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 have returned to hybrid meetings.
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“
- April 1 & 2 – District 5130 Training Assembly in Ukiah
- April 8-10 – Redwood Poetry Festival
- May 2 – 5 – Fireside Meetings (no Friday meeting)
- May 5 – RCAS Charter Celebration – Thirty years of Service Above Self!
- May 13 – The Stupendous Sunrise Scramble Golf Tournament
- 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 …
President-Elect Vanessa Griffin will hold her Fireside Meetings (our planning sessions for the coming Rotary Year) during the week of May 2nd. The first will take place at the Griffin that evening. More info to come.
President Ian celebrated February birthdays, talking with Jeff Stebbins (whose birthday was very low-key, since he had COVID) and Maggie Kraft (who celebrated with her sister and niece).
Ian also discussed RCAS on social media, noting that our Friday the 13th Sunrise Scramble Golf Tournament is popping up all over Facebook. Keep posting and re-posting to keep the event “top of mind”. Dick Johnson chimed in to remind us to interact with all posts that involve our Club – the more “likes” and other reactions a post receives, the more attention our name receives.
In the nick of time, Robyn, Maggie, and AJ stepped up to serve as host families for our Inbound Exchange Student for the next Rotary Year. WHEW! Thank you all!!
Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee met last week, and they are continuing to support the NAACP Book Drive, and so can you! Contact Maggie Kraft or any member of the DEI Committee for details.
President Ian showed some photos from the previous weekend’s Far West PETS (President-Elect Training Seminar). Incoming District Governor Jennifer Strong was shown with RI President-Elect Jennifer Jones. We also saw Past District Governor Terri Clark (who taught three sessions) with President-Elect Vanessa, and of course current District Governor Dustin was also on hand, repping District 5130 and Arcata Sunrise. Vanessa talked briefly about the event and about the theme for the coming year – “Imagine Rotary”.
Student Journalists Show Us That “These People Matter”
Our Featured Speakers were Valentina Davis, Gabe Kim, and Skylar Gaven, all Journalism students at Cal Poly Humboldt. Along with their colleague Rachel Marty, they discussed the making of “These People Matter,” a documentary series about homelessness in Humboldt County.
They have been working on the project since 2020, and their first episode is now available online. This installment is about a unhomed couple named JP and Caity Jo, and how they deal with being uprooted on a regular basis, and their interactions with police and others. A second episode is near completion, dealing with another couple – Angela and William – who live out of their truck in Eureka. The episode focuses on the difficulty of dealing with health issues when you don’t have a home.
Click below to watch the first episode of “These People Matter”:
In Closing
Angela Robershotte recently returned from Ireland, and she came bearing gifts! She offered three packages for auction, with the proceeds benefiting the RCAS Foundation! Bob Johnson jumped in to serve as our auctioneer, and we were off!
- Item One was a Breakfast Basket, complete with a container of Guinness – because what breakfast doesn’t deserve a heady brew? The top bid was offered by the Justice Of Your Club (JOYC).
- The second package included carrots, cabbage, chocolate, and a bottle of Irish whiskey from Roe & Co. That went to AJ Gonzales.
- The last package included more carrots and some Jameson whiskey. That wasn’t all, but isn’t that enough? Chris Hemphill thought so, since he bought it!
Thanks to Angela and the bidders, the RCAS Foundation has an additional $340 to help provide service both locally and around the world!
President Ian’s Closing Haiku
We’ve had food today
A home and clean warm clothing
Such fortunate folks