Our Rotary Club reserves the last Friday of each month to honor the work of the Rotary Foundation ... keep reading for more information from our most recent Final Friday ...
A Moment With Noëmi
Exchange Student Noëmi has attended her first American high school dance! I don't have any details, but she had a good time. When President Scott asked about her most recent tennis match, he asked, "Who did you beat this week?" Unfortunately, she was "less successful" than she has been in earlier matches. We're confident that she'll bounce back.
Announcements
Don't forget that we'll be packing Backpacks for Kids after this Friday's meeting. If you can't stay this Friday, we hope that you can help out soon - it's an Instant Sunrise Tradition that will take place each Friday while school is in session.
Don't forget that there will be Hearts On Fire at Blue Lake Casino's Sapphire Palace on Saturday, October 15th. It's the Rotary Foundation Dinner North, and the festivities begin with a no-host bar at 6 pm, followed by dinner at 7 pm. Former Rotary International President Rick King will be the featured speaker, and the dress is Creative Black Tie. Be sure to get your reservations in by Thursday, October 6th. You can register online at https://ssl.sonic.net/jimg/rotary5130.org/register.shtml.
Recognitions
Recognitions Chief Bob Johnson announced the debut of the Vocational Minute - an opportunity for a Sunriser to provide information brag about his or her business. The first VMer was Amy Bohner, co-owner of Alchemy Construction. Steve Bohner started the firm in 1998, before he met Amy. She joined Alchemy in 2004, and serves as the company's Secretary/Treasurer, as well as the Facilitator/Gofer. Alchemy specializes in green construction, building custom homes as well as remodeling existing buildings. The crew is also experienced in checking homes for heat loss, and plugging the heat holes. Check their website for more information: Alchemy Construction.
September 15th was Mark and Cammy Burtchett's 32nd anniversary. Mark said that they had a really nice dinner, and they had a "pretty quiet, pretty nice" time.
A week and a half later (September 26th), Dan and Kendra Johnson celebrated their 19th anniversary. "Celebrated" may be too strong a word, since they were very busy with their kids - son Carter is playing varsity soccer as a freshman at Arcata High, and daughter Jaden's camp soccer team has reached the championship game of their last four tournaments, winning one of those games. Kendra and Dan did manage to get away to Robert Goodman's wine tasting room for some adult time.
Bob took the opportunity to ask Dan about his birthday. When he said, "I think we were in San Ramon", George Cavinta begged to differ. "I was with him," he said, "and we were right here at the Plaza Grill!"
Bob then asked, "What's Up With ...?" His first "volunteer" was Patrick McCarthy, who was asked, "What's your current favorite techological device?" Patrick said that it's his trusty HP Business Calculator, even though he didn't have it with him. However, Mark Burtchett had one, and he's had it for about 30 years!
Then Bob asked Julie Schaefer (and her husband Jim, who happened to be in attendance), "What was the last nice meal you cooked at home?" Both agreed that it was venison steak. How long ago was that? Two nights. And how did you acquire said venison? "My mighty hunter!" said Julie. The sides were veggies and salad.
"How do you celebrate the fall?" Bob asked Rebecca Crow. "My birthday's in October, so it's easy." But she admits that she goes to bed earlier, maybe so she'll have more energy when the family visits the Pumpkin Patch.
Finally, Bob asked Susan Jansson to "explain this current fashion trend", which was illustrated by a young man with droopy drawers. Susan said that the phenomenon actually has some merit, as it allows for a quick assessment of the individual's fitness. "As the body fat goes down," she said, "so do the pants!"
Your Editor recognized the Recognizer, saying that on the previous Friday, he and his family went to Blue Lake to hear Bob's band, The Living Rooms. They were great, and Bob noted that the band had also recently performed at the North Country Fair, where they actually got paid! The cut was $12.50 per person, because "the drummer wasn't there, so we split his share".
Foundation Final Friday
Terri Clark, our Club's Foundation Chair, told us that Sunriser Randy Mendosa has achieved a new level in his support for the Foundation. Randy has been a Paul Harris Fellow for some time, and now his contributions have earned him recognition as a Second Level PHF. Congratulations and thank you, Randy!!
After a moving story from Terri about Rotary's ability to overcome long-held prejudices and resentments, we held our Final Friday Foundation Auction. All proceeds from the auction are forwarded to the Rotary Foundation.
First up was a basket of goodies with an autumnal theme, donated by Karen Burgesser. The prize was purchased by Terri.
President Scott donated two bottles of imported wine, which he described as "chewy". I believe that's another term for "full-bodied", unless the grapes survived intact. These were taken by Lori Breyer.
Another bottle of wine, not chewy but still robust, was provided by Bob Goodman. This went to Joyce Hinrichs.
Kyle Visser's sister makes the best chocolate chip cookies, and he will soon be delivering a batch, fresh from her oven, to Randy Mendosa.
A leopard-skin print gift bag held the bottle of Patrón Tequila donated by Julie Vaissade-Elcock. Both the bottle and the bag now belong to Bryan Reeser.
Sir Charles Giannini brought a solar power inverter, which allows you to plug into the sun and run your laptop, radio, or shaver. Well, not you - you didn't buy it, but Rob McBeth can do all those things.
More chocolate chip cookies hit the auction block, provided by Julie Vaissade-Elcock. These ended up either at the County Office of Education or on Lori Breyer's dining room table.
The final auction item was a Hello Kitty gift set, from Karen Burgesser. Karen helpfully reminded us that there were only 14 shopping Saturdays left 'til Christmas. Rina Brodhag must like to get her list pared down early, 'cause she was the winner.
Actually, the Rotary Foundation was the big winner on the day, as the auction brought in $595 to support its great programs. But you don't have to wait for an auction to donate. Just click on the word CONTRIBUTE, and you'll be whisked to Rotary International's online donation page. You don't have to be a Sunriser or a member of another Rotary Club to help - you just have to be willing to help.
