Welcome to the Sunrise Spirit –
the Weekly Newsletter of The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise
We hope that you will attend one of our lively Friday meetings,
whether or not you are interested in joining Rotary.
Usually, we meet on most Fridays at 7 am in the Plaza View Room
at Arcata’s historic Jacoby Storehouse,
however, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are meeting online.
Please visit the RCAS Website for the meeting links.
Rotary Vision:
Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change
– across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
The Calendar …
RISE: “Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone“
- June 12-16 – The 2021 Rotary International Convention – Online!
- November 11-14 – The Zone Institute, tentatively scheduled for Tuscon, Arizona
- October 8, 2021 – The North Coast Ethics in Business Awards
- June 4-8, 2022 – The 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas.
Gratitude and Recognitions
We welcomed Raven Alvarez to our meeting. Raven is a member of the Interact Club at Arcata High School. Our other visitors included Marty Coelho from College of the Redwoods, and Neira – Mike Paziean’s fiancee, who joined us from Colombia.
Then we consoled Romi Hitchcock Tinseth, who was enjoying a lovely ride on Bertha the Mountain Bike … until she and gravity had a calamitous reckoning! Romi broke three bones in her left hand, which is now encased in a blue cast/bandage.
With the Kentucky Derby scheduled for the next day, several Sunrisers sported fancy hats to mark the occasion. John Gullam tried to wheedle his way into the proceedings by claiming that the pillow atop his head should be included.
Gregg Foster was on tap to share things for which he is grateful, and he said that he is pleased that we are emerging from the pandemic year. He noted that “so many people stepped up to help” in our community.
President Maggie shared a note from the DHHS HOME Program, thanking RCAS for helping to deliver meals to seniors over the past several months. Special thanks are due to Amanda Nelson for keeping that project on track through its entirety.
And Maggie doesn’t want us to forget the coming North Coast Ethics in Business Awards. Please consider nominating a business or nonprofit for an award, and let students know that there is a scholarship available. (More information is available at northcoastethics.com.
Service Above Self
We thanked Mike Paziean and Vanessa Griffin for working on the week’s Backpacks for Kids. However, I missed the third person in the thank-you-queue, but rest assured that your contribution was appreciated!
President Maggie provided some information about coping with COVID and the myths and facts about vaccination. She also shared a video of the Teacher of the Year for the state of Utah, who told us why he chose to be vaccinated. And visitor Marty Coelho said that it is critical that we get as much of the country and the world vaccinated as quickly as possible. Marty noted that the disease seems to impact people in different ways – the symptoms and the ongoing health issues “are scary”.
Foundation Final Friday!
We applauded two generous Sunrisers last week – Foundation Chair Terri Clark revealed that Ceva Courtemanche has earned Plus Three status on her Paul Harris Fellowship! That means that she has donated a total of over $3,000 to the Rotary Foundation! Woo-hoo! And not that far behind is Jeff Stebbins, who reached the PHF Plus Two level. As Terri has said (once or twice), “You don’t have to stop at one.”
These were the three auction items on the block, with all proceeds going to the Rotary Foundation:
- Elena Seymour (a friend of Terri Clark) donated a gift certificate from Sey Moore Dahlias in Blue Lake. The top bidder was Jessica McKnight!
- A nearly-overflowing gift basket from the Carl Johnson Company was provided by Dan Johnson, and the winner was the “Justice Of Your Club”, also known as JOYC.
- Incoming District Governor Dustin Littlefield offered a “Dinner with the DG” – a chance to bend the ear of our leader-to-be. The ear-bender will be Chris Hemphill, since he beat out the other bidders.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors and bidders, we raised another $345 for the good works of the Rotary Foundation. But remember – you don’t have to wait for Final Friday. You can donate any time of the day or night by visiting the Rotary Foundation website:
We closed the meeting with a discussion of how the experience that Rotary and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) have with vaccinations has helped us contribute to the fight against COVID-19.
– Click here to view the complete meeting –