November 12, 2021

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, due to the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are again 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

  • November 16 – RCAS / RCAS Foundation Board Meetings – online at 7 am
  • December 4 – Taste of the Holidays at Home! Order early and often!!
  • June 4-8, 2022 – The 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas.

For Openers …

We started by welcoming Lila Cohen and Seri Welsh from the Arcata High School Interact Club, and our Featured Speaker Sean Taketa of Access Humboldt. (He’s also a Visiting Rotarian!)

President Ian shared photos of the Veterans Day Flag Lowering Ceremony, with many thanks to Mike Pazeian for organizing and promoting the solemn event.

Our Taste of the Holidays at Home Committee reported that we have enlisted about 30 vendors so far for the event, which will take place on Saturday, December 4th. Of the 250 bags that are being offered, about 40 have been sold to date. Please continue to post and share announcements about TOTH@Home on your preferred social media.

And please don’t forget to sign up for our Backpacks for Kids program – it’s a relatively quick commitment that means a lot.

Randy Mendosa reported on the Financial Assistance Committee’s activity so far this year. We have donated $250 to support the Humboldt Bay Trail Fund, $500 to the Native American Food Sovereignty Lab at Humboldt State, $500 for the Life Care Humboldt program, and $500 to the Out of the Darkness suicide awareness and prevention program. In addition, there is a pending donation of $1,000 that will be made to the Humboldt Library Foundation, if they are able to reach their fundraising goal of $15,000 in 2022.

We also heard that the Vocational Development and Transitional Age Youth Committee has some things in the works. Jeff Stebbins reported that in lieu of the Holiday Dinner that we hosted in years past, we are looking at presenting a Holiday Movie Night at the Eureka Theater. The event will still honor the our local foster families and the workers who support them, but we’re hoping that the theater will provide a safer environment for everyone. Jeff also said that we are hoping to that Sunrisers will choose to donate “stocking stuffers” for the youngsters. We hope to raise about $2,500 in gift cards from our Club Members. The tentative date for the event is Friday, December 10th. Crystal Perez noted that in the near future, there will also be a hands-on opportunity for our Club. More to follow …

Craft Talk – Holly Martel

Many Rotary Clubs have a tradition – new members introduce themselves to the Club via what is called a “Craft Talk”. This time, it was Holly Martel’s turn.

Holly started by explaining that (all evidence to the contrary) she is an introvert. She is married to Arcata Fire Chief Justin McDonald, and they have four children – Kelsey, Alex, William, and Harrison. The also have three dogs with a total of four eyes.

During the pandemic, the family kept busy with adventures including tooling their JeepĀ® through the backcountry and even skydiving!

Holly said that her second families are her work families. Until recently, that was her cohort at Humboldt State, and now that means her co-workers at Edward Jones.

She admits to having a “house plant issue”, and she enjoys crafting (including making stockings).

Crossing the Country With Howard

Sunriser Howard Stauffer loves to travel, and he wanted to visit his younger brother George this fall. So he and his wife Rebecca boarded a southbound AMTRAK bus, transferring to a train in Emeryville. From there, they began a journey that Howard related at our meeting.

Howard showed us several photos, including a shot of Donner Lake, taken as they passed through the Sierra Nevada, and some scenes of valleys in Nevada. They stayed in Chicago for a bit, visiting museums and taking in a White Sox game.

Howard and Rebecca were able to view the fall foliage in upstate New York before reaching the East Coast, where they stayed at a B and B in Boston before meeting up with George in New York.

They traveled to Gettysburg, then Howard’s original hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania. They were able to take in the African American Museum in Washington, D.C. before heading back west to Albuquerque, New Mexico and a flight that returned them to Arcata.

Access Humboldt

Sean Taketa McLaughlin is the Executive Director of Access Humboldt – a non-profit public service media organization that has served the residents of Humboldt County. Sean was also the Featured Speaker at our meeting, and he is also a member of the Rotary Club of Eureka. He has headed up Access Humboldt since it was founded in 2006.

Sean discussed his organization by leading us through various sections of its website (http://www.accesshumboldt.net). He noted that there are many opportunities that allow county residents to create content – video, podcasts, and more – and broadcast it to local audiences.

As a Rotarian, Sean follows the Four-Way Test, and this is reflected in Access Humboldt’s activities. The organization is also guided by the Professional Journalists’ Code.

 


President Ian’s Closing Haiku …

Plan for tomorrow
Opportunities to serve
Take action today


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