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 12th – Coastal Cleanup Day – Meet at Wildberries at 8 am
- October 2nd – Backpacks for Kids returns!
- October 14th – Sunrise Swednesday – Details to follow
A Visit With Emilio
Our meeting started with a delightful visit from Emilio Piriz, who was our Inbound Rotary Exchange Student for the 1998-1999 Rotary Year. Emilio has undergone some changes over the past 20-plus years, including the birth of his five-year old daughter!
Emilio has fond memories of his time in Arcata, when his host families included Craig and Janice Newman and Dick, Shelley, and Brody Johnson. He noted that the Exchange process was “very professional”. In addition to his hosts, Emilio had a counselor with whom he could discuss any issues or questions. He told us that he discussed his experience with students who used other exchange programs, and he said that the Rotary program is better.
Emilio described his Exchange Year as “intense”, but he welcomed the activities, seeing the beauty of our area, and experiencing American culture. His memories of the year are very clear to him, even 20 years later. The experience helped his confidence grow, and he has continued to travel.
After his Exchange Year, Emilio studied Political Science and started working in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Economy. He worked for about 6 months in South Africa, then he was stationed in Mexico for three years. After a return to France, he was assigned to the Dominican Republic for two years. He is now back in France, and he said that his Exchange experience gave him the strength and the will to continue traveling in his career.
Emilio has a little girl, Lisa, who is five years old. She was born in Mexico, and she has lived in three different countries (so far). His mother, Elena, is working for the regional government – in the same building as Emilio!
Rotarian of the Month Nick Torres on Tae Kwon Do and More!
President Maggie’s randomly-selected Rotarian of the Month for August is Nick Torres, although Nick is one of those people who could be a Rotarian for every month.
Early on, Maggie said that her ROTMs are expected to perform the following tasks:
- Show Maggie (and us) something,
- Share your Rotary “a-ha” moment, and
- Teach Maggie something.
Nick showed us (and taught Maggie) some things about his passion – Tae Kwon Do. The name of this martial art means “the way of the foot and the fist”, and Nick shared its history. Grandmaster Sun Yi brought this Korean martial art to the United States in 1971, and the Sun Yi Academy on Giuntoli Lane follows his style, known as Chung Do Kwan. Both President Maggie and Sunriser Sarah “Warrior Princess” James were featured in videos shot at the studio.
… and Announcements!
We welcomed Sarah James back to our Club, following a brief hiatus, and President Maggie randomly selected Jennifer Coriell as the September Rotarian of the Month.
Since September is designated as Literacy Month in the Rotary world, President Maggie sent us into breakout groups to see how we would handle questions from the Citizenship Test.
Finally, Maggie provided some hints to help us cope with the current COVID-19 pandemic atmosphere.
Don’t miss a minute!
(Click here to view the video of the full meeting.)