Volume XIII, Issue 4: July 31, 2015 – Final Friday!!

Coming Soon …
 

August 6RISE EVENT – Arcata Chamber Mixer at Coast Central Credit Union on Giuntoli Lane
August 15 – RISE EVENT – The 2nd Annual Kevin Ebbert Memorial Trail Run in Redwood Park. Sign up at any HealthSport location
Sept 13: RISE EVENT – “Out of the Darkness” – Arcata Community Walk Against Suicide. Begins at 10 am at the Arcata Plaza
Sept TBA: RISE EVENT – Welcome Party for Inbound Exchange Student Sophia


Rotarian News
  • Our Club joined forces with the North Bay Rotaract Club in the recent Sand Sculpture Festival. We received the “Most Dedicated Diggers” award for our entry, “Big Feet, Big Fun”. The big winners, of course, were the Friends of the Dunes, who hosted the annual fundraiser.
    “Big Feet, Big Fun”
  • President Howard circulated some of the thank you messages we have received lately. These included a note from scholarship recipient Ryan Ghisetti and General Manager Christopher Drop of the Manila Community Services District, 
  • Howard engaged in some “shameless promotion”, touting the work of Rebecca Stauffer (our Club’s First Lady). She has published thewayofcollage.com online. Rebecca notes that it is neither a book or a blog – she calls it a “blook”. 
  • We learned more about the “Out of the Darkness” Community Walk to fight suicide last week. The event will take place on Sunday, September 13, beginning at the Arcata Plaza at 10 am. The walk is part of a national effort to bring the subject of suicide and mental health issues into the open. The organizers are seeking volunteers to help on the day of the walk. For more details, or to volunteer, select this link: Arcata Out of the Darkness.
  • Sunrise Selfies have not gone out of style. If you have one to share, please email it to Dustin Littlefield, and he will get it into the rotation!
  • Our Club sang “Happy Birthday” to Mr. Henry last week. Henry Larson is Karen Burgesser’s grandson, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in June. He is currently in the hospital for a second round of chemotherapy, and his family expects that he will spend his third birthday, Tuesday, August 4th, there. We wanted to cheer him on, so our little contribution is found below. If you want to make a contribution to the family, click on this link to their gofundme page. Your help will be greatly appreciated. 

Short-Term Rotary Exchanges 
Rotary “Kid” Kate Breyer recently returned from a Short-Term Rotary Exchange in Spain. The Short-Term program allows a student between 15 and 19 years of age to visit another country for a period ranging from several days to several weeks. Kate’s Exchange lasted a little more than three weeks.

Maria & Kate

During that time, she and her host sister Maria Alvarez  traveled to 24 cities. Maria returned with Kate; now she is on her Exchange tour of the US, with Kate and family as her guides.

Paul Harris Fellows and Other Awards …
  • Foundation Chair Terri Clark presented President-Elect Susan Jansson with a pin acknowledging her third Paul Harris Fellowship.
  • Janice Newman received a pin with three sapphires, as a four-time PHF contributor.
  • Terri also presented Helping Hands Awards to Cam Appleton, Maggie Kraft, Brandi Easter, and Karen Burgesser. The awards were bestowed in recognition of all their efforts on behalf or the Rotary Foundation and our Club.

Terri noted that the recent announcement that Nigeria has gone a full year without a report of a new case of polio is fantastic. That is the longest period that country has ever gone without a reported case. If there are no new cases reported by September, the country will be declared polio-free. That will leave Afghanistan and Pakistan as the only countries in which the disease has not been defeated. Rotary’s 30-year war against polio is not over, but with your help, we are winning.

Final Friday Foundation Auction

The first Final Friday Auction of the new Rotary Year was held last week, and (as usual) we had some great deals available.

  • Maggie Kraft donated a special large bottle of wine, called “The Mutt”. It’s not generally available for sale, since it’s not made by a licensed winery, but Ed Christians had the winning bid. Maggie said that a bottle will be offered at each of our auctions this year, so watch for it next time!
  • A gift certificate from the Personal Choice Spa was on the block, however I didn’t catch who made the donation. I do know that Lori Breyer was the winner of that one!
  • A basket of smoked Chinook salmon, wine, crackers, and other goodies was provided by Cam Appleton. Former Sunriser Cindy Sutcliffe was the winning bidder. Thanks, Cindy!
  • Brandi Easter also provided a pescatorial prize – fillets of yellowtail, some smoked, some fresh. The winning bid was placed by Jessica McKnight.
  • Brenda Bishop donated a designer purse and scarf from Holly Yashi. Joyce Hinrichs purchased the package.
  • Brenda also donated a jewelry box and earrings, which also came from Holly Yashi. Susan Jansson won with a proxy bid. (You don’t always have to be present to spend money with us!)
  • A big ol’ bottle of Maker’s Mark Kentucky bourbon was on the block, courtesy of Claire Ajina. Jessica McKnight took that home (or to her office).
  • The last prize of the day was a Barbecue Package, donated by Rob McBeth. Matt Babich will be enjoying that this summer, thanks to his winning bid.
And as always, thanks to all who donated, purchased, and drove up the bids. This time around, we made $725 for the Rotary Foundation. The next auction will take place at our meeting on August 28th – bring your checkbooks! 
Unsung Rotarian of the Month

President Howard has a new twist planned for his Rotarian of the Month awards – he will be honoring Sunrisers whose contributions may otherwise go unnoticed. 

His first “Unsung Rotarian of the Month” is John Gullam. Howard said that he has worked with John in other non-Rotary endeavors, and that John has been very active in our Club. John co-chairs the World Community Service Committee, and he also leads the Backpacks for Kids program. He even served as our auctioneer earlier in the meeting! Thanks for all you do, John!