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 most Fridays at 7 am in the Plaza View Room at Arcata’s historic Jacoby Storehouse.
Back Row: Craig Newman, Ron Sharp, John Gullam & Lisa Hemphill
The Calendar …
RISE: “Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone“
Saturday, March 30: Rotary District 5130 Training Assembly at the River Lodge in Fortuna. Registration and continental breakfast starts at 8 am, classes start at 8:30.
Saturday, April 6: Arts Alive! Reception for Crystal Perez (aka Charli Murphy) at the Eagle House, 6 to 8 pm
Friday, May 3: RCAS Presents A Taste of Spring! – our Spring Fundraiser! The event will have a Triple Crown theme (as in horse racing). You could win a cash prize of $1,000!!
Friday-Sunday, May 17 – 19: The Four-Way Fest – four Rotary Districts will hold their District Conferences together, at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada.
Additional Important Stuff
The Arcata High School Interact Club meets every Friday at 12:20 pm.
The North Bay Rotaract Club meets in the Plaza View Room at Jacoby’s Storehouse at 6 pm on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month.
So Much Is Happening – All At Once!
We heard from a few RCAS Committees – starting with Rachel Damme and Brandon Kakitsuka, who talked about “A Taste of Spring” – our May Fundraiser. They were sporting chapeaux that were theme-appropriate, as the theme will be the Triple Crown (the original version – horse racing, I say!).
Lisa Hemphill also encouraged us to volunteer to help with Backpacks For Kids – be sure to check your emails for the Signup Genius, or just hang around after the meetings and help fill the bags.
Vanessa Griffin is looking for nominations fpr the next Vocational Service Award. We’re looking for local businesspersons who reflect Rotary’s values, but who are not (currently) in a Rotary Club.
There was good news from the Transitional Age Youth (TAY) program – Ed Christians told us that one of the young people they are working with got a new job. Ed said that the group is looking for Rotarians (and others) who are willing to provide a brief tour of their businesses, to help these young adults learn more about the employment possibilities out there.
Our Exchange Student from Germany, Finn Grewe, told us that he contracted strep throat, which prevented him from joining us at our previous meeting. Before that painful event, he attended a track meet, and cheered on his host brother. Finn also said that his afternoons are generally filled with tennis practice.
Finally, President Ray noted that Crystal Perez has completed all of the tasks required for her to leave her Red Badge behind, as he handed over her shiny new Blue Badge!
Preparing for World Renewal
We did not have a Featured Speaker scheduled for tour meeting, but we were treated to a nice presentation by Leona Wilkinson, who serves as the Secretary for the Wiyot Tribe. Leona is also the grandmother of Sarah James’s children, Asher and Hilanea, and she invited us to next year’s Wiyot World Renewal Ceremony on Indian Island, which will take place on March 24, 25, and 26, 2020.
To help finance the Ceremony, Leona and others are hosting an art auction, which will be held Saturday, April 6, 2019 (during Arts Alive) at the Northern California Indian Development Council building at 241 F Street in Eureka. The silent auction will run from 4 to 8 pm, and the live auction will begin at 6 pm.
In telling us about the Ceremony and the auction, Leona and Sarah provided a very interesting presentation for us!
Rotarian of the Week
President Ray’s selection for Rotarian of the Week came as no surprise – it was Bob Johnson, who led our Sunrisers into “battle” the previous week for our SWOT (Serving With Our Talents) Project, painting the Bayside Community Center.
Bob also presented Ray with a banner from the Rotary Club of Beverly Hills. Bob is uncertain how said banner came to be in his possession, but it did lead to a discussion of Banner Exchanges. If you plan to visit a Rotary Club out of the area, please take along an RCAS Banner, and offer to exchange it with the President of the Club you are visiting. It’s fun, and you can bring the other Club’s banner back to our Club – with a story, we trust.
“Watch this episode of The Adventures of President Ray!“
(Click on President Ray’s photo to view the video of the full meeting.)