We were lucky to catch up with Peggy Bedoyan recently and have shared our conversation below.
Peggy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
Califorleb was born from a deep love for Lebanon and a powerful sense of responsibility. It all began with my early experiences volunteering, which were shaped by a visit to a small orphanage in Lebanon with my father. That moment opened my eyes to the harsh realities some children face, igniting a lifelong passion for giving back.
From that spark, my passion for service grew, leading me to travel the world, from Africa to India, searching for opportunities to make even small differences in the lives of those who had it hardest. From passion to organized action—that’s what Califorleb represents to me. My desire to serve others, which once led me across continents, eventually found its true focus in 2019, when it poured back into my homeland, Lebanon.
In 2018, Lebanon faced an economic crisis that brought the country to the brink of collapse. Scenes of extreme poverty became increasingly common, and the Lebanese expat community worldwide began to mobilize. That’s when the idea of Califorleb started to take shape.
But, if I’m being honest, what truly drove me to get so deeply involved in providing direct relief to Lebanon wasn’t just the images of suffering—it was guilt. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt for having the privilege, skills, and education to leave a country that was collapsing on all fronts and start fresh in Los Angeles. As difficult as that move was, it offered me a fertile land where hard work and talent could flourish. Yet, knowing that others back home didn’t have that opportunity weighed heavily on me. That guilt became the fuel that propelled me into action and helped transform Califorleb from a passionate idea into a structured, organized movement aimed at delivering real aid to Lebanon.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Califorleb (California for Lebanon), a team of Lebanese expats who came together to help their people back home. It was created in a spontaneous manner to leverage the resources and support of the Lebanese expat community in California to aid Lebanon. We mobilized teams, created fundraisers, events, campaigns, and worked relentlessly motivating all those around us to create change. Ever since Califorleb grew to become an unstoppable and reliable team in the community focused on delivering direct aid to Lebanon.
In Lebanon, califorleb focuses on:
Distributing Food boxes and basic needs to families in need, both as a response to families who directly reach out to Califorleb or through organizations established and active in Lebanon.
Funding organizations focused on Education, Women empowerment, and mental health. All the funds are raised by organizing monthly events in Los Angeles and online crowdfunding. It’s crucial to note that Peggy and her team are all volunteers within Califorleb.
4,000 food boxes were distributed in Lebanon between 2019 and 2024, providing for over 150 families over the course of 4 years.
We designed and created the “Suitcase Hero Program” within the Califorleb movement. With the SHP Expats traveling to Lebanon would volunteer their suitcases and fill them with donations that they would carry home.
During the worst periods in Lebanon’s history, Califorleb filled suitcases with medication, milk, women’s hygiene products, winter blankets, medical machines, and even tablets and sent them home.
Over the course of 4 years, 400 suitcases were filled and flew directly to families in extreme need and poverty.
My studio in Glendale, California, turned into a warehouse where donations were gathered, sorted, packed, and prepared to fly home. The coordination to create outreach campaigns, communicate the needs to the community, gather volunteers to pick up donations, sort, and pack was a difficult process in a city as big and spread out as Los Angeles, but we tirelessly did it all.
In addition to all of our activities in Los Angeles, we coordinated the distribution of donations in Lebanon by recruiting volunteers and organizations to make sure all of the donations are getting to the correct families.
Our stubborn, strong, determined, resolute identity was key in following every suitcase and every dime to ensure they are getting to those in need in Lebanon and not falling victim to the corruption that has taken over her country.
Califorleb is the only team in Los Angeles that organizes the yearly commemoration of the Beirut explosion and works with the city of Los Angeles to light the city hall building with the colors of the Lebanese flag.
Califorleb also organizes the yearly 5k and 10k walks in parallel to the Beirut marathon. The Walk for Beirut that take place in Santa Monica yearly, gathers the community from all over California to raise funds for nonprofits active on the Lebanese grounds.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
One of the best things Califorleb has ever done for me was introduce me to a community of Lebanese individuals—expats, young professionals, and people making their way in a land far from home.
During COVID, when Califorleb was still just a small group striving to send aid to Lebanon, a fellow Lebanese reached out to me on Instagram, inquiring about the organization and how he could help. We agreed to meet and discuss the situation in Lebanon to see if he could get more involved. Never did I expect that during that meeting, I would feel like I was sitting with family—as though I had just met a brother I hadn’t known before.
Fast forward five years, and Samer is now my teammate, a key member of Califorleb, a confidant, and the voice of wisdom when we need it most. His calm presence and deep love for the community make me incredibly grateful for that day in 2019 when we met at a small Italian restaurant. What began as a four-hour conversation about the countries we had worked in and what it meant to be Lebanese, and an expat, grew into a lasting friendship and partnership.
Any advice for managing a team?
My advice for managing a team and maintaining high morale is simple: don’t give up. Energy fluctuates, and external factors can disrupt your momentum. When that happens, take a step back, look at the bigger picture, breathe, evaluate, strategize, and move forward with integrity. There’s real power in staying true to yourself and the people around you. I don’t believe in putting on masks or pretending to be someone you’re not to impress others. You don’t need to “fake it until you make it.” Instead, you need to believe in your ability to succeed—the vision, the dream, the mission. You have to trust that you can bring it to life and push forward with unwavering faith in that belief.
Lead with that mindset, slowly but surely, with prayer and grace. When everyone around you loses their spark, don’t fake yours. Instead, search for it deep within your soul and lead with that. The people who are inspired by that genuine spark are the ones you want on your team. Those you lead should inspire you, and your community should inspire you. You can’t maintain high morale for people you don’t see value in. Surround yourself with those who share your passion, and let that mutual inspiration keep morale high.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: califorleb
- Facebook: Lebanese in Los Angeles
- Linkedin: [email protected]
- Yelp: [email protected]
Image Credits
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