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 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!
Arcata City Manager Karen Diemer
For Openers …
We learned that the Sunrise Scramble Golf Tournament will be held on Friday the 13th! Specifically, May 13th, thanks to our intrepid event leaders, Susan Jansson and Rebecca Crow. And Dylan Collins of Word Humboldt returned to let us know that the Redwood Poetry Festival will take place on April 8, 9, and 10.
District Governor Dustin Littlefield discussed the war in Ukraine, and talked about ways that we can provide help via Rotary. If you would like to make a donation, you can send a donation to RCAS on Venmo, and we’ll make sure that it makes it to the right places. Please add a note that your payment is intended as a donation to relief efforts.
Our Backpacks for Kids coverage seems to be going well, but we are still in need of host families for our Inbound Exchange Student. President Ian and Claire Ajina noted that we have to identify the families by March 15th.
Howard Stauffer provided an update (and a brief history) regarding our Club’s involvement with the Cambodia Academy. He said that we were inspired by a visit from Hans Eide, who helped other Rotary Clubs get involved as well. Dick Johnson noted that in addition to our Club’s contributions, individuals are also encouraged to sponsor a child. He also led the Club in a round of applause for Howard’s varied contributions to RCAS – serving as our Club President and for many years as Club Secretary.
The State of the City
Featured Speaker (and Arcata City Manager) Karen Diemer provided the latest information about how Arcata is faring these days.
She discussed some of the lessons learned and perspective gained from living through a pandemic. Karen applauded local businesses, including Holly Yashi, Kokatat, and Alchemy for producing masks, sanitizer, and face shields. Nonprofits filled a lot of gaps as well, providing food for needy folks and shopping for potentially vulnerable individuals.
She noted that many of us are buying locally, which is helping to grow the local economy Sales tax revenues for the City showed a strong increase during 2020-2021 from the previous two years, and that trend seems to be continuing in the current fiscal year. And after dipping a bit in 2020, the Transient Occupancy Tax (the TOT or “Hotel Tax”) has shown strong growth as well.
Karen also discussed the transition from Humboldt State to Cal Poly Humboldt, which is expected to bring an influx of students, which will in turn boost the City’s economy. Arcata’s Strategic Arts Plan and the Gateway Area Plan are also areas to keep your eye on.
Karen closed by praising the Arcata Police Department’s efforts to change with the times. APD has added mental health professionals who will help respond to calls in the community. The Department is also holding monthly training sessions on cultural humility, procedural justice, and implicit bias.
President Ian’s Closing Haiku
Chaos surrounds us
Find purpose in your actions
Things fall into place