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, while we are under the Shelter In Place order, we are meeting online.
Please visit the RCAS Website for the meeting links.
The Calendar …
RISE: “Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone“
Watch here for events as they return to our Calendar …
The News From France!!
This year’s Rotary Exchange Student, Thomas Spengler returned to France in April, but he continues to meet with us from his home!
Thomas was pretty excited that he would be able to get out and about starting Monday. He promised to provide photos the next time he joins us. He also said that his parents are continuing to do well.
Recognitions & Announcements
Howard and Rebecca Stauffer recently posted their version of a Grant Wood classic, but they call their version “Arcata Gothic”:
There won’t be throngs on the Arcata Plaza this Memorial Day weekend, watching the Kinetic Sculptures whirl around the block, getting up enough speed to hurtle them on to the bay. But all is not lost – there will be an online version of the Kinetic Grand Championships – this year, there is a “Sculpture In Place” theme! Sunriser Steve McHaney retired his sculpture last year, but he still has the trophy!
Gregg Foster recently conducted a “scientific test” to fight COVID-19, but he doesn’t recommend it to others:
Karen Burgesser is putting together a history of the Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise, with a page for each Club President! She has been sorting through her 4,000-plus photos, working diligently!
President AJ reminded us to continue to support local businesses. He cited the “Pick 3, Spend 50” program. Think about three local businesses that you would miss if they failed. Commit to spending $50 per month among them, and you can help stimulate the local economy! For every $100 spent with locally-owned businesses, about $68 comes back to the community.
Local food purveyors who received mentions included Cassaro’s Catering, which has boxed meats available; and the Plaza Grill, which has a $10 to-go menu, with special daily entrees Monday through Friday.
President-Elect Maggie Kraft heads up the Area 1 Agency on Aging (A1AA), and she said that they continue to have a need for volunteers to shop for home-bound seniors. She also said that, as shelter in place restrictions ease, there is likely to be a sharp increase in demand for volunteers to drive seniors to medical appointments. Contact Maggie if you can help with either situation.
President AJ shared that he would be doing a Dedication Distance Run in memory of Ahmaud Arbury, who was killed in February while on a jog. AJ also said that he is howling for the health professionals who are fighting COVID-19, but also those who took care of his sister Samantha, who was scheduled to be released from the hospital last Friday, after she had a tumor successfully removed.
An Animated PresentationÂ
Our Featured Speaker was Steven Vander Meer, the husband of Sunriser Carol Vander Meer! Steven is an “animator, graphic artist, and rubber stamp designer”, per the biography on his website – http://www.stevenvandermeer.com/.
He has an unusual style of animation. Steven draws on index cards, and on each successive card, the picture changes slightly. This provides the movement in his works. In recent years, he began creating his drawings on an iPad, but he retains the flip-motion effect.
He previewed several of his works for us, including his first film, “Arcata Brain Closet”.
You can see Steven’s movies in their entirety by visiting his website: http://www.stevenvandermeer.com/
Don’t miss a minute!
(Click here to view the video of the full meeting.)