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.
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“
- September 26th -Coastal Cleanup Day – meet at Wildberries Market at 8 am
- October 5th (or so) – Backpacks for Kids returns!
- October 14th – Sunrise Swednesday – Details to follow
- January 20 & 27 – RCAS Equity & Diversity Workshops
Opportunities and More!
Lisa Hemphill told us that Backpacks for Kids will resume during the first full week in October. She said that there are still details to be worked out to keep everyone safe, but we will get an update soon.
You can still help victims of the ongoing fires in our region by donating to the Rotary District 5130 Disaster Relief Fund. Click anywhere in this sentence to open a link to the District web page. From there, you can click on the link to make a donation via PayPal, or you can send a check to District Treasurer (and Sunriser) Ashliegh Diehl, at “Disaster Relief Fund, 1315 Fourth Street, Eureka, CA 95501”.
President Maggie showed us photos proving that she and Rebecca Crow had a great time delivering toys and games (donated by Rebecca) to the Boys and Girls Club and to Centro del Pueblo.
Opportunity: The RCAS Foundation
President Maggie shared information about the financial status of the RCAS Foundation. She noted that she and the Board of Directors had pared down the budget significantly in the shadow of the current pandemic. The previous year’s budget was $70,700, but the 2020-2021 budget was set at $33,300. The good news is that we are making significant progress toward that goal! Currently, we only need to raise an additional $6,080 to make our budget. Of course, if we exceed that modest goal, it means that we will be able to do even more for our local and global communities.
Several Sunrisers committed to making donations to the RCAS Foundation, either one-time gifts, or monthly contributions. Think about it. All donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible, and you know they will make a big difference.
Let’s Hear from our Committees!
We heard from our Youth Services Committee, which (along with their other projects) is looking into supporting the technology needs of our local students.
Romi Hitchcock Tinseth talked about the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee’s progress. She said that the Committee’s mandate fits well with this year’s Rotary Theme – “Rotary Opens Opportunities”, and with the Four-Way Test. We are looking to build trust within our neighborhood, which will help to make us more responsive and effective as a service organization. The Committee will hold workshops in January (see the calendar above), where the goal is to have creative, honest, and reflective conversations about equity and inclusion.
Keep Humboldt Healthy!
Marty Coelho is the Executive Director of College Advancement at College of the Redwoods, but he visited our meeting along with HSU’s Lynette Mullen to discuss the efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19 by encouraging people to don masks. The “Wear A Mask, Don’t Make Us Ask” campaign has begun, and it is spreading (faster than the virus, we hope). The data show that wearing masks that cover the nose and mouth significantly slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Marty said that, while most of California is at the “Widespread” level of transmission of the disease, Humboldt County is at the “Moderate” level. He attributes this difference to a higher percentage of Humboldt residents adhering to the state and local standards for face coverings and social distancing.
(Click here to view the video of the full meeting.)