As part of its ongoing philanthropy, El Septimo has raised $50,000 for the Los Angeles Police Department West Valley Division. The funds were raised in less than 3 hours, and was said to be one of the largest amounts raised in a single-event to support the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department. The fundraising event was held at the Members-Only El Septimo Cigar Bar & Lounge in Woodland Hills, CA, and was hosted by El Septimo.

Zaya S. Younan, CEO of El Septimo, says “I am a huge supporter of people that put their own life in danger to protect and serve our communities. This is the ultimate sacrifice that only few are willing to make, and we all must do all that we can to support them. I was surprised to learn that some of the basic needs that our police department has for equipment, training, technology and building maintenance were being unmet, so we at El Septimo decided to do something about it, and while they were hoping for us to raise $7,000, we exceeded their expectations by raising $50K in less than 3 hours. We auctioned off some of El Septimo’s limited edition cigars, lighters, humidors and other accessories to raise the money. I was personally touched and emotionally invested to make sure we had a very successful fundraising event, and we accomplished that.”

Brian E. Wendling, Captain and Commanding Officer of the LAPD West Valley Division said, “We had planned this event in another location which was cancelled last minute, and two weeks before the event date, I asked Zaya Younan, the CEO of El Septimo, to possibly host and coordinate the event. He immediately accepted the responsibility and asked us how much we were hoping to raise. We told him $7,000 to $9,000, and he said that was too small and that he would help us to raise at least $50K. He personally planned the entire event and even took over the MC responsibility when he was not happy with their performance.  He was generous to open his personal humidor and offered guests a free El Septimo Cigar to smoke, making sure everybody had an unforgettable experience. We have never had a fundraising event like the one held by El Septimo, and the entire law enforcement division would like to thank Mr. Zaya Younan and the El Septimo team for their generosity.”

“El Septimo will continue to do what it has been doing to raise funds for non-profit organizations, law enforcement agencies, and charities to benefit educational programs and to aid the homeless. This was an important obligation we had accepted, and we were happy that we successfully accomplished what was expected of us,” Zaya Younan said.