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,
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“
- April 1 & 2 – District 5130 Training Assembly in Ukiah
- April 8 – 10 – Redwood Poetry Festival (volunteers needed)
- May 2 – Fireside Meetings (no Friday meeting)
- May 7 – RCAS Charter Celebration at Redwood Park – Thirty years of Service Above Self!
- May 13 – The Stupendous Sunrise Scramble Golf Tournament
- May 20 & 21 – District 5130 Conference at the River Lodge in Fortuna
- June 4-8 – The 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas.
Click Here to access the current period’s sign up for Backpacks for Kids!
For Openers …
Past District Governor Terri Clark presided over our Final Friday meeting, but President Ian was also in attendance – but since he was quarantining after a positive COVID-19 test, he was relegated to a Zoom window.
There were two additional Past DGs in attendance – Jim Flamson (2010-2011) and Kathy Flamson (2019-2020). Due to the pandemic, PDG Kathy was unable to present awards to our Club earlier, so she asked Past President AJ Gonzales to accept them.
Yet another District Governor (the current one – Sunriser Dustin Littlefield) told us about the plans for the District Conference to be held May 19 – 21 at Fortuna’s River Lodge, promising Rotary Rockabilly Revelry!
Then we welcomed former Inbound Exchange Student Noëmi Schönenberger from Switzerland. Noëmi was here for the 2011-2012 year. Since then, she has become an attorney, and she is still a delight!
We also recognized Romi Hitchcock Tinseth for her participation in CUNA’s weekend cleanup of Carlson Park, and we again congratulated Tom Tellez for becoming a grandfather.
Rain Catchment System for Arcata Elementary
Our Featured Speakers were members of the Engineering 305 class at Cal Poly Humboldt. Katie Miller, Klara Hernandez, Victor Balderas, and James Von Tersch told us about their work in designing a rain catchment system to be constructed at Arcata Elementary School. The system will provide water for the school’s garden, making use of water that would otherwise be lost as stormwater runoff. They brought a scale model of the system, which features a 3,000 gallon storage tank. The team estimates that the tank will be full by its second year of operation, remaining at capacity through spring. The volume will drop during summer and early autumn, but should be refilled by the end of each year.
They estimated that the tank itself will cost $3,299, but the costs of laying the foundation for the project and developing the “Educational Panel” (which will help the school’s students understand the science underlying the project, as well as its ecological benefits) are not known at this time. However, the rough estimate for the complete project is just over $4,100 dollars.
Foundation Final Friday!
Acting President Terri is also our Club’s Foundation Chair, so it was an easy transition to move our focus to the Rotary Foundation. She provided an update on the Polio Eradication effort, and she welcomed our Club’s newest Paul Harris Fellow – Holly Martel. We also applauded Craig Newman, who earned his sixth Paul Harris Fellow recognition. Congratulations and our thanks to both Sunrisers for their generosity.
It wouldn’t be Final Friday without our semi-famous Auction, so here we go:
- The first item on the block was a “Rotary Heals the World” art piece. This was donated by the Club, and purchased by Terri Clark.
- A group of gift cards and a bottle of wine donated by Charlie Jordan became the property of the Justice Of Your Club (JOYC).
- John Gullam offered a gift card from Ramone’s, which was promptly purchased by Brandon Kakitsuka.
- A large and lovely framed photograph was placed on the auction block by President Ian, and that will soon grace the walls of Kenneth Pocasangre’s home or office.
- A passel of gift cards donated by Maggie Kraft, Chris & Lisa Hemphill, and AJ Gonzales were purchased by Randy Mendosa
As always, our thanks to the donors and purchasers. Your contributions will help the Rotary Foundation in its efforts to make the world a better place.
President Ian’s Closing Haiku
I have just one word
No other way to say it
Appreciation