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.
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“
- October 15 – Foundation Dinner North – Mardi Gras!!
- October 16 – Fellowship Event – Miniature Golf action!
- October 19 – Women of Rotary meeting at the Griffin
- November 17 – The return of in-person Taste of the Holidays! All hands on deck at the Arcata Community Center!
- March 31 & April 1 – District Training Assembly
- May 4-7 – District Conference at Konocti Harbor Resort
- May 27-31 – Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia
For Openers
President Vanessa let us know that October is Blood Donation Month, and she said that the Northern California Community Blood Bank will plant a tree for each donation that they receive in the month. We thanked Past President Ian for working to get our members vetted so they can spend time with Exchange Student Lazo and other young people we interact with.
Our Oktoberfest fundraiser was primed to start the next day, with some of the prep happening that afternoon. Several members of our Club purchased tickets to be donated to members of the Rotaract Club and the Interact Club who volunteered to help us. Event Chair Marty Lay thanked his committee for coming through while he was out of the area and out of cell range.
Arcata City Manager Karen Diemer returned with more information and to answer additional questions. She discussed the weekend’s Pastels on the Plaza event, street extensions, hiring an additional IT person for the city, and the coming wastewater treatment facility. She told us that the city’s Planning Commission is working on long term plans, balancing density needs with other factors.
Foundation Final Friday
Our Foundation Chair, Terri Clark, reminded us that the eradication of polio “has been Rotary’s signature effort for decades”. We have experienced a few setbacks recently, with cases cropping up in New York City and London. There is also a growing general resistance to vaccines, even though vaccination myths have been repeatedly debunked. Still, Rotary will persevere. We are still “this close” to eradicating this disease.
She presented a Paul Harris Fellow award to Danielle – Tom Tellez’s daughter. Danielle caught up with her own daughter, Penny, who became a PHF last month. Rebecca Crow received an amended copy of the PHF certificate for her daughter. The new certificate bears her new name, Melanie. And Charlie Jordan made another lap around the PHF track, earning additional swag, and helping lives around the world.
Our Final Friday Foundation Auction was another success, with Auctioneer Bob Johnson coaxing a total of $1,020 from our generous purchasers. Thanks also to the Sunrisers who donated prizes for the auction. Here is a complete list of prizes, donors, and purchasers:
- Stephanie Lane contributed a package containing local art and candle holders. The package was won by top bidder Dick Johnson
- John Gullam offered a package donated by the Southern Humboldt Chamber of Commerce, which included a Huckleberry Hills Coffee Mug, cannabis, a glass pipe, and various stickers. The winner was Gregg Foster.
- Two All-Access Sponsor Passes to the Redwood Music Festival were donated by Claire Ajina, and music lover Tom Tellez purchased them.
- Romi Hitchcock Tinseth’s package was a large “Thank You” basket that featured chocolate! Winning bidder Jeff Stebbins will be thanking someone … maybe himself?
- A HealthSport basket – including a three-month membership, massages, spa treatments, and a bunch of swag – was donated by Susan Janssen, and purchased by JOYC (the Justice Of Your Club).
- Ray Noggle had four six-packs of some very special Oktoberfest beer available, and these were sold separately to Lori Breyer, AJ Gonzales, Holly Martel, and Bryan Reeser.
- The final auction item of the day was an assortment of baking spices, along with a set of napkins that will be personally crafted by the donor – Terri Clark. Top bidder Rebecca Crow will be enjoying that package for quite some time.
In Closing
As we closed our meeting, Past President Ian reminded us that we need to be looking for host families for next year’s Inbound Exchange Student – and we still need a family to step up to host current Exchange Student Lazo for the last few months of this year.
Don’t forget that the Foundation Dinner North is coming soon – Saturday, October 15th is the date, and the Sequoia Conference Center in Eureka is the place. Terri Clark noted that our Club will be mentioned often during the event.
John Gullam reiterated that the local blood bank will be planting a tree in Uganda for each donation of blood products in October. He said that the local organization has transferred blood to assist in relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Ian.