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.
For more information, 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 3 – Adopt-a-Highway Cleanup
- June 3 – Black Humboldt Block Party
- June 3 – Walkathon for Food for People
- June 4 – Fairy Festival at the Arcata Plaza
- June 4 – Rotary Day at the Arcata Ballpark
- June 10 – Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
- June 17 – Juneteenth Celebration
- August 26/27 – The Inaugural Rotary Kickball Tournament in Blue Lake – Save the days
For Openers
President Vanessa showed photos as evidence that the work on the Cambodia Academy “is going along swimmingly” … We have another big Rotary Weekend in store, with the Adopt-A-Highway cleanup on Saturday, and Rotary Day at the Crabs Game on Sunday! Saturday is also the celebration of Black Humboldt’s Five-Year Birthday Gala at the Eagle House in Eureka … We are also looking for volunteers to help Black Humboldt as we celebrate Juneteenth … We have a firm date for the first ever Rotary Kickball Tournament – it will take place the weekend of August 26 and 27 in Blue Lake. We are partnering with the Arcata Noon Club for this event, which will raise funds to help refurbish playgrounds in Rio Dell and to fund a dental clinic in Mexico.
Cardiac Care in Humboldt County
Our Featured Speaker was Dr. Joe Arcidi, the Medical Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, as well as the Co-Director of the Providence St. Joseph Eureka Heart Institute. Dr. Arcidi has been “in town” for about two and a half years in those roles. He has nearly 30 years of cardiac surgery experience, and he has taught at Michigan State University, the Henry Ford Health System, and the Ohio State University. He came to Humboldt because he wanted the opportunity to rebuild the program here.
The program faces some obstacles, which Dr. Arcidi listed:
- Perception – There is a notion that high quality cardiac surgery can only be performed in the Bay Area.
- Referrals – Many people believe that cardiac surgeons can only received referrals from a cardiologist. However, primary care providers may also refer patients directly.
- Attitude – Another widespread belief is that cardiac surgeons are arrogant and not nice to deal with. Dr. Joe said that his wife of 16 years would beg to differ.
Coronary artery bypass grafting is still the most common cardiac procedure. Here, a graft is taken from a chest or arm artery, or (less commonly now) from a leg vein.
The second most common procedure is heart valve repair or replacement. When the aortic valve is damaged, it usually is replaced. “We work with our colleagues at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital,” Joe said, “which is also in the Providence system for that TAVR procedure that many of you have heard about.” (TAVR stands for transcatheter aortic valve replacement.) Other valve surgeries include repairing the mitral valve or the tricuspid valve.
Dr. Arcidi said that his department is just starting to offer heart pump support, using an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (or ECMO) device. “It’s like a portable heart/lung machine, that we would be stabilizing patients here,” he told us.
The Fabulous Final Friday Foundation Auction
This meeting featured the last Final Friday of President Vanessa’s Rotary Year, and it was a good one! As always, generous Rotarians donate packages to be auctioned off, and other generous Rotarians purchase those packages. All of the funds raised go to the great work of the Rotary Foundation. Bob Johnson served as our auctioneer, wringing out the highest possible bids!
Here are the results of the auction:
- AJ Gonzales donated a charcuterie board/basket, with wine and more, which was purchased by President Vanessa.
- Next up were some lovely flowers, and lovely fertilizer to help nourish them. This package was provided by Amy Scolari, and Shoshanna put forward the winning bid.
- Chris (and maybe Lisa) Hemphill brought multiple items for the auction. The first was a tote containing a t-shirt, a growler, and a gift certificate for Redwood Curtain Brewery, purchased by Dick Johnson. Next was a “Wine Lover’s Bag” featuring fine local wines. This went to Luke Scown. Another beer-based bag (including a cap), featuring Six-Rivers Brewery went (again?) to Dick Johnson.
- A basket of goodies, including pastries, cookbooks, and much more was contributed by Jennifer and Bryn Coriell. The always-generous Justice Of Your Club (JOYC) topped the bidding for this one. But that wasn’t it for the Coriell Family – they also donated a Barbecue Basket, with beer, barbecue sauce, a thermometer, an assortment of rubs, a grilling mitt, grilling tools, an apron, and gift certificates to the Coop and the Curtain Cookin’ Nook. Unfortunately, Your Editor was not totally on the ball – which will come as a shock to many of you – so I didn’t catch who landed this prize.
- Shoshanna had two special items for the auction. First was a basket of goodies from Bubbles, which was purchased by Dick Johnson. The second was a stained glass heart, and Lisa Hemphill topped the bidding.
- As she did for the April Final Friday Auction, Rebecca Crow provided a variety of small succulents in sometimes whimsical containers. I wasn’t able to keep track of who purchased each of the gems, but Jessica McKnight won a larger “outdoor installation”.
- The penultimate auction package was a one week stay in Maui, courtesy of Scott Heller and Robin Meiggs. The only thing that was not included was the airfare. Auctioneer Bob has stayed at the couple’s home in the past, so he was able to attest to the beauty and general wonderfulness of the Heller/Meiggs estate. Now, we’re not supposed to tell anyone that President Vanessa was the top bidder on this item, so please keep it to yourselves.
- Bob Judevine donated the last item on the auction block – a “Bucket o’ Fun” that Auctioneer Bob deemed “perfect for Memorial Day”. The package included a couple’s sized bottle of anti-fungal cream. There were some dandy items inside the bucket, however, including wine, alcohol, an umbrella, and more, all in a large steel tub. I’m pretty sure that JOYC offered the winning bid.
When the dust settled and Bob put down the auction gavel, we found that we had raised $3,660 for the Rotary Foundation! Thanks to all who donated prizes and to those who won. And remember – you don’t need to wait for the next auction to donate to the Rotary Foundation. Just visit Rotary.org to help people throughout the world.