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 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“
- September 16 – Our Friday Meeting is a Field Trip to Nordic Farms in Samoa!!
- September 20 – Fellowship Event – Madaket Cruise, with a no-host bar
- September 24 – Wild Souls Ranch fundraiser – the “Sip of Summer Hard Cider Festival” from 1 to 5 pm, in Fortuna’s Rohner Park
- October 1 – Oktoberfest! Drive-thru fundraiser for RCAS at the Griffin
- October 15 – Foundation Dinner North
- October 16 – Fellowship Event – Miniature Golf action!
- October 19 – Women of Rotary meeting at the Griffin
- November 17 – The return of in-person Taste of the Holidays! All hands on deck at the Arcata Community Center!
- March 31 & April 1 – District Training Assembly
- May 4-7 – District Conference at Konocti Harbor Resort
- May 27-31 – Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia
For Openers …
President Vanessa opened by showing photos of new furniture and equipment that our club provided for the Cambodia Academy. She also noted that Carol Vander Meer was quoted in the Los Angeles Times, telling a children’s tale about Francine Fungus and Albert Algae. (The short version? They took a lichen to one another.)
Then we reviewed coming events – please see the Calendar in the Sunrise Spirit for the most recent dates to be saved. Romi Hitchcock Tinseth reported on the Out of the Darkness Walk that would take place two days after the meeting. She said that our team had raised $5,500 as of that point, making us the top fundraising team in the local walk. But the goal of the walk is to raise awareness of suicide and mental health issues, and to reassure those in crisis that there are people who want to help them through their difficulties.
Our amazing Exchange Student from Uganda – Lazo – gave a brief presentation to the Club, and he also gave President Vanessa two bags of coffee packed by his grandmother, and he and Vanessa exchanged club banners.
Vanessa gave a big Thank You to Howard Stauffer for spearheading the contribution to the Cambodia Academy and for bringing the crisis in Pakistan’s Swat Valley to our attention. The latter led to the Board’s decision to provide $1,000 is emergency relief funds to the area. Then, Romi Hitchcock Tinseth rose to thank Rebecca Crow for all of the work she does for our Club, and especially for developing a “Rotary in Our Community” outreach flyer, which highlights our efforts to bring diversity, equity, and inclusion into our Club and our area.
The Broadband Outlook for Our Area
Connie Stewart is an Arcata icon. She served on the City Council from 1996-2004, and was the city’s Mayor from 1999-2001, and she has worked for her community in many capacities since. She is the Chief Policy Advisor for the California Center for Rural Policy, based at Cal Poly Humboldt. Connie spoke with us about the progress being made to digitally connect Humboldt County with other parts of the world.
Connie noted that there is currently one fiberoptic cable connecting the United States and Asia. That was laid by Google, and it runs from Taiwan to Humboldt County. A second cable crossing is underway, and it will “land” here as well. Connie said that these cables will provide a strong connection with an area known as “the Asian Center of Gravity”. The name derives from the fact that more people live inside that area than outside it.
These cables and another that will roughly follow Highway 299 to the Redding area will provide our area with an immense broadband expansion. Connie asked the question, “What will we do with this added capacity?” Many of the projects under consideration involve Cal Poly Humboldt, but Connie cited some non-academic benefits that are also expected. The details of the undertaking include promise to provide fiber pairs to every tribe in the area.
There is a lot of money involved. The state has committed $6 billion to provide “last mile” broadband access to most homes and businesses in California. And there is more federal money in the mix, along with private funding. Connie closed by rephrasing her question – “What are we going to do with this new access and speed?” It’s up to us.
In Closing …
President Vanessa ended our meeting with a reminder to pay our Club dues and meeting fees – whether you’re on site or on Zoom. She told us that we will take the show on the road for the next meeting with a Field Trip to Nordic Farms in Samoa. And we also heard from members of Arcata High School’s Interact Club.