Shawn Mulchay recently was promoted to chief financial officer at Brendan’s Group LLC, which owns Brendan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant chain in Newbury Park, Agoura Hills and Camarillo. But the 27-year-old has a lot more than just fish and chips on his plate. He’s also working to finish the last few classes toward an MBA at California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo and he makes time on the side for philanthropy and the Ryan O’Neil Golf Classic. The tournament was established 13 years ago to honor Ryan O’Neil, a Camarillo golfer who died of cardiac arrhythmia at age 24. Lawrence O’Neil, the deceased golfer’s brother, said Mulchay has helped the event grow in the three years he’s been involved. Mulchay helped the small, mom-and-son event expand its web presence with social media, and helped with marketing by bringing Brendan’s along as the title sponsor. The tournament, which took place in March at Las Posas County Club in Camarillo, was the most successful in its history, raising more than $30,000 dollars for local schools. “We really didn’t have a lot of manpower,” O’Neil said. “Shawn helped us stretch that out farther. He has the expertise and background we needed.” The tournament has raised more than $200,000 since it started. Mulchay said the money for local charities is important to him, but acknowledged that he feels a bit selfish about his habit of helping others. “It’s the right thing to do,” he said. “When I do good, I feel good.” Mulchay also has participated in charity cycling events, and in June plans to participate in the AIDS LifeCycle, which will have him cycle 550 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles in seven days. It will be his longest ride ever. He trains about 50 miles a week, but will have to ride more than 75 each day for the event. “I wanted to see if I could ride that much, so why not do it while raising money for a good cause?” he said. “It’s going to be like nothing I have ever done before.” Mulchay rides every year in the Southern California Bike MS event in October, which runs through Ventura, Ojai, Lake Casitas and Carpentaria over a two-day period. Weekend Meals The Encino Chamber of Commerce organized a food drive to help benefit ONEgeneration, a Van Nuys non-profit that provides food to the elderly. More than 30 Valley businesses took part in the drive and gathered more than 500 pounds of food. Judy Hamilton-Canto, chief executive of the non-profit, said the program that delivers frozen and canned meals to seniors for the weekend was in danger of being cut before the drive. “The government doesn’t subsidize any weekend delivery,” she said. “It’s really a lifeline for these seniors.” Vahid Khorsand is the president of the Encino Chamber and organized the drive. He said the idea came after a December tour of the ONEgeneration facility. “It’s surprising to me how many are unaware that these people aren’t secure with food,” he said. Khorsand, who is the compliance officer for BWS Financial Inc., an equities research firm in Woodland Hills, said the drive resonated beyond the Encino chamber’s area, with businesses across the Valley and as far away as Santa Monica participating. “It wasn’t hard to get people behind this,” he said. ONEgeneration offers more than 10 programs for children and seniors at its Van Nuys headquarters and senior enrichment center in Reseda. Gift From Aerospace The Palmdale facility of Northrop Grumman Corp.’s Aerospace Systems unit has donated $10,000 to the Santa Clarita Valley Boys & Girls Club. The aerospace division of the Falls Church, Va. aerospace giant is based in Redondo Beach, but has a 2 million square-foot assembly and maintenance building in Palmdale. The club plans to use the funds for its general operations, as well as its STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program. Andy Reynolds, manager at the Palmdale facility, said supporting programs that help educate and prepare children for the future is essential. “We must afford our youth the opportunity of gaining memorable experiences that will help foster insight into what the real world is like,” he said in an email. The Boys & Girls of Santa Clarita was founded in 1968 and serves about 2,400 children between the ages of 7 and 17. It offers sports, health, education, leadership and art programs. Staff Reporter Elliot Golan can be reached at [email protected] or (818)316-3123
