To whom it may concern:

Re: Character Reference – Juris Bunkis, M.D., F.A.C.S.

The purpose of this letter is to provide a character reference for Dr. Juris Bunkis whom I have known as a friend for a period of eleven years.

I first met Juris through little league when our sons Matt and Lance while involved in little league baseball programs when we lived in Seattle, and competed against the Norcal baseball team that Juris was coaching. Juris’ son, Justin, was and remains a stand out baseball player. It just so happened that at a sporting event I mentioned to Juris that we were relocating from the Seattle area to southern California, and a community called Coto de Caza. This was approximately the spring of 1997.   Juris could hardly believe what he was hearing as he told me that he and his family were also relocating to Southern California, specifically so that his son Justin and daughter Jessica could attend Santa Margarita Catholic High School “SMCHS”.    SMCHS is a Blue Ribbon high school recognized for it’s superb academic and athletic programs. You see, Dr Bunkis’ daily life is built on four principles, Faith, Family, Community and Career. His strong faith in GOD and an answer to many prayers is what I’m sure helped to make the decision he made to relocate his well known and established medical practice to Southern California as his children were graduating from junior high were going to have a major commuting issue to contend with to De La Salle High School. in Concord.  It should be noted here that while Dr Bunkis is a gifted and world renowned physician, that his children, are also gifted academically and athletically which is most admirable as these were key considerations that resulted in the relocation.  By 2000 we had become better friends as our sons were freshmen at SMCHS.

Accordingly, having gotten to know Juris so well over the past few years, I believe puts me in a position to provide you with a pretty accurate assessment of his character.  As a parent, husband and physician, Juris is a compassionate, hard-working individual who is highly committed to his family and community. While he has done an excellent job of staffing and building his medical practice, he also continues to find the time to give back to his community, locally and internationally. It was Juris’ exceptional character traits that were instrumental in him being recognized by The Boy Scouts of America as a Saddleback Valley MAN OF CHARACTER in an awards ceremony earlier this year.  As a co-chair of this annual event and chairman of the nominating committee, we conduct a very in depth search throughout Orange County for eight individuals that exemplify character and scouting values. I am happy to say that Dr. Juris Bunkis is such a person and MAN OF CHARACTER. In fact, it was the work that he has performed as a visiting plastic surgeon during multiple trips to Guatemala to treat indigenous children and adults with birth defects that best exemplify his character.

As a friend, Dr. Juris Bunkis is a standout human being. He is a loyal, honest, considerate, and supportive individual who has the ability to see and understand things from another person’s perspective and is always giving back to the communities he serves.    There is no greater American than Dr Bunkis as he is truly a dedicated citizen that in addition to attending his children’s athletic events, still finds the time to give back to local governmental agencies that he is involved with through the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department’s Aero Squadron, Special Services Bureau and Disaster Area Team.

He is an avid supporter of Children’s Hospital of Orange County and Orangewood Children’s Foundation that provides support to abused and neglected children of Orange and surrounding counties.
To tell the truth, I really can’t think of anything of consequence on the negative side of the personality ledger when it comes to Juris.  All in all, I would have to say that Dr. Juris Bunkis is a fine, well-balanced person with an abundance of positive qualities.

It is truly and honor to call Dr Juris Bunkis a friend, and our community, our state and the world are better off for people like Juris. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to share my inner most feelings about a great American and personal friend.

Sincerely,

Manuel G. Montanez
President & COO