One
of the South Bay’s most celebrated fundraisers, the Manhattan Wine
Auction draws both Manhattan Beach parents as well as other South Bay residents
and wine connoisseurs.
“It is clear that the tradition of the Manhattan Wine Auction
holds a special place in the hearts of our community members," said MBEF
Executive Director Hilary Mahan. "The outpouring of support – from the
entire community – is unmistakable year after year, but this year in
particular was special. The commitment to education was evident in the
number of volunteers, guests, auction items, restaurants and wineries. Everyone stepped it up and was ready to celebrate.”
The sold-out crowd of 2,000 guests enjoyed tastings and samplings from 45 local
restaurants and more than 80 wineries,
breweries and distilleries; as well as silent and live auctions.
The event featured a silent auction, which had opened to the entire community one week prior, that raised a total of nearly $300,000.
The in-person live auction included special wines and one-of-a-kind trips and packages such as VIP tickets to the AT&T Pebble Beach Celebrity Pro-Am via a Challenger Jet, a trip to Napa Valley with private tastings at Arrow & Branch and Memento Mori wineries, and a three-night stay at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Los Cabos at Costa Palmas. All told, the live auction raised $330,000.
Lead sponsors of this year's event included founding sponsor Chevron; Premier
sponsor
Kirkland & Ellis; Platinum sponsors Desolation Hotel, First
Republic Bank, Running Point Capital Advisors, Spencer & Weiss
Families, and Wells Fargo The Private Bank; and Vineyard
Court sponsor J.P. Morgan Private Bank. The Bay Club/Manhattan Country Club served as host and provided additional support.
Paddle Raise Brings in $225K for STEM
Each year the MBEF Board of Directors works
with district leadership to determine an immediate need to fundraise for during
the Paddle Raise at the wine auction. This year, the MBEF Board voted to focus
on raising funds to expand the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) program at all grade levels.
This year's Paddle Raise brought in more than $225,000, including a $100,000 gift from Chevron.
“MakerSpace and Science Lab in all of our elementary schools, STEM electives in the middle school, and a robust technology and engineering program at the high school have inspired our students to consider how STEM is incorporated into everything they do," said Mahan. "The partnership with Chevron over the years has been instrumental in building the current STEM programs, and the funds raised at the Wine Auction will build on this momentum to equip our students with more opportunities for exploration and discovery.”
Greenberg Honored with Legacy Award
At the event, MBEF presented its 2022 Legacy Award to Skechers co-founder and president, Michael Greenberg. The MBEF Legacy Award honors those individuals, families and businesses who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the MBEF mission.
“We need more leaders like Michael Greenberg; selfless, creative, eager to help and capable of inspiring others to do the same," said MBEF President Scott Rosenthal. "He has raised millions to support area children through the Friendship Foundation, the Skechers Foundation, and the annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, of which contributions to MBEF have totaled more than $2 million over the course of the event’s lifetime.”
Past recipients of the Legacy Award include Rod Spackman, retired Corporate Affairs Manager of Chevron, and Jan and Chet Pipkin, founders of Belkin.
Proceeds Benefit MBEF Endowment Fund
The Manhattan Wine Auction has been a foundational event in support
of the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation and the Manhattan Beach
public schools.
All
proceeds from the Manhattan Wine Auction benefit the MBEF Endowment Fund.
The MBEF
Endowment provides critical financial support for MBEF’s mission to enrich
teaching and promote innovation and academic excellence in the public schools
of Manhattan Beach.
The endowment aims to provide a stable and consistent source of
funding that avoids fluctuations in the economy and the unpredictability of
state funding for education, as well as enrichment opportunities today and in the future.
Each
year, a disbursement from the endowment supports MBEF programs for
the coming year. In 2021, the disbursement was over $1.1 M to support
$5.3 million in programs that engage students in learning and
provide opportunities for discovery in
grades TK-12 for the 2021-22 school year.
For more information, visit www.mbef.org and http://endowment.mbef.org/
