Honorees

Dr. Robert and Leslie Hamilton
Dr. Robert Hamilton is a beloved pediatrician in the Los Angeles area and the founder of Pacific Ocean Pediatrics in Santa Monica. Born in Eureka, California, he is a graduate of UCLA Medical School. In 1998, he organized the first Lighthouse Medical Mission to Africa, providing vital assistance to West African communities in dire need of the most basic medical care. Over the past decade, Dr. Hamilton and his team of volunteer physicians and nurses have ministered to thousands who would not have received medical treatment without the intervention of Lighthouse Medical Mission. But Dr. Hamilton’s West African patients receive much more than treatment. Their lives are touched, and in many instances transformed, by the love and concern bestowed upon them by Dr. Hamilton and his selfless volunteers who have whole-heartedly dedicated
themselves to his mission. Dr. Hamilton is married to his high school sweetheart, Leslie and together they have six children. The Hamiltons are fervent supporters of Israel and great defenders of Judeo-Christian values in word and in deed.

Steve and Rita Emerson
Steve Emerson was born and raised in Los Angeles. He received his B.A. from UCLA and an MBA from USC. For the past thirty years, he has managed his own portfolio and through his uncanny ability to analyze publicly traded companies, he has built a very successful investment account. He and Rita, who has a Masters in Public Health from California State University,
Northridge, are very active in the philanthropic community in Los Angeles and Israel. Their most passionate concerns include cancer research, the defense of Israel on campus and in the media, and the struggle against the global Jihad.