WWelcome 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“
- September 12 – Out of the Darkness Community Walk to raise Suicide Awareness
- September 25 – Rotary Blood Drive from 8 am to 3 pm
- September 25 – The District 5130 Youth Exchange Golf Tournament at Baywood Golf & Country Club
- November 11-14 – The Zone Institute, tentatively scheduled for Tuscon, Arizona
- October 8, 2021 – The North Coast Ethics in Business Awards
- October 8-9, 2021 – The District 5130 Conference, celebrating the 2020-2021 Rotary Year
- November 11-14 – The Zone Institute, tentatively scheduled for Tuscon, Arizona
- June 4-8, 2022 – The 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas.
For Openers …
President Ian started our meeting by celebrating Sunriser birthdays that took place in August. These included Romi Hitchcock Tinseth, who decided to postpone her celebration due to COVID concerns; Howard Stauffer, who stayed at the Crater Lake Lodge and hiked up the mountain for his 80th birthday; Terri Clark, whose birthday dinner was Eggs Benedict (but she was able to visit the Sushi Spot the next evening); and Steve McHaney, who took a mountain bike ride on his birthday, followed by a Thanksgiving dinner (with a Costco chicken subbing for the turkey).
We also heard from those with August anniversaries, including Jessica McKnight, who visited Benbow with her husband James Hitchcock, then took a driving trip through Redway. Rachel and Casey Sarvinski celebrated their second anniversary with steaks on the barbecue. Terri Clark and Marty Lay reported that “we had fun … whatever we did”. Randy and Lisa Mendosa were in Washington and Oregon for their anniversary, so they were unable to do their traditional dinner at Larrupin until last week. And President Ian and his wife Elizabeth made it to Larrupin on their anniversary, seated at an outdoor table situated right where they took their vows 28 years before.
We learned more about Marty Lay as he provided his Craft Talk. Marty told us about his early life in San Francisco, where his sports included swimming and soccer. Before he graduated from high school in 1967, he worked at the Fillmore Auditorium. He attended Humboldt State from 1970 to 1973, graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies. After serving as a deckhand on a fishing boat, he worked for Winzler and Kelly for a while before becoming a Construction Engineer. He met his wife (and fellow Sunriser) Terri Clark in 1977, and they married in 1982. Marty went to work for SHN Consulting Engineers, where Terri worked as the Business Manager. He remained there until he retired in 2015. He was a “Rotary Ann” for many years, until he joined the Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka in 1992. He served as Club President and attended eight Rotary International Conventions, and several Festivals of Brotherhood. We’re very happy he chose to join our Club.
President Ian announced that the Rotary Club of Eureka has challenged all local Clubs to participate in the Rotary Blood Drive, which will take place on September 25 from 8 am to 3 pm.
The Invisible Backpack
As part of our ongoing discussions about diversity, equity, and inclusion, Sunriser Barbara Browning shared a summary of an 1989 article by Peggy McIntosh titled, “The Invisible Backpack”.
In the article, Ms. McIntosh tells us, “White privilege is like an invisible knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, cookbooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks.” She says that we are “carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege.” Of the 50 advantages listed in Ms. McIntosh’s article, Barbara selected 10 for us to consider.
These advantages are worth pondering when we interact with others who do not enjoy those advantages in our society. Ms. McIntosh’s full article can be found at:
https://convention.myacpa.org/houston2018/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UnpackingTheKnapsack.pdf
It’s definitely worth a read.
Treating Addiction
The Featured Speaker at the RCAS Meeting of September 3, 2021 was Thomas Steenblock of Open Door Community Health Centers. Thomas spoke to us about Medicated Assisted Treatment of addiction. Thomas has been with Open Door for 14 years in various capacities.
Thomas spoke with us about Medication Assisted Treatment of addiction. He said that addiction is a “treatable, chronic disease”, and that people with addiction use substances or engage in compulsive behaviors. He said that it is more than dependence on a drug.
Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) uses medications along with counseling and behavioral therapies to provide a “whole-patient” approach. Thomas said that MAT improves patient survival. Without intervention, 8 or 9 out of every 10 patients will die from their disease.
Although the pandemic has reduced the number of active-care patients to about 650, these individuals are receiving group counseling and support from their peers as well as medical professionals. Thomas stated that this type of intervention is cost-effective; each dollar invested in treatment reduces costs in social services by four to seven dollars.
President Ian’s Closing Haiku (vis-à-vis Rotary Youth Exchange) …
Opportunity
Presents itself frequently
Waits for nobody