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, while we are under the Shelter In Place order, 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“
- October 24th – District Conference & Foundation Celebration – 4:00 to 6:00 pm online
- October 25th – RCAS Oktoberfest from 4:00 to 6:30 pm
- October 29th & 30th – Lost Coast Rotaract’s Virtual Spirits & Spirits
- October 30th – RCAS Final Friday … and Costume Party!
- October 31st – Arcata Main Street presents the Spooky Car Parade on the Plaza from 7 to 11 pm
- November 11th – Veterans Day Ceremony on the Plaza – 4 pm
- January 20 & 27 – RCAS Equity & Diversity Workshops
Announcements
President Maggie asked us to take note of the “Happenings” in and about our Club, including the District Conference and Foundation Celebration, which will take place on Saturday, October 24th. It will be an online event, celebrating the past Rotary Year. The next day we will hold our Oktoberfest fundraiser, outside the Griffin. You can participate by sponsoring the event, prepping/serving food, buy meals for yourself and your loved ones, and by passing the word to your friends. At the end of the month, we hope you will participate in the Lost Coast Rotaract Club’s annual fundraiser, “Spirits & Spirits”! The event will be virtual this year, due to the pandemic, but it still promises you a good time. Shoshanna of Arcata Main Street was on hand to remind us about the Spooky Car Parade, which will take place on Halloween night, from 7 to 11 pm. She said that the event will be like “a haunted house on the Plaza”. And Mike Pazeian reminded us to set aside Veterans Day, when we will help honor those who have served our country in one of the branches of the military. There will be a flag ceremony on the Plaza at 4 pm.
Rebecca Crow provided a report from our Youth Services Committee. She said that they have sent surveys to local schools to help determine needs that we can help with. The responses included requests for books, art supplies, and guest lecturers. Jeff Stebbins added a big RCAS thank you to Ceva Courtemanche and Hensel’s Hardware for their donation of tools to the Eureka High FFA program. That group is sending tools to students’ homes so they can work on their projects while distance learning. Jeff also said that the program received a grant for new shop equipment.
Food For People Continues to Recover
Our Featured Speaker was Carly Robbins. Carly is the Past President of the Rotary Club of Eureka and a former Rotaractor. She is also the Development Director of Food for People, our area’s local food bank. Food for People was hit with a severe double whammy this year, when its Eureka headquarters and main distribution center was flooded with sewage. The group was dealing with that crisis – moving its main operations into the old Chamber of Commerce site on Broadway – when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
The organization had to change its procedures in response, instituting new protocols to keep the staff and food recipients safe. The large groups of volunteers that they had long depended on were no longer an option, so they changed to drive-through food distribution modes at various sites. Carly told us that the pandemic has impacted families who are at risk in a big way. One of the bright spots for these families is the Backpacks for Kids program, which several local Rotary Clubs (including RCAS) help with.
Carly said that Food for People is focusing on what is to come – how to rebuild and reorganize in the aftermath of the flooding and the pandemic. They have a plan to renovate their Eureka site, adding space and additional refrigeration, and reconfiguring the building to allow the group to better serve their clients’ needs. The reconstruction project has a $5 million goal, and Carly told us that they are already 60% of the way there. You can help them reach their goal – for more information, please click on the graphic below:
You Can Help!
(Click here to view the video of the full meeting.)