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,
We have resumed in-person meetings (following all state and local regulations regarding
masking and distancing). You must sign up for a space in advance of the meeting.
There is also an online option if that works better for you.
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 Calendar …
RISE: “Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone“
- December 21, 2021 – RCAS Board Meeting at 7 am
- December 24, 2021 – No RCAS Meeting
- December 31, 2021 – No RCAS Meeting
- February 1-6, 2022 – District 5130 Environmental Tour in Mexico
- June 4-8, 2022 – The 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas.
For Openers …
For the first time since July, we had an in-person contingent, sharing our meeting with those who joined us online.
We heard that a group of District 5130 Rotarians (including Sunrisers Lori Breyer and Dick Johnson) gathered earlier in the week to fill gift packages with books for very young readers. The literacy effort was an assembly line of good will and improved literacy! Club Treasurer Sophie Saucedo joined Taste of the Holidays @ Home co-chair Jeff Stebbins to announce that this year’s event was wildly successful! Jeff thanked the Event Committee, which worked hard throughout the past few months. And remember to sign up for Backpacks for Kids – we need to make sure that Mike and Neira aren’t doing it every week!
Bob Johnson shared memories of his father Jack, who passed away on November 22nd. Jack will be missed by all who knew him.
Connie Stewart with a Humboldt Broadband Update
Redwood Coast Connect is a program of Redwood Coast Rural Action (RCRA). The goal is to bring ubiquitous broadband to all rural communities on the California North Coast, and our Featured Speaker was representative Connie Stewart.
Connie is the Executive Director of Initiatives at Humboldt State University, a member of the Rural Development Innovation Group, and a former Arcata Mayor. She provided an update on plans to bring an international broadband cable across the Pacific Ocean, making landfall in Arcata.
Connie told us that the cable has landed here, although the process took longer than expected. She showed us a photo of a portion of the cable that had unraveled, requiring repairs before the process resumed. The plan is to connect to a data center in downtown Arcata. Upon completion, about one third of all of the high-speed data traffic across the Pacific Northwest will be routed through that location. Redwood Coast Connect also is working on a fiber optics cable between Arcata and Redding, with a spur that will service HSU’s Telonicher Marine Laboratory in Trinidad. Connie noted that the company that has been working on the project is very community-minded, and works well with Redwood Coast Connect.
And Then …
We next heard from District Governor Dustin Littlefield about a coming District 5130 Environmental Tour in Mexico. The trip will take place from February 1 to 6, 2022, and the group will be touring and discussing environmental projects. Dustin said that there are still a few seats available, so contact him soon if you’re interested.
Claire Ajina reminded us that we are still actively recruiting host families for the 2022-2023 Rotary Year. She said that we are expecting at least one Inbound Exchange Student, and possibly two (with one from Africa). Please contact Claire or anyone on the Youth Exchange Committee for more information and/or to sign up.
It’s time to think about who will be in charge in the near future. We know that when President Ian steps down next summer, President-Elect Vanessa Griffin will be there to pick up the gavel. But who will follow her in 2023? Maybe you?? We’re looking for candidates for our Club’s highest office, and there will be two vacancies on our Board of Directors opening soon. Please let Past President Maggie Kraft know if you’re interested for any of the openings. As she noted at our meeting, “If I can do it, and Ian can do it, anyone can do it!”
After next Friday’s meeting, please consider sticking around to help pack stockings for Transitional Age Youth and Foster Families. We’ll also hear about the Foster and At-Risk Youth movie events that took place last weekend.
President-Elect Vanessa would like your input about the RCAS By-laws, specifically regarding attendance. Watch for an online survey about the issue coming soon to an inbox near you!
We honored Sunrisers with November Birthdays, also. Those who were in attendance included Stephanie Lane, who rented a cabin in Trinidad, and spent her special time hiking by day and enjoying a campfire at night; Amanda Nelson’s wife was out of town, so she treated herself to a lovely dinner; and John Gullam told us that his kids came over, followed by a weekend game of cards with friends.
We also heard the sad news that Ed Christians and his wife Beth will be leaving our fair community soon. We wish them all the best, and they will be sorely missed.
Finally, President-Elect Vanessa put out the call for small bottles of toiletries, which will be distributed to refugees. Please bring what you have to our December 17th meeting, or drop them by the Griffin.
President Ian’s Closing Haiku …
What should we do next
How shall we best use our time
Serving to change lives