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, due to the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are again meeting online.
Please visit the RCAS Website for the meeting links.
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“
- October 31 – Ciencia Para Todos Haunted House – from 2 to 5 pm at Carson Park in Valley West
- November 7 – District 5130 Foundation Celebration (via Zoom)
- November 11 – Veterans Day Flag Ceremony at 4:30 pm on the Arcata Plaza
- November 11-14 – The Zone Institute, tentatively scheduled for Tuscon, Arizona
- November 16 – RCAS / RCAS Foundation Board Meetings – online at 7 am
- December 4 – Taste of the Holidays at Home! Order early and often!!
- June 4-8, 2022 – The 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas.
For Openers …
We started our meeting with introductions and a review of events on our horizon, including our next fundraiser – A Taste of the Holidays at Home (or TOTH@Home for short). That event is scheduled for December 4th, but it has a lot of moving parts, so watch your inbox for ways that you can help us prepare. Big thanks to both Lisa Hemphill and Jeff Stebbins, who are spearheading this operation!
Speaking of thank yous, President Ian took a moment to thank those who helped make this year’s Oktoberfest a success, including our sponsors and volunteers. A special shout-out was earned by this year’s Oktoberfest Committee, led by Claire Ajina and her husband (and Fellow Rotarian) Haider! They received a strong assist from Cam Appleton, Holly Martel, Marty Lay, Maggie Kraft, AJ Gonzales, Vanessa Griffin, and Rebecca Crow. When the dust settled and the last sausage left the building, we had netted approximately $5,800!
Charli Murphy – aka Crystal Perez – provided an update from our Vocational Service Committee. She told us that our traditional holiday dinner for the foster care community has been sidelined due to the pandemic, but in its place, we will be hosting a holiday movie at the Eureka Theater! The details and volunteer opportunities will be available soon. Charli also said that we have two TAY internships underway so far this year. The internships are funded by a District Grant. There are also “Adulting 101” classes scheduled for February. These classes for the Transitional Age Youth community will cover a number of different topics.
President Ian then addressed what he called “the elephant in the room”. Our Board of Directors had adopted a resolution to recommend that Rotary International relocate its 2022 International Convention from Texas to another location, in response to the recent state law passed limiting abortion rights. This was forwarded to all RCAS members on Wednesday; in the face of various concerns voiced, the resolution was rescinded in a special session of the Board the next day. President Ian assured us that in the future, potentially controversial issues will be discussed by the full membership before action is taken by the Board. And he reminded us that we are all welcome and encouraged to attend our Board’s meetings, which take place on the third Tuesday of each month.
Word Humboldt
Our Featured Speakers were Dylan Collins, Holly Raye, Elizabeth Hassler, Susanna Gibson, and Wil Gibson, all from Word Humboldt, which Dylan described as a “spoken word community”. They meet every Tuesday evening, which was difficult at the height of the pandemic, when they met online.
Holly told us that she is a mother and a student at Humboldt State. She has been a part of Word Humboldt for about three years. She was drawn to the organization because of its inclusiveness. Holly feels that it provides a safe and supportive community for feelings.
It’s also well-organized, according to Elizabeth. She noted that the group partners with the library system, however, all of their activities have been impacted by COVID. Still, their in-person workshops and meetings are usually “crammed”, partly because the venues tend to be quite intimate.
Susanna serves as the Treasurer for Word Humboldt. She and Wil also co-own Redwood Reworded – a bookstore that specializes in poetry. Susanna is pleased that Word Humboldt has a strong reputation for being warm, welcoming, and supportive. She also told us that they partner with other local organizations, including Food Not Bombs and Dell’Arte.
Wil Gibson discovered Humboldt County while on a book tour, and now he is the Poet Laureate for the City of Eureka. WIl emphasized that Word Humboldt is a community first, and a spoken word organization second.
They closed with a poem from Holly which included this apt phrase – “Light your pen on fire …”
For more information about Word Humboldt, click on their logo:
President Ian’s Closing Haiku …
Politics divide
We have something special here
Rotary unites