ANNOUNCEMENTS
Karen Burgesser said that she is getting ready to publish this year's edition of the Club Directory. Check your e-mail for a message containing your current information and photo. If you want to change anything, please get the new data to Karen by Friday, August 5th.
President Scott noted that Rebecca Crow and her daughter Mary are faster than the Postal Service. We received a card that they mailed from their recent trip to Maine.
Don't forget that the Country Cabarette is happening this Saturday at 7 pm. The fundraiser will take place at the Arcata Playhouse at 1251 9th Street in Arcata, and it will feature live music, chili, and lots of fun!
RECOGNITIONS
Our own "Justice of Your Club" was recently featured in a national publication on family and juvenile law. Her professional and personal roles were discussed. We are justifiably proud of the "JOYC", as she is a long-time Sunriser, and a former Club President.
Finemaster Bob Johnson had Barbara Browning get up to be recognized again ... then he said, "I'm just kidding - sit down."
Craig Newman thought it was Good News that the City of Arcata was helpful in converting acres of pasture into ... er ... something. (Forest? Housing? A multi-level parking structure?) At any rate, the City Staff did a good job.
Jim and Joni Maher celebrated "20 on 20" recently. Their 20th anniversary took place on the 20th of July. They went to Healdsburg for a couple of nights. The days involved wine tasting and bicycling.
Wine tasting was also on the 14th anniversary agenda for Donnie Rosebrook and his wife Jennifer. They stayed at the Little River Inn on the Mendocino Coast where they did some ocean kayaking.
Bryan Plumley said that he and his wife Kim Floyd "happened to be in Maui" for their 22nd anniversary. Fortunately, Kim's mother also "happened" to be there, so she was able to help babysit. Bryan said that the return trip took 21 hours from departure to arrival.
Last Friday was Kyle Visser's birthday, and he started the celebration with "two rounds of Eggs Benedict". Sushi was on the menu for later in the day. Maybe we'll hear more at our next meeting.
FINAL FRIDAY - IT'S ABOUT THE FOUNDATION!!
Final Fridays have become a tradition for our Club. It's a time we have set aside to discuss the things we have done and plan to accomplish in the future, But it's also a time to look at the big picture of Rotary International, and especially our relationship (as a Club and as individuals) with the Rotary Foundation.
Last week, President Scott presented a video that showed many of the ways that the Foundation supports and augments the work of local clubs around the world. The programs highlighted included:
- Group Study Exchange
- Rotary Centers for International Justice
- Rotary World Peace Scholarships
- Humanitarian Grants
- District Simplified Grants
- Matching Grants
- PolioPlus
The video noted that in recent years, contributions have not kept pace with the needs filled by the Foundation. We are encouraged to give to the Annual Programs Fund each year to help the Foundation continue to strive to achieve its mission - "to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty".
For more information, please visit the Rotary Foundation website.
SPECIAL UPDATE FROM BOTSWANA!
Sunriser Maggie Kraft is currently serving with the Peace Corps in Botswana. She just sent this update:
I am busier here than I ever thought I would be the first few months in. My nonprofit is well established and works with children and young adults with disabilities providing primary and secondary school education then training to adults in fields of horticulture, pottery, knitting, milling, and candlemaking.
I am working with four fledging disability support groups in surrounding villages, trying to help them build their capacity to improve their lives. They are developing community gardens. Two have the land but need to deal with water rights and developing and cleaning out their wells. I hope to help them find grants to move forward. It is difficult for them to develop income sources due to lack of transportation, living in small villages and simply being so busy caring for themselves or others.
My Rotary Club here is small and I am hopefully helping them breathe new life into their activities. We are distributing children's books we got from Books for Africa and are starting a clothing drive that may eventually turn into an income producing venture if we can supply enough clothes and one of the groups can take on sorting, cleaning and selling them. They will have to purchase a washing machine and other equipment to make that happen, so that is a problem.
There are so many things to do here. I really like my coworkers but we are all too busy. I do manage relaxing weekends, studying Setswana, washing my laundry by hand and hanging out with two teenage girls who only like me for the fruit, popcorn and M&Ms I give them and for the card games we play. But I make them teach me some sentences from time to time. I am eager for some Rotarian visits, so please book early! Hope you are all well.
Maggie Kraft
