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.
We meet (almost) every Friday at 7 am in the Plaza View Room
of Arcata’s historic Jacoby Storehouse.
We will not meet on Friday, June 24th, nor on Friday July 3rd.
Please note:
We have returned to hybrid meetings.
Please join us, either on-site or online!
For more information and for the meeting links, please visit the RCAS Website.
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 RCAS Calendar
RISE: “Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone“
- June 24 – No Friday Meeting – We are dark
- June 25 – RCAS at the Humboldt Bay Oyster Festival
- July 3 – No Friday Meeting – We are dark
- July 10 – President Vanessa Picks Up the Gavel!
For Openers …
President Ian opened his final regular meeting as Club President with the usual introductions and reviews of our Save The Date events.
This was followed by the induction of Peggy Metzger as our newest Sunriser! Peggy serves as the Financial Aid Director at Cal Poly Humboldt. She has been with Humboldt for over twenty years, with the last ten years working in her current position. With Clint Rebik, Peggy also founded Redwood Curtain Theatre in 1999.
Peggy’s partner Kali Cozyris writes for the North Coast Journal, and she has two sons. Matt is 21, and attends Cal Poly Humboldt, and 17-year old Alex just graduated from Arcata High School. Jessica McKnight sponsored Peggy to our Club, and Brandi Easter will serve as her mentor.
Craft Talk Times TWO!!
It’s always a treat when a new Sunriser tells us about their history, and how their life path led them to our Club. But at Ian’s last official meeting, we had a double treat – Craft Talks from Kenneth Pocasangre and Angela Robershotte!
Kenneth’s talk took the form of an interview by President Ian, while Angela’s was a more traditional presentation. Both were very interesting, as you will see in the video below:
The Show Goes On …
We then voted on a proposed change to our Club’s bylaws to remove attendance requirements for members. (The vote did not pass.) However, as President Ian said before the vote, “No matter what the outcome of today’s vote, please ask yourself, “Why did I join the Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise, and what do I need to do to help myself continue to engage (or re-engage), and to help others up who have lost their initial inspirations?”
This was followed by President Ian’s “Tissue Box Talk”, in which he asked us to recognize and honor our Members who served at the Club level or at the District level. He also honored those who became Polio Plus Society members and those who have joined Rotary Fellowships. “We all ‘Serve to Change Lives‘ and sometimes, the life that’s changed may be our own,” Ian explained.
Ian then singled out some very special Sunrisers for recognition. (Please watch the video for Ian’s sincere and moving words of gratitude to these exemplary Rotarians.) These folks were Past President Maggie Kraft, Former District Governor Terri Clark, Former RCAS President AJ Gonzales, Charter Member Craig Newman, and Jeff Stebbins.
Ian’s selection for Rotarian of the Year was a person who has “fully embraced and embodied the ongoing evolution of our organization”. He said that, from the beginning, she “inspired me with their genuine care and concern for all people.” This year, his selection has headed up our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, helping all of our committees to become aware of how their decisions impact those three areas of our interactions. “Friends,” Ian said, “my heartfelt choice for our Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise’s Rotarian of the Year – Romi Hitchcock-Tinseth!”
A Tuneful Tribute
Our Club has a tradition of honoring its leaders in song, and President Ian wanted to let District Governor (and Sunriser) Dustin Littlefield know that we appreciated his service during the past year. So he wrote a tribute version of “House of the Rising Sun”, reconfigured as “There is a Club in Arcata”. He corralled Former RCAS Presidents Bob Johnson and Dick Johnson, along with Bob’s wife Susan Cooksey Johnson, to serve as his backup band. (He dubbed us all “Sunshine Sue & The Sunrisers”, and we performed this song:
President Ian’s “Final” Closing Haiku
Filled with gratitude
What an opportunity
It’s been an honor