree from Samford University -- a small, private, liberal arts school in Birmingham, AL.
50 He teaches four weekly body sculpting classes at the Belmont Athletic Club in Belmont Shore and has taught and sub taught there for 27 years.
51 He has traveled in Brazil, Zambia, Zimbabwe, London, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya.
52 For 11 years, he taught "Sand Challenge" Beach Boot Camp classes every Saturday and most Sundays (and many Wednesdays).
54 Justin ran the Long Beach 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles) in 2007 and 2011 and finished with the same finish time of 1 hour 37 minutes -- or a 7:26/mile pace. That's 218th out of 6,026 runners in 2007/ and 324th place in 2011 with 10,715 finishers!
55 He likes premium ice creams. Anything with chocolate (the darker the better) and peanut butter is best. He can make homemade ice cream, too.
56 He doesn't have or use a hair dryer, brush or comb (and has not since high school).
57 At graduation from high school, he received an award for 12 years of perfect attendance and was selected "class favorite" for three years.
58 He has been a grand marshal for the Long Beach Pride Parade two times.
60 Justin sends out many free e-newsletters (dog lovers, kids events, beach cleanup, fitness enthusiasts) to about 25,000 unique subscribers. subscribe
61 He's been with his partner, Ralph Millero, for more than 20 years.
62 He was on Jay Leno with his bulldog Rosie on Good Friday 2003 to talk about the Haute Dog Easter Parade for Charity that he organized.
63 His nickname in college was "For You" — short for his freshman class presidential campaign slogan: "This Rudd's For You" (a takeoff of the Budweiser commercial, This Bud's for You). Currently, his partner calls him "Smiley."
64 He feeds wild birds and squirrels.
65 He has a slight Southern accentand sometimes says phrases like "fixin' to" and "all ya'll."
66 He doesn't care for marshmallows, eggs, lollipops, most candy bars, sushi, rare meat, coconut or walnuts.
67 He has a motorcycle license and a gray Vespa GTS 300 SuperSport scooter that can go approx. 80 MPH and is freeway legal.
68 He ran a half-marathon with Kenyans on Oct. 5, 2014 in a rural town outside Nairobi.
69. At Samford University he sang "second bass" four years in the a cappella choir.
70. He is a Christian.
71. He has a pink dot at the bottom of his driver license. CLICK
72 Red Bull sent Justin to Rio after he hosted the U.S.A. preliminary to find a sand runner to participate in the international "Giants of Rio" competition. SEE PHOTOS from his Dec. 2004
trip.
77 His name was on the ballot for District 3 Long Beach City Council for the election on April 11, 2006. He decided not to campaign and did not win. 78 He admires positive thinkers, people who smile, people who give, those who serve, those who volunteer and single parents.
81 In high school he represented his school at Boys State, was selected as Good Citizenship Boy, played percussion in the band, sang in the choir and was the lead actor and student director in school musicals.
82 Justin and his first bulldog Rosie were featured on an episode of HGTV's Going Home as they traveled home to Ozark in 2001 to celebrate his birthday with his twin.
83 Justin and his late bulldog Rosie were on a game show on Animal Planet. It was called You Lie Like a Dog, and was developed to raise money for animal charities. Together, over the years, they helped to raise more than $l million for charities.
85 Some of the live performances that Justin has seen include Diana Ross, Dolly Parton, Amy Grant, Sandy Patti, Janet Jackson, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, Celine Dion, Alan Jackson, Little Big Town, KC & the Sunshine Band, Olivia Newton-John, Alison Krauss, Sting, Barry Manilow, Cher, Cindi Lauper, Donna Summer, Gloria Estefan, Jason & DeMarco, Jessica Simpson, Harry Connick Jr., John Tesh, Josh Groban, Kathi Trocolli, Kool & the Gang, LeAnn Rimes, Vanessa Williams, Maureen McGovern, Martina McBride, Michael Buble, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Tina Turner, Lee Ann Rimes, and Tony Bennett.
APPROX. 3,500 runners and walkers take part in Justin's annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5K/10K in Long Beach, Calif., to raise funds for his 501c3 Community Action Team (C.A.T.).
Justin Rudd! & His late Bulldog "Rosie" featured on Cover of Westways
He makes sure things are going to the dogs.
GROWING UP IN THE ALAMABA COUNTRYSIDE, Justin Rudd preferred horses to dogs. Then, after moving to Long Beach he adopted Rosie, an English bulldog, and his fate was sealed. Today, Rudd is known for the Haute Dog Easter and Howl'oween parades, annual events that draw as many as 700 dogs... FULL STORY
JUSTIN RUDD PHOTOGRAPHY.Dogs and people on the beach at sunset. MORE PHOTOS.
