The Rodecker Foundation
Improving Our Community by Empowering the Individual
Improving Our Community by Empowering the Individual
Growing up in a single-parent home with four kids, I saw and experienced firsthand the challenges of a single-income household.
I was born in 1965 to two very young parents as the oldest of four "challenging" kids. By the time I was about five, it became clear that between poor eyesight and dyslexia (not well understood at the time), I was not going to make things easy on my parents. The cosmos also seemed to have a sense of humor when my sister arrived—she was born blind and, among other things, had a form of albinism. My sister (whose story I’ll have to write another time) triumphed over tragedy through sheer tenacity and what can only be described as a miracle. She regained some of her sight, put herself through school, graduated from Chapman University, and became a special needs teacher. She’s a rock star—but I digress.
Not long after my brother David was born, the four of us—each with special needs in one form or another—were living in a single-parent household on my mom’s teacher’s salary (which wasn't much in the 1970s). As the oldest, I had the most responsibility but received the least attention - particularly given my sister’s needs. Between an absentee father, poor grades (and the self-doubt that came with them), and financial struggles, things were strained both economically and within our family—all the right ingredients for a bad outcome.
Since we only saw our father a few days a month, I spent much of my spare time on my paper route (back when kids could still do this), selling newspaper subscriptions, and going with my friends to Huntington Beach’s "Adventure Playground."
For those unfamiliar, Adventure Playground was essentially an abandoned gravel pit, across from what is now the Huntington Beach Library. At the bottom of the pit, contractors would "donate" waste building materials and basic tools, which we (the kids) were allowed to use pretty much however we wanted. The site was littered with clubhouses, forts, makeshift rafts, boxcars, and all kinds of wild creations. For me, it was more than just a few bruises, splinters, and poorly built shanties—it was an education. I learned how to use tools and work with my hands in a real-world way. The on-site volunteers showed me which end of the hammer to use and I got to see ideas take shape, get torn down, rebuilt better, torn down again, and so forth. I gained a type of confidence that only comes from work, trial and error, and perseverance—one that eventually led me to become an entrepreneur, a general contractor (no surprise there), and the owner of the largest pickleball facility on the West Coast—LosCab.com.
At around the same time, I was also fortunate enough to meet a college professor, Dr. Lawrence Larmore, and his family. He mentored me in philosophy, politics, religion, education, and family values. Adventure Playground gave me life skills. Dr. Larmore’s mentoring gave me insight, an appreciation (and thirst) for academics, and an intellectual toolbox I still use to this day.
Today, I am blessed with a wonderful wife, three children, and even a granddaughter (February 2025). But I often ask myself those two most ominous words... “What if?”
What if I had never wandered into Adventure Playground and picked up a hammer?
What if I had never met the Larmore family?
I can't say for certain, but I think the path would have been far less interesting—perhaps even leading me to live in one of those same shanties instead of building them.
Having lost a brother to poor choices, having witnessed the consequences of despair (suicide) and knowing that there is real power in faith, knowledge and deep rooted self-confidence, this Foundation exists to foster those ideals, empower the individual and enable others to find more fulfilling and successful lives.