A Chat With Noëmi
When President Scott checked in with Exchange Student Noëmi
last Friday, she said she was packing for her upcoming ski trip. She also said that she is really enjoying her
Photography class. We heard a little
more about that later in the morning.
Announcements
Friday 2/17 Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise Charter
Night: Our 20th Anniversary
6:30
pm No Host Bar
7:30
pm Program
8:30
pm Dancing and Fellowship
Saturday 3/10 Spring Fundraiser: The Circus Comes to
Town
With about six weeks until the event, we are focusing on
filling the house. It's great to sell a
table, but individual tickets are available as well. Susan Jansson e-mailed a list of the Silent
Auction/Raffle groups last week. She
reminded us that each group is expected to provide 2 Silent Auction items and 3
Raffle items. Ceva Courtemanche said
that we also need more packages for the Live Auction.
Foundation Final Friday
Our Club's Foundation Chair, Terri Clark, told us that
Rotary's International Assembly had been held in San Diego last week. The International Assembly is a training
session for incoming District Governors, and the RI President-Elect
traditionally introduces the theme for the next Rotary Year.
This year's President-Elect, Sakuji Tanaka of Japan, has
selected as his theme Peace Through
Service. "Peace, in all of the ways that we can understand it, is a
real goal and a realistic goal for Rotary," he said. "Peace is not
something that can only be achieved through agreements, by governments, or
through heroic struggles. It is something that we can find and that we can
achieve, every day and in many simple ways."
Terri also told us that we have reached a milestone in the
fight against polio. It has been one year
since the last new case of polio has been reported. Also, she told us about Rotary’s progress in
meeting the matching funds requirement of the $2 million Challenge Grant from
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Although most people believed that we would not finish raising the
matching funds until the end of this Rotary Year, it's already a done
deal. Awesome.
The Fantastic Final Friday Foundation Auction – Part I
We held one of our semi-regular Final Friday events last
week: the Foundation Auction. If you’re not familiar with this, it’s an
opportunity to contribute to the Rotary Foundation and receive a prize at the same time. All proceeds go to support the Foundation's great programs.
The first item sold was a beautiful wooden box donated by Mark Bruce, and purchased by Susan Jansson. Next up was a Valentine-themed mini-quilt made by Lori Breyer. Janice Newman provided the winning contribution for that one.
Our President-Elect, George Cavinta, was the source of a package containing both vodka and matching "Say Yes" glasses. President Scott was the one who said "Yes" to that item.
The next item was contributed by our Featured Speaker, Barbara Barney. It was a beaded bracelet that Barbara had acquired in her Rotary travels. The winning bid came from Joyce Hinrichs.
Amy Bohner assembled a Date Night package, consisting of a tray full of candles, chocolate, and other romantic paraphernalia. The dashing and debonair Craig Newman purchased this package, as Janice Newman looked on with a smile.
Where Do Our Foundation Donations Go?
Barbara Barney of the Sebastopol Sunrise Rotary was our guest speaker last Friday. Barbara heads up the District 5130 Foundation Grants Subcommittee, and she told us how our donations to the Foundation flow through the system.
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| Barbara Barney Explains Rotary Accounting |
All donations are invested by the Foundation, and after three years, 50% of the original amount goes to the World Fund. The remaining 50% is returned to our District Designated Fund. This money is then allocated by the District leadership to Simplified Grants, Ambassadorial Scholarships, Matching Grants, and Group Study Exchanges.
This system allows Rotary Clubs to leverage their funds, Barbara said. For an eligible project, $1,000 in Club funds may be matched by $1,000 from the District Designated Fund, with another $1,500 from the World Fund. This provides a 250% increase in the amount available for a worthy international project!
Barbara encouraged us all to participate in the annual "Festival of Brotherhood", which takes place each fall. Rotarians from our District travel to Central Mexico's District 4150 to visit the sites of existing cooperative projects and to seek ideas for new ways to provide help to those who need it. "It's all about relationships," she said.
Our District will have two Group Study Exchanges this spring, Barbara noted - one with Turkey and the other with France.
The Fantastic Final Friday Foundation Auction – Part II
The auction resumed following Barbara's talk, with Travis Schneider purchasing a pound of chocolate and a bottle of wine that had been donated by Jim Maher.
A "Bowl of Shirts" was donated by George Cavinta. This was a very nice serving bowl which contained several t-shirts commemorating the recent Arcata Invitational Basketball Tournament. Susan Jansson had the winning bid.
Jeff Munther provided two bottles of wine and a unique combination bottle opener/server. This was purchased by Dawn Ellsbree.
And our last item was an original piece by artist and Sunriser John Wesa. The work depicted the Mad River Slough, and it was purchased by Joyce Hinrichs.
The auction provided an additional $900 for the Rotary Foundation. But remember, you can make a donation at any time online - just click here.
