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,
Please note:
We will return to hybrid meetings on February 25th.
Please join us, either on-site or online!
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“
- February 25 – March 5 – Arcata High School Safe & Sober Virtual Auction
- March 1 – World Community Service Committee Meeting
- April 1 & 2 – District 5130 Training Assembly in Ukiah
- May 20 & 21 – District 5130 Conference at the River Lodge in Fortuna
- June 4-8 – The 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas.
Click Here to access the current period’s sign up for Backpacks for Kids!
For Openers …
Past President Maggie Kraft stepped in to lead our meeting in the absence of President Ian, who was away for business purposes.
We started by reviewing the previous weekend’s Progressive Online Super Bowl Party. The event was great fun, thanks to organizers (and hosts) Tami Camper and Chris Hemphill, and additional hosts Maggie Kraft, Brandon Kakitsuka, Dustin Littlefield, and Gregg Foster.
Speaking of District Governor Dustin, he made another pitch for our in-person District Conference, which will take place at Fortuna’s River Lodge on May 20 and 21. Be ready for some “rockabilly revelry”!
We also learned that Rebecca Crow and Susan Jansson have stepped up to head this summer’s Sunrise Scramble Golf Tournament, which we are hoping will take place in June.
But before that event, we are beginning to plan for our next Charter Night. We’re tentatively looking to schedule an outdoor event in May to celebrate THIRTY YEARS of Sunrise Service!!
Our Club and many individual Sunrisers are supporting the NAACP’s Black History Month Book Drive with donations of cash and books.
We learned that our Board of Directors has approved a return to hybrid meetings, beginning with our Final Friday meeting on February 25th. Please be sure to sign up online if you plan to attend in person. The Board also added money to the budgets of several committees, to allow them to keep up and step up their good work. They also approved the resignation of Howard Stauffer as RCAS Secretary, with the more than capable AJ Gonzales moving into that role. (Howard also stepped down as an Assistant Governor of District 5130; Past President Maggie will take his place there.)
Thank you, Howard, for your years of dedicated service as our Secretary and as our Club’s President.
Food for People – Update
Our Featured Speaker was Carly Robbins, who serves as the Development Director for Food for People. Carly is also a Past President of the Rotary Club of Eureka. She discussed the state of her organization as it continues to rebuild – both figuratively and literally.
Due to the pandemic and their limited space, Food for People has transitioned to outdoor food distribution. Carly said that the number of recipients has grown in the past two years, and that the products they provide have expanded beyond food to other essential items (including much-appreciated toilet paper). The organization has also expanded its partnerships with other organizations including the Wiyot Tribe, local Lao and Hmong communities, and Centro del Pueblo. In addition to its main Eureka facility, Food for People operates out of various locations in Humboldt County, including both fixed locations and pop-up sites.
They serve about 700 seniors along with the children they help through the Backpacks for Kids program. Carly said that they have made some changes to their summer programs for kids, providing boxes that contain a week’s worth of food while school is out.
Carly also told us that the Eureka Choice Pantry is moving from its current location on Broadway to Cooper Gulch (1720 Tenth Street) at the end of March. She also reminded us that the group continues to rebuild its building on West 14th Street in Eureka. The facility was badly damaged by a sewer disaster in late February 2020. It soon became clear that the best solution was to build a better facility at that location, designed to better fit their operations than the old warehouse. Although this is taking longer than expected, they believe that the new building will be up and running soon.
In Closing …
The meeting ended with a throwback to Maggie’s Presidential Year, when Rebecca Crow offered up a donation to the Rotary Foundation coupled with a “slam” at President Maggie for ending the meeting early! Several Sunrisers jumped on board – for the donations, if not the criticism.
In the end, Maggie provided two haikus to complement the one President Ian had prepared for her:
It’s not quite clear
What the fascination is
This talking in syllables
AND …
Ian really likes
I remain mostly clueless
And I sense no point
Finally, here’s the one prepared by Ian:
President Ian’s Closing Haiku
When we volunteer
Give of ourselves and our time
We learn who we are