Young Entrepreneur - Taylor Ryan
-by John Hugunin
 
It was Monday, September 28, 2020, 15 minutes before official meeting start time.  Fourteen members had signed in and were  having a lively discussion about various topics.  Sports was a hot topic, covering everything from cricket to football.  The Texas vs. Texas Tech game sparked interest, with a final score -  Texas 63 and Texas Tech 56.  Sounds more like a basketball game rather than a football game.  The conversation switched from sports to Cajun food.  Very few members wanted to admit they ever “sucked the head” of a crawfish.  Those that had claimed it was the best part of the crawfish.  Dr. Chris Ullman tried to get Larry Johnson to give us his mom’s recipe for jambalaya.  We ended the pre-meeting discussion on a positive tone, talking about showing appreciation for our police officers and firefighters.
If you haven’t done it, try showing up early for our Monday Zoom meetings.  The informal conversations are fun and informative.
 
President Tim Hageman asked Lindy Murrell to lead us in the flag salute and present the thought of the day. Lindy shared a quote from Jane Addams, an American settlement activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator and author. She was an important leader in the history of social work and women's suffrage in the United States and advocated for world peace. She co-founded Chicago's Hull House, one of America's most famous settlement houses. In 1910, Addams was awarded an honorary master of arts degree from Yale University, becoming the first woman to receive an honorary degree from the school. In 1920, she was a co-founder for the American Civil Liberties Union.  Lindy shared one of her many quotes: “True peace is not merely the absence of war; it is the presence of justice.”  She also shared a quote from Benjamin Franklin: “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”  Lindy added one final quote (author unknown): “You are not born a Christian, Jew, or Muslim; a Republican or Democrat; a Capitalist, Socialist, or Communist.  You are born a human being.  Live and fight for Humanity. We have chosen to be Rotarians…. this is what we do. We live and fight for humanity.”

Friendships and Friendship Walk
President Tim Hageman showed an absolutely fascinating video about the friendship between Ruth Bader Ginsburg (liberal) and Anthony Scalia (conservative).  It was wonderful to see how two people with totally different perspectives on life could share a friendship.  Here is the link to the YouTube video: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Gwg8t7j3s. If you missed the meeting, you should not miss this video.  It’s only 2 ½ minutes long.
President Tim Hageman recognized our members celebrating birthdays and anniversaries in October.
 
Nina Patel encouraged us all to support the Skecher’s Friendship Walk - a virtual walk on October 25th.  You can visit the website, http://www.skechersfriendshipwalk.com/site/PageServer?pagename=home_walk , to see how to participate and donate money to the cause.
 
Voting and Opening
Mayor Richard Montgomery updated us on what’s happening in Manhattan Beach during the CCOVID-19 crisis.  The city has been quiet.  There was a peaceful BLM protest on Rosecrans Ave.  Mayor Richard updated us on election preparations. There will be two in-person voting centers in the city: Joslyn Community Center, 1601 North Valley Drive, and Manhattan Heights Park Community Center, 1600 Manhattan Beach Boulevard,  and two drop-off voting boxes: Manhattan Beach Library, 1320 Highland Avenue, and Manhattan Beach Arts Center, 1560 Manhattan Beach Boulevard.
 
Next week we should be receiving our mail-in ballots and will be able to vote starting 5 days before the election anywhere in LA County.
Mayor Montgomery has been working to get more relaxed restrictions for restaurants, shopping malls, hair salons, and other small businesses.  He is expecting a message from our Governor tomorrow with more specifics.
 
President Hageman had some sad news.  Annie Hendrickson will be moving out of the country on October 1st.  We don’t know how long she will be gone.  We wish her good luck on her move.
 
Service Update
Harrison Clay gave us an update on the club’s service activities.  We have had two successful drives to support the El Camino Warrior Pantry. We are planning to help pack Operation Teddy Bear backpacks but do not plan to deliver them as we have in the past.  Harrison asked us to check out the email from Dave Gendron encouraging us to support Grassroots Neighbors (https://www.grassrootsneighbors.org/ ),  a volunteer community organization dedicated to meeting the immediate needs of our neighbors experiencing food and housing insecurity.  We may not be doing food baskets this year.  We are investigating alternatives for providing online tutoring for students. 
 
Taylor Ryan’s Unstoppable Idea
Kelly Stroman gave a short talk about the Young Entrepreneurs Academy program sponsored by our own MB Chamber of Commerce.  The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a groundbreaking and exciting program that transforms local middle and high school students into real, confident entrepreneurs. Through the 7-month-long program, students in grades 6-12 generate business ideas, conduct market research, write business plans, pitch to a panel of investors, and launch their very own companies.  She then made a wonderful announcement regarding the local winner of the YEA! competition for the year.   It is our own Taylor Ryan,  Shannon Ryan’s daughter and a freshman at Mira Costa High School this year.  She will be competing in a YEA! final’s competition in October.  She has invented protective shields for athletic women’s breasts and has started her own company, “Unstoppable Protective Wear.”  Taylor has been working on this idea for 3 to 4 years.  It appears that her invention is unique and the first on the market.  Best of luck to Taylor in competing in the finals.  She has wonderful presentation skills and is a very creative person.  President Hageman recognized Taylor’s accomplishments by donating 100 polio vaccinations in her name.  
 
CERT Update
Jim Schlager introduced our next speaker, Frank Chiella.  Frank was a member of our MB Fire Dept. for 35 years.  Before that, he served as a firefighter in Alaska.  He was recognized by our Rotary Club in 2005 as the Firefighter of the Year.  He was a Battalion Chief when he retired from the MB Fire Dept.  Frank is now the President of the Manhattan Beach CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). The Manhattan Beach CERT Association is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to enhance disaster preparedness and emergency response for the citizens of Manhattan Beach. CERT accomplishes this through participation in community awareness events, various training programs, and drills and providing volunteer support to the Manhattan Beach Fire and Police Departments when a disaster strikes or upon activation by those departments in the event of an emergency.  CERT is committed to educating the public  by offering a variety of classes.  A one-day class for First Aid, CPR and AED training earns participants a 2-year certificate, and CERT offers more comprehensive 20-hour courses.  Frank stressed that these courses are not currently available, because of the corona virus epidemic. 
 
He encouraged everyone to take a “Great Shakeout” course online.  “Great Shakeout” day is always the third Thursday in October.   Go to the “Great Shakeout” web site for more information: https://www.shakeout.org/california/ .  Frank suggested we learn about the Map Your Neighborhood program,  a disaster preparedness and response program for you and your immediate neighbors. In one short meeting, you’ll learn the 9 steps to take immediately after an area-wide disaster to help you and your neighbors respond to problems at your home and on your block, how to prevent a small problem from becoming a big problem, and how to report your block’s status to your area’s CERT reporting location for the most effective way to get help from emergency services – even when the 911 system is down.  The Map Your Neighborhood program started in our city in 2008 and is managed under the Manhattan Beach Fire Department. For more information or to learn how to organize your block, send a note to myncoordinator@citymb.info
 
Keith Sultemeier encouraged us to drop by the Kinecta Credit Union and pick up a copy of “Feeding the Dragon,”  available at the front entrance.  
 
Tom Jeffry reminded us that the MB Hometown Fair is this weekend, October 3 – 4.  It will include a virtual battle of the bands and a virtual link to artists and crafters who normally sell their wares in person.  The Fair Board is also planning a silent auction to raise money for community non-profits.  The goal is to raise $10,000.  
 
President Hageman concluded the meeting by reminding us that next week our guest speaker will be Mike Mothner, founder and CEO of Wpromote, which helps companies increase their online presence.  We are also going to bring back “Happy Dollars” next week.  Mark your calendars for October 12th.  We will be hosting a forum for MB City Council candidates.
 
Even though the meeting was concluded at 8:30, a group of about 16 diehards continued to discuss many things, including, sports bras, the Body Glove company, Taylor Ryan’s new company, the status of restaurant businesses in MB, and other interesting topics.  The discussions were still going on at 8:50 when this writer had to leave the meeting.