January 29, 2021

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, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 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.


Masks With a Message
Masks With a Message

The Calendar …

RISE: “Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone

  • February 19 – RCAS Charter Celebration!
  • April 17 – District 5130 Training Assembly

Recognitions, Fellowship, and Service!

Our guests included Arcata High School Interact Club members Seri Welsh and Ian Letts. They noted that their group is winding down its Coats for the Cold program, so if you have extra warm gear, please let them know!

President Maggie said that since our meetings moved to an online format, we are missing the crosstalk and kibbitzing that takes place when we meet in person. So she has instituted a new tradition – “Heckling the President (for a Price)”. Now, you can give Maggie the business, as long as you follow it up with a $25 donation to the Rotary Foundation. The contribution will be added to your Paul Harris Fellow account, and you will have unburdened yourself!

Our Gratitude Recognitions continued, starting with Terri Clark. Terri said that she gave a lot of thought to this, and she started by noting how much she appreciates her husband, Marty Lay. (Regular readers of the Sunrise Spirit will not be surprised.) Terri is also grateful for her two cats – Waterloo and Westminster – they are very entertaining in very different ways. She is also happy to be celebrating her 29th year as a Rotarian, and she is especially happy to be a member of our Club! To close things out, Terri said that she was very pleased that she and Marty were able to take their “dream trip” to Japan shortly before the onset of the pandemic.

Nick Torres told us that he is also grateful for being a Sunriser. As he moves on, he is worried that he won’t be able to find another Club that is as good in so many ways. Nick said that the pandemic cloud has had a couple of silver linings – he has been appreciative of some deeper, more intimate interactions with his friends, and he has had more ti

me to himself.

Our next two Gratitude Recognition participants will be Jennifer Coriell (nominated by Terri) and Dustin Littlefield (nominated by Nick).

We then heard from Jack Bareilles, who wears many hats in the world of education in Humboldt County. He is both an administrator and a teacher, and he came to us to tell us about the Acorn Classes that he is teaching at Arcata High. Freshman students often struggle with the transition to high school, he said, but this has become worse in the past year due to the additional  pressures posed by the pandemic. He and others recruited 18 at-risk students for a program to help them stay in school. (“Shanghaied might be a more accurate technical term,” Jack said.) The class meets in the AHS Fine Arts Building, where they are masked and appropriately distanced. Jack works to help them catch up with their educations and stay caught up. The program has an outreach component, and Jack is hoping that some Rotarians will help the students learn more about the opportunities available in the community, while also showing that “doing things for people feels good.” Contact Jack if you can speak to the class or even give them a tour of your business.

Lori Breyer said that about 11 Sunrisers are involved in the Club Health Challenge. Ray Noogle/Noggle is in the lead with about 69 miles, although someone in the know said that Lori her-own-self is the real leader. Whoever is in the lead, it is clear that all of the participants are winning!

We heard about a Wearable Shoe Drive that will benefit the Arcata High Safe & Sober program. If you have shoes in good condition that you aren’t using, please leave them on Alex Stillman’s porch (preferably in the dead of night).

Many thanks to Sarah James and Crystal Perez (aka Charli Murphy) for taking on our Backpacks for Kids commitment last week! And Rebecca Crow told us that the Raven Project, which is a local youth-led, youth implemented street outreach program and drop-in center, has expressed the need for menstrual supplies. If you can help, please let Rebecca Crow know, and she will coordinate delivery.

President Maggie has a birthday fundraiser in progress on Facebook. All funds raised with go to local programs that help BIPOC (Black, indigenous, and people of color) youths. You can donate on Facebook, or via Venmo. Of course, you can also help by purchasing a mask from “Masks With a Message” – the link is front and center on the RCAS Website!

And Even More Service!

Romi Hitchcock Tinseth reported that our two trainings on diversity, equity, and inclusion were a great success. The participants discussed key terms, reviewed statistical evidence of inequities, and took a hard look at our situation in Humboldt County. They focused on steps we can take to improve the situation. Romi is putting together a new RCAS committee – the Equity and Inclusion Committee – to further explore these important issues. Please let her know if you would like to be a part of this ground-breaking effort.

President Maggie keeps reminding us that her term will come to an end before we know it, and we will be in the hands of President Ian Schatz! To prepare for this inevitability, Ian has scheduled the RCAS Fireside Meetings for Tuesday, March 30th, Wednesday, March 31st, and Thursday, April 1st. The Firesides are a tool for incoming presidents to get feedback from Club members about all aspects of our Club’s processes and performance. He asked us to watch for a questionnaire that will hit our inboxes and Slack sometime this month.

 

The Final Friday Foundation Auction!

Most months, we set aside the last meeting of the month as our Final Friday, and talk about the great work of the Rotary Foundation while we raise funds for it. RCAS Foundation Chair Terri Clark celebrated Tom Tellez as a “Paul Harris Fellow Times Two” – after donating $1,000, Tom kept donating and accumulated another grand for the Foundation! Thank you, Mr. Tellez, for your ongoing generosity! Terri noted that our Club is number two in District 5130 in terms of Foundation Giving. (But we are second to none in so many other ways.)

One of our avenues for raising funds is the ever-popular Final Friday Foundation Auction. Sunrisers contribute items to be auctioned off, and the donor and the winning bidder split the credit for the donation, which goes to their Paul Harris Sustaining Fellowship accounts. Pretty slick, eh? Here are the winners and the winners from the January auction:

  • Karen Burgesser’s garden has long provided beautiful bounty. When we were holding in-person meetings, she would usually provide a floral accent for the presidential podium. She donated our first auction item – a planter containing herbs – thyme, rosemary, and oregano. She included a glass and copper bird bath, and a wall calendar, which features photos of Karen’s garden. The package was won by Lori Breyer.
  • “Sophie’s Self-Care Basket” was offered by Sophie Saucedo. The basket contained a candle, bath bombs, a face mask, Cacao Cocoon chocolate, a hot/cold pack, a mug with tea, hand sanitizer, and a bottle of Moonstone Cellars wine. Rebecca Crow’s high bid ensured her ongoing wellness!
  • It’s almost time for the Big Game, so AJ Gonzales assembled “AJ’s BBQ -OMG!”, which included pork shoulder from Sarvinski Family Farms, apple slaw from Cassaro’s Catering, Brio hoagies, Flying Swine pork rub, Meat Hugger butcher paper, Bear Paws meat shredding claws, and the components for delicious cocktails from The Griffin. Once again, Lori Breyer offered up the high bid, ensuring a great Super Bowl party at the Breyer home!
  • Jennifer Coriell’s contribution to the auction was a lemon raspberry pie paired with a 4-pack of cider. Once Jen assured us that she could provide the pie in gluten-free form, Craig Newman snapped it up.
  • A “Cozy Up and Read” kit was donated by Stephanie Lane. This package contained gift certificates from local booksellers Tin Can Mailman and Northtown Books, and from local dining establishments Ramones and the Plaza Grill. Also in the mix were a tote bag, a reading blanket, an assortment of fruit teas, a mug warmer, and a Dick Taylor chocolate bar. And our winner was … Ed Christians!
  • Mike Pazeian offered a copy of his newest book, Eyewitness to History“. Dick Johnson was the high bidder for that one – the last auction item of the day.

In all, the auction raised $820 for the Rotary Foundation on Friday! But was that all? Check out the clip below for a little more …

 

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