The La Costa Beach Club was the venue for a barbecue held in honor of the Malibu Rotary Club’s most recent crop of Japanese high school exchange students.
Margo Neal and I hosted for the club, assisted by Gerry Steffen, Geoffrey Ortiz, and Doratka Daniels, with Tom Loo hosting for the Santa Monica Club.
The students, all from the Tokyo area, were enjoying the end of an activity-packed, three-week visit and welcomed the opportunity to put the R in their R&R and to sit quietly, contemplating the beautiful Malibu sunset, sharing experiences with the other students and kicking around a soccer ball. Their host families, Rotarians from throughout the district who had volunteered to provide shelter, food and transportation for the students, accompanied the them. They, too, welcomed the respite from museums and amusement parks, and enjoyed the beach, fellowship and the great food. Chef d’ Cuisine was local attorney Tom Loo, who presented hungry guests with his delicious teriyaki chicken and steak marinated in his secret sauce.
Rotary International sponsors the world’s largest student exchange and international studies programs, ranging from short-term high school exchanges to fully funded graduate level scholarships and business to business exchanges throughout the world. The Malibu club meets on Wednesday mornings for breakfast at Pepperdine’s student cafeteria.
Both the Malibu and Santa Monica Clubs are actively seeking new members. For more information on Rotary membership, scholarships and other programs contact Karen York at 310.317.8568.