President Dave "CANNES!" Gendron
-by Mark Burton
 
It was Monday, September 16, 2019, and our globetrotting President Dave Gendron was back from one of the many film festivals.  MB Rotarians have taken to referring to our President as Dave “Film Festival” Gendron, or “CANNES!” for short.  Jim Schlager thanked our club for supporting “Homes for Hope,” raising $7,000 to build new homes in Mexico.  Harrison Clay announced the Stand in the Sand 4 Peace & Climate Change, this Saturday at 8 a.m., which is being held in conjunction with the annual Coastal Cleanup.  Lisa Hemmat Lupercio told us about her vacation to Thailand, with a photo of her daughter Livia and Lisa bathing an elephant!  Annie Hendrickson, along with Steve De Baets and Jan Buike, led a group of Rotarians this past Saturday in assembling over 200 emergency kits for MB seniors.  And Bruce Greenspon, obviously a diehard Cubs fan, went to Chicago to see the cubs at Wrigley Field. 
 
MBEF
Our very own Hilary Mahan, executive director of the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation (MBEF), gave a compelling presentation on MBEF and all they do to make our MBUSD schools the award-winning schools that they are!  Hilary started off with a call to action, saying “This is our time!”  Yes, it’s the start of the MBEF “Annual Appeal.” MBEF donated $6.5 million last year to our schools and over $75 million since its inception.  The MBEF donation is targeted to class size reduction, STEM classes and counseling/student support, for example.  With MBUSD 37th in the nation in per-pupil state funding, Hilary stressed the critical importance of our community’s support for MBEF.  Our club is proud of Hilary’s dedication and commitment to our children who attend MBUSD schools.
 
Guest Speaker:  Marsh “You Get One Shot In Life” Mokhtari
President Dave “CANNES” Gendron introduced our guest speaker, Marsh Mokhtari, by showing a Geico commercial, the one with the secret agent attempting to elude some bad guys when his mother calls.  Very funny!  Marsh shared his amazing journey from starting his career as a sales representative for a hotel telephone service company; to working for an executive search firm; to an 18-year career as an actor, focusing on “hosting” shows such as “I Want A Bath,” “Extreme Chef” and the National Geographic Channel show “Perilous Journeys”; and, finally, to his current endeavor, being the owner and operator of Gray Whale Gin.  As Marsh told us, “Gin is vodka with flavor” and, “If you’ve been drinking vodka, you’ve been drinking Wonder Bread!”  Gray Whale Gin is made with botanicals from all along the California coastline.  The take away from Marsh’s speech is “you only get one shot in life,” so go for it!
 
Upcoming Events
Upcoming events include this Saturday’s Stand in the Sand 4 Peace & Climate Change, in conjunction with our annual Coastal Cleanup, and VetFest on November 10, with a great selection of craft beers and all proceeds benefiting our American veterans.  A very special shout out “THANK YOU!” to our very own Keith Sultemeier, CEO of Kinecta, with Kinecta being our one and only signature sponsor this year.
 
Raffle
After our guest speaker from Gray Whale Gin concluded his talk, Ed Kushins stood up and gave Gray Whale Gin a “thumbs up”!  Guest what?  That good karma came back to Ed Kushins as he won the raffle for a bottle of Gray Whale Gin.