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“
- Ongoing – The RCAS Summer Sale
- August 29 – RCAS Golf Tournament at Beau Pre Golf Course in McKinleyville
Announcements and Opportunities
President Maggie reminded us that August is Membership Month for Rotary. She said that, in addition to seeking out new members, we need to honor our existing ones. And that was her Opportunity Door #1. To that end, she recognized Sunrisers with recent birthdays, including Romi Hitchcock Tinseth, who spent the day with people she loves (and had cake for breakfast); Terri Clark had a great birthday, and she is following the “Janice Newman Method” – celebrating for a full month. Howard Stauffer said that his birthday included calls from his adult children, a personalized poem, and a rack of lamb. Tomas Chavez reported that he hitched up the trailer for his birthday, and the family headed east on Highway 36 to visit R-Wild Horse Ranch, then they spend a few nights at Ruth Lake. Friday was Jennifer Coriell’s birthday (Number Forty), and she was planning a cocktail party with proper social distancing. Steve McHaney was really planning ahead – his birthday is August 31st – and he reported that his house is full of people, so he will probably take a bike ride in the woods.
Door #2 was Fundraising, and Maggie reported that Rebecca Crow went above and beyond in the last days of the Sunrise Summer Sale. Rebecca put together several kid-friendly packages to amuse and educate! Many of those were sold during the meeting, but others are still on the OfferUp website. The Sunrise Scramble is on for Saturday, August 29th, and the organizing team is looking for cardboard people to serve as the gallery. (Please note that means cardboard cutouts of people.)
We returned to Door #1 to discuss several recent anniversaries, starting with John Gullam and Denise Fitzgerald, who chose to “celebrate their love” with a wonderful day at home. Steve and Patty McHaney had take out on the steps of Founders Hall, but they also (in lieu of their planned anniversary trip to France) created a Paris cafe out of a refrigerator box, and their kids waited on them. Amanda Nelson and her wife Ashley Donnell had a lovely dinner with Ashley’s mother. Brandon and Kristyn Kakitsuka made a trip to Moonstone Beach for the occasion. Bryan and Susan Reeser also celebrated with a walk on the beach that turned into a bit of a run, when an elk began chasing them. Romi Hitchcock and Glenn Tinseth went on a hike – something they have really enjoyed during the pandemic. Jessica McKnight and James Hitchcock celebrated 21 years together and 10 years of marriage rafting in a “divorce boat”. (You’ll understand when you hear Jessica explain in the video.) Terri Clark and Marty Lay planned to enjoy a Brett Shuler-catered dinner for their 38th anniversary, including chocolate tarts. Randy Mendosa said that he and his wife Lisa will probably go to Larrupin’s for their coming anniversary. Since that venue is open with outdoor seating, Ian and Elizabeth Schatz are likely to spend their anniversary there as well.
Opportunity Door #3 is the Coastal Clean Up. But due to the pandemic, the event will take place every Saturday in September, and people are encouraged to focus their energy on their own neighborhoods. If you participate, please take photos and/or videos and share these with President Maggie and on our Facebook and Instagram pages, with the tag #RotaryClubOfArcataSunrise.
Randy Mendosa on Measure F
Our Featured Speaker was Sunriser Randy Mendosa, who is on the Board of Directors for the Arcata Fire District. Randy spoke about the District’s financial situation, and its support of Measure F, which would allow for all three AFD stations to be open at the same time.
Don’t miss a minute!
(Click here to view the video of the full meeting.)