July 23, 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.
You are also welcome to join our meetings online.


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

  • July 31 – RCAS Pizza Party at Steve McHaney’s home – including a Tiki Bar!
  • August 14-15 – RCAS Sunrise Summer Sale
  • August 21 – The Sunrise Scramble – the RCAS Golf Tournament
  • August 22 – RCAS Sunday Afternoon Barbecue at the Griffin
  • November 11-14 – The Zone Institute, tentatively scheduled for Tuscon, Arizona
  • October 8, 2021 – The North Coast Ethics in Business Awards
  • June 4-8, 2022 – The 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas.

A New Sunriser Debuts!

The second new Sunriser of President Ian’s reign was inducted at our meeting. Sarah Hiller was sponsored by Malinda Damme-Hinton, and she is the Member Services Manager at Coast Central Credit Union in Arcata. Sarah and her husband Jerome have four children – Julianna, Jayden, Jerome, and Maelynn. She has experience as a Rotarian, as a member of the Arcata Noon Club. Her RCAS Mentor is Terri Clark. Welcome, Sarah!!

Rotary Fellowships: “Connect Beyond the Club”

President Ian told us that Rotary Fellowships offer a way for us to connect with other Rotarians who share our interests. He noted that there are nearly 100 Fellowship categories, and more are being created on a regular basis.

Maggie Kraft told us about her experience as a member of the Whisk(e)y DRAM Fellowship. (DRAM is an acronym for Drinking Rotarians And Members.) She joined because she didn’t know much about whiskey/whisky, and this was a good place to learn. The dues for this Fellowship are $30-35 per year, or you can opt for a lifetime membership for $100. Purchasing whiskey for tasting is extra, of course.

Terri Clark has been a member of the Rotarian Fellowship of Quilters and Fiber Artists for quite a while. She told us that the group has a booth at each International Convention (the in-person ones, at least). Terri learned to quilt in 1978, and she brought her very first quilt to the meeting. She told us that she made 26 quilts during the pandemic, noting that quilting makes her happy.

President Ian is a member of not one, but two Fellowships! He joined the Rotarian Metalhead Fellowship due to a long-standing love for head-banging music. He discovered metal as a teen, and he was hooked. Ian also belongs to the LGBT+ Fellowship. He joined because there are people that he cares about deeply who are members of the Queer community.

Ian issued a Presidential Challenge to look into the Fellowship programs available, and to find a topic that interests you. and to join one (or more) to connect beyond the Club. For more information, click on the link below:

A Brief Chat With Thomas Spengler

Thanks to the magic of Zoom, Former Exchange Student Thomas Spengler was able to pay a brief visit to our Club. He plans to join us again soon, to give a more complete update.

ADA Compliance for the County of Humboldt

Featured Speaker Karen Clower has held many positions during her 29 years working for the County of Humboldt. In 2018, she was assigned a challenging new role – as the County’s ADA Compliance Officer. “I had a lot to learn,” she noted at our Meeting.

The ADA is short for the Americans With Disabilities Act, groundbreaking legislation from 1990, which protects the civil rights of individuals who face challenges due to physical, mental, or other differences that may create unwarranted challenges in their daily lives.

Karen told us that the ADA is comprised of five titles, covering employment, public accommodations, and more. Title II deals with state and local governments.

The County was required to provide training in ADA issues to its staff, but they went beyond that mandate and invited local building officials, contractors, and property owners to their training sessions. The County also updated its website and adopted new policies, including a new service animal policy. A lot of County facilities needed to be remodeled, especially in the restrooms.

Karen told us that she is pleased to have learned so much about accessibility issues, and she is proud of the County’s response and her team. She noted that the work is not done – the Board of Supervisors recently developed a 20-year compliance plan, although she plans to be retired before that term is completed.

 


President Ian closed the meeting with the following haiku:

Make New Connections
Discover New Interests
Fellowship is Fun!


Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save