The 15th International Food and Wine Festival hosted by
The Rotary Club of Santa Monica was Extraordinary!We are so grateful for the success realized from the efforts of so many sponsors, vendors, members, and friends and The Rotaract members of Santa Monica College. A very special thanks to our Food and Wine Festival Committee: Andrea Gressinger, Vicky Curtis, Suzan Allbriton, Carol Powell, Pam Brady, Ken Waltzer, Mike Kalloff, Karin Wallerstein, Kathryn Markolf, Kinan Aljamal, and Christopher Lee.
Congratulations Everyone!
“Last night was a huge success! Our guests loved the venue, (Which looked gorgeous!) the energy was fantastic, and we clearly raised a lot of money. I’m so proud to work with each one of you. Your enormous talents and commitment not only created a great event but made giving fun for Rotarians and guests alike.
The Wine Fest is an incredible example of the joy and generosity of Rotary and our Club in particular.“With gratitude,
Andrea
Dear All:
“Thank you for all your wonderful work and very generous donations to the Festival. The entire evening was great fun, and I truly enjoyed the experience. Although we had a little less “elbow room” in that location it was nice to have the entire event in one room. It made the evening more intimate and the live auction more of an event. Thank you for being such great organizers and for arranging all the countless details to make the evening such a success! All the best.”
YIR,
Bret R. Carter “The night after so many thanks go to the diehards…yes that is all of you, plus Jennifer who’s email I do not have. There were also a couple of diehard Rotaractors should be recognized volunteering throughout the day and evening. We all demonstrated the Rotarian commitment to seeing it through after the event. The venue is happy and if wanted the Rotary Club of SM may return to the venue. The clean-up is not supposed to be fun, but there sure was a lot of good laughs while we all got the clean-up done. Thanks for your commitment, help, and endurance to keep going after the event!
Take care and recharge!”
PamSome of Rotary District 5280 leaders attended The Food and Wine Festival including: District Governor, Olivia Patterson-Ryans her husband, Robert, Past District Governor, Guity Javid and her husband, Mark Ameli, District Governor Elect, Makiko Nakasone, District Governor Designate, Alex Parajon, District Foundation Chair, Elsa Gillham and her Husband, Larry, along with Arturo Velasquez, District Travel Administrator.
Senator Ben Allen chairs the California State Senate’s Environmental Committee, a role in which he has overseen the passage of legislation to reduce plastic pollution, help coastal communities deal with sea level rise, foster carbon sequestration projects to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions, protect sand dunes, and clean up oil and gas wells. Senator Allen will provide a recap on recent environmental legislative achievements as well as a look a head to what California still must do to meet its climate and conservation goals.
